Moroccan Singer Denies Accusing Peers of Paying for Festival Slots

"It’s shameful that pages create disputes between artists. I didn’t say that, it’s a page that wrote something that has absolutely no basis," Hajar Adnane wrote, specifying that her Instagram post, which she later deleted, was rather addressed to "festival organizers" whom she accused of excluding Moroccan artists.

Adnane had previously shared on the same social network a post from another page in which the artist Abdelali El Ghaoui talks about the exclusion of a group of artists from festivals, in these terms: "May God guide the intermediaries who tell you that you have to give 70% to be able to participate in the festivals." And to add in a comment: "What a shame, Saida pays an intermediary to sing at the festival," before deleting it.

The Moroccan artist recently expressed his support for artists excluded from festivals and artistic events in Morocco. "I support my great and respected artist friends who are excluded from festivals and artistic events in Morocco," he wrote in a post. A reaction that came after several artists, including singer Chaimae Abdelaziz and rapper El Grande Toto, whose real name is Taha Fahssi, denounced their exclusion from the festivals organized during the summer.