Every year over the course of three days the heart of essaouira in western morocco beats to the rhythm of the traditional gnaoua music a rich repertoire o. Morocco gnawa music part 2 essaouira, maroc, musique, mise en page. This is about the traditional music of the gnawa brotherhood of morocco. Those of you fortunate enough to attend the annual gnawa festival in essaouira know how beguiling this ceremonial music is. Get youtube premium get youtube tv best of youtube music sports gaming movies tv shows news. Gnawa music is a rich repertoire of ancient african islamic spiritual religious songs and rhythms. Trailer for the forthcoming documentary short planet essaouira about the mystical gnaoua music scene in essaouira, morrocco. Gnawa is moroccan trance music, a form that that seduced many famous visitors to morocco, including the beat poets, longtime resident author paul bowles, as well as brian jones and the rolling stones. The gnawa of marrakesh hold their annual festival at the sanctuary of moulay brahim in the atlas mountains.
They try to earn some money by performing music for passing tourists in rabat, morocco. Tucked into a courtyard is a group of robed musicians playing bass drums, reed pipes and qaraqebs, metal chimes which are clacked together in the fingers. The altaf gnawa group isnt of the same notoriety as other bands and individuals from the tradition such as sidi mimoun or brahim belkani. Listen free to majid bekkas african gnaoua blues african blues, mrahba and more. See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. On this evening tour in essaouira, step inside the world of the gnawa, an afromoroccan group whose music, culture and traditions are the heartbeat of morocco. The gnawa are a subsaharanberberislamic society found throughout morocco with origins in subsaharan africa and slavery. This popular four day festival features art exhibitions and gnaoua style music. It brings together artists from all over the world. Essaouiras 18th annual gnaoua music festival morocco. Le festival gnaoua et musiques du monde d essaouira a ete cree en 1997. Its wellpreserved heritage combines ritual poetry with traditional music and dancing.
Although the festival is free, tickets to certain events can get you front and centre access. This mythical town of south morocco was compared to the tombouctou harbour. These lilas still take place and usually last all night long and into. That is why most of the gnawa people are living in this town. Their leader, the maalem, plucks a threestringed gimbri lute. Gnawa music is a rich moroccan repertoire of ancient african islamic spiritual religious songs and rhythms. The gnaoua festival attracts a cosmopolitan audience of 500,000 festivalgoers annually and offers a rich program, reaffirming its goal to emphasize the gnaoua heritage in all its variety and to invite the best world and jazz artists to come and perform in the unique and magical town of essaouira. The gnawa of khamlia hold their annual festival in august at the village khamlia in erg chebbi. The gnawa people come from the guinea empire today senegal, guinea, mali.
Gnawa also became popular among north and west african youth in. The 23th edition of the festival gnaoua is from 25 june to 28 june in 2020. Its well preserved heritage combines ritual poetry with traditional music and dancing. The vocals are somewhat less than one might come to expect from other recordings of lila ceremonies and more secular renditions. Moroccans overwhelmingly love gnawa music and gnawas maalems are highly respected, and enjoy an aura of musical stardom. We use cookies and other technologies on this website to enhance your user experience. Each june gnaoua world music festival comes to the port of essaouira in morocco for four days of music and art. Listening to gnawa music in essaouira, morocco rough guides.
The music is performed at lilas, entire communal nights of celebration, dedicated to prayer and healing, guided by the gnawa maalem and his group of musicians and dancers. Since 1998, the gnaoua festival of world music is held in essaouira, normally in the last week of june. Percussionist doudou ndiaye rose, the great youssou ndour, senegalese singer and guitarist baaba. The music is both a prayer and a celebration of life. Jan 27, 2017 gnawa is moroccan trance music, a form that that seduced many famous visitors to morocco, including the beat poets, longtime resident author paul bowles, as well as brian jones and the rolling stones. Stream tracks and playlists from gnawa on your desktop or mobile device. During the last few decades, gnawa music has been modernizing and thus becoming more profane. Essaouira is an atlantic seaside resort town and has long been considered as one of the best anchorages of the moroccan coast. Images hadra des gnaoua dessaouira maroc performer format. In a gnawa song, one phrase or a few lines are repeated over and over, so the song may last a long time. Gnaoua world music festival festival gnaoua et musiques du. Despite being marginalized for their ritual beliefs and practices, gnawa music has become popular and is increasingly performed in secular contexts alongside sacred rituals.
