In the cultural corridors of Rabat, where music animates the city’s heartbeat, I sat down with Brahim El Mazned — founder and artistic director of the Visa For Music festival — for a conversation filled with passion and vision. This was not just a meeting, but a meaningful artistic and human moment, reflecting not only the organizational success of the festival but also a strong belief in music and creativity as bridges between peoples.
Who is Brahim El Mazned?
Brahim El Mazned is a key figure in Morocco’s cultural landscape. Through Anya Culture, the organization he leads, he launched Visa For Music in Rabat in 2014. Since then, the event has become a strategic platform for African and Middle Eastern music.
Anya is also active in music publishing, training, and the development of cultural infrastructure in Morocco.
El Mazned is more than a festival organizer; he embodies a cultural and ethical vision. He is known internationally as a cultural consultant committed to building a sustainable music industry in Africa.
The vision behind Visa For Music
As he explained during our conversation, El Mazned believes deeply in music as a tool for bringing continents closer together. Visa For Music, held annually in Rabat, is not merely a festival: it is a professional marketplace connecting artists, producers, and cultural actors from Africa and the Middle East.
For him, hosting the event in Morocco carries symbolic weight. Rabat, with its heritage and diversity, naturally lends itself to such creative initiatives. At the opening of a recent edition, he emphasized that the festival is “a space for exchange, for meaningful encounters, and for building the future of music.”
The festival’s importance for Morocco
In El Mazned’s view, Morocco is not just a host country: it is an active partner in building a continental music industry. Through Visa For Music, the Kingdom strengthens artistic exchanges and supports youth and professionals through workshops, conferences, and training programs.
The festival also highlights Rabat’s role as a cultural capital and reinforces its contribution to the economic development of the creative sector, especially with the state’s support for cultural and creative industries.
El Mazned’s vision — from the heart
El Mazned spoke proudly of how Visa For Music has become “a real platform at the crossroads of art and economic initiative.” For him, it goes far beyond entertainment — it is “a space for building a collective musical memory.”
“We don’t just celebrate music; we build bridges between artists and continents, between dreams and possibility, between the past and ambition.”
This quote reflects his philosophy and his belief in art as a tool for transformation and communication.
He also describes his mission as follows:
“Creating this festival in Morocco stems from my belief that this country can become a true launch pad for a modern African music industry — globally competitive, yet deeply rooted in its identities and origins.”
Challenges and ambition
El Mazned did not overlook the challenges: funding major festivals, building professional networks, and turning talent into sustainable projects — all issues he has grappled with since the beginning. But in his view, the work has only just begun. True success lies in transforming cultural exchange into a real music economy, generating tangible impact for artists and communities.
He also highlighted the importance of expanding music training programs — notably through the VFM Academy — to empower younger generations and ensure the continuity of such cultural initiatives.
Conclusion — A profound artistic impact
My meeting with Brahim El Mazned was more than an interview; it was a meditation on a long-term vision. How can a festival become more than a festival? How can today’s Morocco become a global and African artistic platform?
Through his work, we see how an artistic dream can evolve into a cultural and economic project, and how music continues to build bridges across continents.
It is undoubtedly an honor for anyone who believes that art is a universal language — and that Morocco, through figures like El Mazned, can write new chapters in the global music story.
