Nicki Minaj’s Mawazine Festival Performance Sparks Ticket Price and Content Controversy in Morocco

The organizers of the Festival have set the price of tickets for the concert of American singer Nicki Minaj on the Souissi stage at 1400 dirhams. This decision has sparked a wave of criticism on social media, where many Internet users consider this price excessive.

Nicki Minaj’s concert at Mawazine has also sparked widespread controversy due to the singer’s image. Activists and Moroccan celebrities have expressed their outrage at her being invited to the festival, arguing that her songs contain indecent lyrics and images that do not at all correspond to Moroccan values.

And as every year, calls to boycott Mawazine are circulating on social media. This year, these calls take on a particular dimension due to the Israeli war against the Gaza Strip. Several Moroccans have launched a hashtag containing the phrase "Don’t dance on the wound of your brothers" to express their refusal to participate in a music festival while Palestinians are being killed in Gaza.

The calls to boycott Mawazine are manifested in different ways. Some Internet users directly criticize the festival and its artistic choices, while others attack the remuneration of the artists, especially the foreigners and Arabs. Moroccan artists also claim to be ostracized by the organizers.