At the crossroads of cultures, in the heart of the Mediterranean, he has made it an essential cultural and artistic event for the past ten years. The virtuoso Rabie Houti created Al Andalous in 2016 in Montpellier, a high-flying festival that aims to strengthen the link between Montpellier and its twin cities around the Mediterranean and to create an intercultural dialogue between the two shores through a common heritage, in a spirit of openness and sharing.
And also to make the richness of this heritage accessible to as many people as possible, resulting from a blend of Arab music from the East, Afro-Berber music from the Maghreb, and the music practiced in the Iberian Peninsula before 711. Abdelkader Chaou, Anzul Project, Lila Borsal, Amel Zen—An excellent program curated by a skilled musician, composer, violinist, and singer of the Rabie Houti Band, who, for the tenth anniversary of the Al Andalous festival, honors Algeria, his homeland.
What was your intention in creating this festival?
Rabie Houti: When I created this festival in 2016 in Montpellier, alongside my artistic career, my idea was to promote and enhance the Andalusian civilization from the 9th to the 13th century and its music, which is based on original noubats inspired by Byzantine, Persian, and Arab modes. At first, this festival lasted a weekend, and now it’s 10 days of festivities. Over 10 years, this festival has grown… Over time, we have included conferences, workshops, round tables around art in the Mediterranean, and opened up to contemporary music. At the heart of Mediterranean cultures, for the past ten years, I have been working to make this festival a highly prestigious cultural and artistic event, blending traditions and contemporary creations. Offering a quality program to the audience and allowing them to meet and discover artists they are not used to seeing in Montpellier and the region.
The festival is held in Montpellier, a city at the crossroads of cultures.
Rabie Houti: Yes, when I arrived from Algeria in 2014 and settled in Montpellier to continue my studies, I was culturally shocked. I discovered that Montpellier is indeed at the crossroads of cultures. I did some research and learned about the significant links and exchanges between Andalusia and Occitania… In the 11th century, Andalusians met troubadours. The Montpellier Medical School has books written by Andalusians. During an Occitan walk, I discovered a musician playing an Algerian instrument, El ghaita, who assured me it was a purely Occitan instrument, the Gaïta… When I created this festival, all of this was in my mind… I thought about these similarities, the climate of Montpellier reminding me of Oran, my hometown, and the ambiance and music of Occitania reminding me of Arabo-Andalusian music. I wanted a high-flying festival that aims to strengthen the link between Montpellier and its twin cities around the Mediterranean and to create an intercultural dialogue between the two shores, in a spirit of openness and sharing. And also to make the richness of this heritage accessible to as many people as possible, resulting from a blend of Arab music from the East, Afro-Berber music from the Maghreb, and the music practiced in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages.