See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and. He learnt gnawa music through the teachings of the master ba houmane. Heres a nice recording from a lila ceremony held at the zawiya of sidna bilal in essaouira featuring maalem ahmed baqbou from marrakech and maalem said boulhimas from essaouira. The gnawa or gnaoua, ghanawa, ghanawi, gnawi people originated from north and west africa. The essaouira gnaoua and world music festival was born 19 years ago, it celebrates gnaoui music, it showcases the great maalemines masters gnaouas playing the mystical and sacred music of the gnawa. Mar 08, 2014 gnawa music is a rich moroccan repertoire of ancient african islamic spiritual religious songs and rhythms. Its midnight in essaouira, and a castanetlike rhythm is drifting over the ramparts on the steely atlantic breeze.
An essaouira riad at the heart of the gnawa music festival. However, there are still many lilas organized privately, which conserves the musics sacred, spiritual status. This has prompted gnawa musicians to learn other moroccan musical styles, which. African music of high calibre has always been in the spotlight in essaouira. The phonology of this term according to the grammatical principles of berber is as follows. Amida boussou, gnawa 2 gnawa leila, chants et musiques gnawa du maroc, volume 1. The town of essaouira, on the atlantic coast of morocco, hosts the festival gnauoa each year in june. Kick off your essaouira tour under the iconic clocktower to begin a journey back in time and tradition. Singers in tasseltopped caps weave a polyrhythmic chant into the sound. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from gnawa at the discogs marketplace. Travel to morocco for the gnaoua gnawa festival in essaouira the mysterious music of the gnaouas is celebrated each year in june at the gnaoua festival in essaouira. Stream tracks and playlists from gnawamusic on your desktop or mobile device. A pretty straightforward collection of gnawa works.
See whos going to gnaoua world music festival festival gnaoua et musiques du monde 2020 in essaouira, morocco. The traditions of this ethnic group include a form of spiritual and ritualistic music, which is intended to make peace with the spiritual realm as well as heal participants in the ritual. Within the framework of the gnaoua world music festival of essaouira gnaoua and musics of the world, the gnawa play in a profane context with. Festival musiques du monde gnaoua world music festival. Their music invokes supernatural entities during an allnight ritual for purposes such as healing. Rooted in traditional north african culture, gnaoua welcomes a diverse and unique selection of artists to the port city of essaouira each year. John knutson ive been in touch with the festival organisers and they told me that the th essaouira gnaoua and world music festival will be held thursday to sunday, june 2427, 2010.
The moga festival of essaouira combines culture with modern trends. Meet gnawa masters, jam with local musicians, and watch dance performances to experience this addictive music genre firsthand, in places that many essaouira visitors dont know about. Essaouiras gnaoua festival marks 20th edition youtube. Listen to gnawa soundcloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create 10 tracks. Percussionist doudou ndiaye rose, the great youssou ndour, senegalese singer and guitarist baaba maal are also part of those who signed in gold letters the success of the festival. Gnawa festival essaouira 2010 secret archives of the vatican.
Normally it is held in june, but this years 18th edition will take place like many of the main moroccan music festivals in may, to avoid a clash with the holy month of ramadan. Maalem abdeslam alikane laada tagnawite festival gnaoua essaouira 2017 youtube. Gnaoua festival is a jazz, pop, rock, soul and contemporary world music festival in morocco. Moroccan music top 8 mustdownload artists from the maghreb. The centre for gnawa music is essaouira in the south of morocco where the gnaoua world music festival is held annually. Gnawa crossroads live musicmeeting 2007 by wilbert nuij. According to wikipedia, gnawa music is a mixture of african, berber, and arabic religious songs and rhythms. Grab tickets, peruse a map, check out the venues, join the online community, and download the mobile app all at the gnaoua world music festivals official site.
