Ahlam and Hassoun set to perform at Moroccan festival

Emirati diva Ahlam and Iraqi songstress Shatha Hassoun are set to delight Moroccan audiences at the 12th Mawazine Festival: Rhythms of the World, with a joint Khaliji concert on May 30. According to organisers of the festival, Ahlam will perform Moroccan songs dedicated to local residents, continuing a tradition established by Asala, Miriam Fares and Sabah in previous editions of the festival. The Emirati is already well known for performing the song Lala Fatma, by Marrakesh-based folk singer Hameed Zaher, to critical acclaim by Moroccans who were impressed by her command of the difficult Moroccan accent. Meanwhile, Hassoun announced the date to her fans in a tweet in which she also described Ahlam as "my lovely friend." Ahlam and Hassoun are not the only Arab performers to feature at this year’s Mawazine Festival. Egyptian Tamer Hosni, Shereen Abdel Wahab, Mohammed Mounir, Lebanon's Asi al-Hellani, Kuwaiti singer Abdallah al-Rowaished, Morocco's own Hoda Saad have also been named as performers.