David Serero sings for Princess of Morocco Lalla Joumala in Washington D.C for the Feast of Throne
Excerpt from MOROCCO WORLD NEWS article: Rabat – Singer David Serero said he felt ‘honored’ to perform the Moroccan national anthem during a Throne Day gala held in Washington on Monday.
Hosted by the Moroccan ambassador to the United States, Lalla Joumala Alaoui, the ceremony marking the 18th year of King Mohammed VI’s reign began with a performance of the Moroccan national anthem by Serero.
In an exclusive statement issued to Morocco World News, Serero described his gratitude for being asked to perform.
“I was deeply honored when Charles Dahan and the Embassy of Morocco in the United States asked me to sing for this important celebration.”
Serero also praised his host, the Moroccan ambassador, saying, “It’s a dream come true to sing for Her Majesty Princess Lalla Joumala. She is a woman full of modernity, knowledge, grace, tolerance, elegance, and more, which is the definition of every Moroccan woman. She is shining with her qualities and honoring Morocco and every Moroccan. I was so honored to meet her and perform for her and all the guests.”
Joumala thanked Serero for his performance during her speech to the attendees. “I was about to cry in tears,” he said in response to the gesture.
The singer attributed his continuing close relationship with Morocco to his grandparents, Raphael and Lily Serero, “who have always kept Morocco in their hearts.”
“I feel more Moroccan nowadays than ever before,” he added.
Serero talked about the special relationship shared by Judaism and Islam throughout Morocco’s history.
“Jews and Muslims have the greatest history together in Morocco, which will always be. While in some countries, people separate themselves from their differences, in Morocco, we celebrate them. As famously said by His Majesty Mohammed V: ‘There are no Jews or Muslims in Morocco, only Moroccans.’
Serero described himself as a Moroccan in his heart. “I want to promote the fraternity and peaceful image of this amazing country, its people, and its culture. Every Moroccan person is unique and makes this world better. (If you doubt, I’ll take you to a nice Moroccan restaurant!). Thanks to Her Majesty King Mohammed VI and Princess Lalla Joumala, I don’t feel like a Jew anymore but like a proud Moroccan. May God bless Morocco, the King, and his family.”
The Throne Day gala was attended by 250 people, including high US officials like Wilbur Ross, the US Secretary of Commerce, Stuart Jones, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary, and Yael Lempert, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Egypt and the Maghreb.
Other guests included Jonathan Nash, Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Challenge Corporation, and Jennifer Rasamimanana, the new US General Consular in Casablanca.
Retired US Army General James Jones, former US ambassadors to Morocco, Dwight Bush, Samuel L. Kaplan, Eduard Gabriel, several accredited ambassadors to Washington, representatives of the Moroccan community, presidents of think tanks, business people, and media personalities were also among the attendees.