Weave through the medina to visit azaouia, or temple of the gnawa people, a sacred place reserved for traditional lila rituals, often performed to treat psychological ills, drive out evil spirits, or remedy scorpion stings. May 31, 2012 the gnawa, a mystical brotherhood whose ancestors migrated from west africa to north africa, lend their music to psychic disorder and animal bite healing sessions, all of which is fully imaginable whilst listening to their trancelike power and intensity. The gnawa, a mystical brotherhood whose ancestors migrated from west africa to north africa, lend their music to psychic disorder and animal bite healing sessions, all of which is fully imaginable whilst listening to their trancelike power and intensity. The traditions of this ethnic group include a form of spiritual and ritualistic music, which is intended to make peace with the. Gnawamusic gnawa music free listening on soundcloud. Gnawa also became popular among north and west african youth in france, who mixed the music with. Gnawa music is a mixture of subsaharan african, berber, and arabic religious songs and rhythms. Gnawa music from essaouira sf071 recorded and compiled by tucker martine in 1994, the bulk of this album features the magnificent results of a chance meeting between martine and the late, great master of gnawa music, maallem boubker ghania 19272000, who kindly offered to organize a severalday informal recording session in his home. Every year, the sunbleached, windswept city of essaouira on moroccos atlantic coast plays host to a festival of gnaoua and world music. Hadra des gnaoua dessaouira maroc performer format.
Gnaoua world music festival is one of the most visited music festival in morocco, it takes place annually in essaouira during four days in june. The playing is good, with lotfi lotfi providing an able gnbri performance. Theres so much gnawa music available on youtube, its a bit overwhelming so i rarely dip into it. Africa, essaouira, festival, festivals and gigs, gnaoua, gnawa, gnawa festival 2010, morocco, music, musicians, world music, world music 2 by vince millett vince and pete are ploughing through their pictures from the gnawa festival in essaouira and well be. The gnaoua festival essaouira festival of gnaoua and world music festival d essaouira gnaoua musique du monde. Gnaoua world music festival festival gnaoua et musiques. Apr 19, 2020 heres a nice recording from a lila ceremony held at the zawiya of sidna bilal in essaouira featuring maalem ahmed baqbou from marrakech and maalem said boulhimas from essaouira. This year was the 21st edition, featuring traditional gnaoua musical troupes, and also fusion segmentsaccompaniment with guest jazz musicians. The gnaoua festival essaouira festival of gnaoua and world music festival dessaouira gnaoua musique du monde.
Mar 04, 2020 heres a nice recording from a lila ceremony held at the zawiya of sidna bilal in essaouira featuring maalem ahmed baqbou from marrakech and maalem said boulhimas from essaouira. Gnaoua festival is an eclectic music, arts and culture festival in the moroccan port city of essaouira. Gnawa music is one of the major musical currents in morocco. Created in 1998, the festival gnaoua et musiques du monde in essaouira. Morocco sound maroc amin gnawi essaouira gumbri gnawa. Over 500,000 people visit the festival annually to enjoy a mix of traditional gnaouastyle music along with other popular genres from around the world including blues.
From the performers jamming in marrakeshs famous square to the gnawa beats pulsing in the desert, moroccan music will set the beat to your adventure. Deeply rooted in north african styles, sounds and traditions, the festival is a vibrant and immersive experience, filling the citys streets, squares, docks and performance venues with a fantastic extravaganza of sound and colour. Gnawa music has been part of moroccos music culture since the arrival, beginning in the 11th century, of subsaharan african slaves in morocco. Kexp is a nonprofit arts organization serving music lovers and artists through inperson, broadcast, and online. Abdelmajid bekkas was born and still lives in sale, morocco.
1299 1230 327 601 108 188 885 1222 697 671 527 571 858 1372 1508 724 682 439 722 182 1293 241 289 684 1313 1072 1010 1408 232 738 1455 451 126