Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The German Consulate General here hosted the Mellow Maroc band, which performed at a superb musical concert combining German and Arab cultures on Thursday.

The band was formed by Mellow Mark, Mohammed Djender and Mohamed Ahmed,

who traveled around the globe performing contemporary German-Arabic fusion of rap and reggae music. They sang about the beauty and harmony of Islam.

Mellow Maroc also performed during Janadriyah 2016 where Germany was the guest of honor.

Welcoming the guests to the event held at his residence, German Consul General Holger Ziegeler said: "The goal of the concert is the exchange of culture, to show the audience that in Germany we do not only work hard, we also play hard. We also want to show that Germany is a melting pot of cultures."

Mellow Mark is a German who converted to Islam while Djender is originally an Algerian who migrated to Germany 27 years ago and became a citizen. Ahmed is an Egyptian who lives in Germany.

"The trio play together, building bridges across the continents. Today they are building a bridge between Germany and Saudi Arabia, a bridge that can be walked over in both directions, from here to Germany and from Germany to Saudi Arabia," said the diplomat.

Djender said: "Our songs tell stories about peace and love on earth and the way we live Islam in Germany. The songs are written by Mark, who converted to Islam but is still German. Today Germany has many people with different religions, all working together in one nation respecting each other. Germany is a multicultural society and we are here today to show the people what has Germany become. The strength of modern-day Germany is that it welcomes people from abroad and it gives them the freedom to live their culture."