This is the 3rd edition of the Festival 'The Soul of Cultures', organised from 21 to 23 February by the Three Cultures Foundation with the Zaouia Kadiriya de Essaouira (Association Jeunes de l'Art Authentique) in collaboration with the Machado Foundation
The festival will feature representatives of the brotherhoods of La Macarena, Cristo de la Corona and Soledad de Cantillana, and experts such as Paloma Saborido, Gema Carrera, José de León and Francisco Carrera 'Paquili'.
The Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation and the Kadiriya Brotherhood of Essaouira (Association Jeunes de l'Art Authentique) are co-organising the third edition of the 'Soul of Cultures' Festival from 21 to 23 February, a meeting which last year brought together for the first time Muslim, Christian and Jewish brotherhoods in the Moroccan city of Essaouira and in which the Machado Foundation is also collaborating.
After the good results of the last edition, representatives of the brotherhoods of the Macarena (with the presence of its Eldest Brother, José Antonio Fernández Cabrero), the Cristo de la Corona and the Soledad de Cantillana will once again take part in these days of coexistence, in which questions relating to heritage, rituals, traditions and the numerous points in common that link millions of believers of the three religions of the Book beyond their differences will be addressed.
For this reason, experts of the stature of Gema Carrera, PhD in Social Anthropology and head of the Documentation and Studies Centre of the Andalusian Historical Heritage Institute; the specialist in sumptuary arts José de León; Paloma Saborido, professor at the University of Málaga and the only Spaniard on the commission for the Jubilee of the Cofrades 2025; and the president of the Guild of Sacred Art of Seville and master embroiderer Francisco Carrera 'Paquili' will also attend.
On the Moroccan side, important specialists and authorities in the field have also confirmed their participation, such as Ali Eddaoudi, head chaplain of the Muslim Chaplaincy Service of the Dutch Ministry of Defence; Manoël Pénicaud, anthropologist at the Jacques Berque Centre in Rabat; Kaisse Ben Yahia, chargé de mission at the Royal Cabinet in Rabat; and Faouzi Skalli, anthropologist and specialist in the sciences of religions.
Thus, the programme of the meeting (to be announced in the coming days) combines various round tables, ceremonies specific to the three religions and musical evenings with artists from different countries and faiths, in a celebration of diversity, peace and coexistence.
With all this, the festival, directed by Hicham Dinar, Moqadem of the Zaouia Kadiriya of Essaouira, aims to continue growing and advancing, encouraging cooperation and harmony between the faithful of different traditions as a way of promoting coexistence between peoples, following the universal ideal of Human Fraternity and the Abu Dhabi declaration of Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.
In addition, the Fundación Tres Culturas has planned other actions that will take place throughout the rest of the year to keep this flame of dialogue and understanding alive beyond the echoes of the festival itself.