By Charles Mgbolu
Jazz music, one of the most popular and influential music genres, has gotten a global applause as International Jazz Day is marked across the globe.
To celebrate this music genre on the continent that has transcended borders and united cultures, UNESCO organised a series of concerts running from April 27 to 30 in the city of Tangier in northwest Morocco.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said the International Jazz Day, celebrated in more than 190 countries, was anchored in Morocco to serve as a global host.
The celebrations "emphasize the city’s jazz heritage and highlight cultural and artistic ties between people in Morocco, Europe and Africa,’’ UNESCO said in a statement.
The event which is in partnership with Morocco’s Ministry of Culture also hosted a series of education programs for students with presentations showcasing the significance of Morocco’s Gnawa music and its connection with jazz.
Gnawa is a well-preserved Moroccan music heritage that combines poetry with traditional music and dancing.
Perhaps the cynosure of the festivities is the All-Star Global Concert which featured African and International Jazz artists such as Gnawa musician Abdellah El Gourd from Morocco, Richard Bona from Cameroon and Moreira Chonguiça from Mozambique.
Across Africa, the popularity of jazz is on the rise, with different countries hosting their own versions of the festival.
In 2022, Lagos, Nigeria, pulled in a large contingent of Nigerian, other African, and international jazz artists for the Lagos International Jazz Festival.
Others, such as Ghana and South Africa, have also hosted their versions of the jazz festival, with thousands of fans attending.
Established by the General Conference of UNESCO in 2011, International Jazz Day is also recognized by the United Nations General Assembly.
Organisers say the celebration highlights the power of jazz and its role in promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity and respect for human dignity.
According to UNESCO, International Jazz Day has become a global movement reaching more than 2 billion people annually on all continents through education programmes, performances, community outreach, radio, television, and streaming, along with electronic, print, and social media.
The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz is the lead nonprofit organization charged by UNESCO with planning, promoting and producing International Jazz Day each year.
➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
