Monday, 25 May 2026
Abdel Halim Hafez’s family to sue Morocco’s Mawazine Festival over hologram concert
CAIRO — The family of legendary Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez announced legal action against Morocco’s Mawazine Festival, accusing organizers of violating intellectual property rights by planning a hologram concert using the late star’s name and image without their consent.
In an official statement posted to social media, the family asserted that they had issued repeated warnings to the festival organizers, stressing that they had not authorized the event. The family emphasized that, under copyright law, a deceased artist’s image and name cannot be used without the permission of their heirs.
The statement also criticized the production quality of a previous company, NDB, which had worked on earlier hologram events under a contract that expired in 2021. The exclusive rights to represent Hafez in upcoming hologram shows have since been granted to a different company for 2025, according to the family.
Attempts were made for this authorized company to collaborate with Mawazine under specific technical conditions to ensure high-quality production, but the festival organizers allegedly declined these terms, prioritizing "financial gain over artistic integrity," the family said. Subsequently, the festival moved forward with another company to stage the concert, scheduled for June 23, 2025.
The Hafez family is calling for a boycott of the event, warning that the planned show constitutes a "blatant violation" of their rights and could harm the legendary singer’s legacy. "There must be deterrence for such transgressions," the statement concluded.
Festival organizers have not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit or the family's allegations.