Essaouira
Gnaoua World Music Festival, Music and Dialogue
By Karima Rhanem | Morocco TIMES 4/21/2005 | 12:59 am
Morocco Times, Morocco
April 21 2005
Essaouira, formerly known as Mogador, is hosting the 8th edition of
the Gnaoua World Music Festival June 23-26. The four-day Gnaoua (West
African trance music) festival is one of the few cultural events that
brings together audiences from all social classes. Fans of Gnaoua enjoy
the cries of the seagulls and sleeps to the sound of the ‘guembri’
and the ‘qraqebs’.
The festival provides a platform for exchanges and a meeting point of
music and dialogue between foreign artists and the mystical musicians
of Essaouira. In this extraordinary melting-pot of musical fusion,
the master Gnawa invite players of jazz, pop, rock and contemporary
World music to explore new avenues.
In exciting meetings between the heirs of a secular tradition and
artists from diverse horizons, the musicians discover new cultures,
and for some, a return to their roots.
Top world musicians including The Wailers from Jamaica, Omar Sosa from
Cuba, Norbert Lucarain from France, and vibraphone Rick Margitza from
USA are expected to put a new flavour to this 8th edition, along with
their Moroccan counterparts.
Moroccan top Gnaouas include H’mida Boussou, who is regarded as an icon
by the Casablanca Gnawa brotherhood, Mahjoub Khalmous from Marrakech,
Chérif Regragui from Essaouira, Hamid el Kasri from Rabat, and others.
The festival is a unique moment of coexistence while voices unite
East and West. The Thalweg Band, a Berber-Celtic mixture, is a token
to music’s magic and universality.
The Bozilo Jazz trio, mustering a Serbian pianist, a French-Algerian
drummer and a French saxophonist playing Afro-American, Slave and
Maghreban sounds, sings for a world without frontiers.
Egypt’s famous pianist and composer Fathi Salama, who created a new
generation of Arabic pop music – certainly nothing to do with Gnaoua –
will also participate in this year’s edition.
He is a collaborator of the 2005 Grammy Awards Senegalese star, Youssou
N’Dour, who will offer a concert at the closing day of the festival.
A rendez – vous with Indian music is also scheduled. Singaporean Nantha
Kumar, Etienne Nbapé of theZwinul Syndicate group from Guadeloupe,
Arto Tunçboyaciyan from Armenia will put their touch to the festival.
The big surprise of the festival is the participation of the Thalweg
group directed by Khliff Miziallaoua from L’Orchestre National de
Barbès, which blends music of the Maghreb with European and Celtic
music.
This year’s edition will pay tribute to a big master of the “music
of the people” Abderrahman Paca, founder the 60s popular group Nass
El Ghiwane.
Situated on the Atlantic coast of southern Morocco, the bay of
Essaouira has attracted countless navigators for centuries. The port
and ramparts were fully developed during the Alaouite dynasty in the
18th century.
During this period the trading of European goods in exchange for
ostrich feathers, gold dust, salt and slaves from Black Africa
thrived. The Gnawa are the descendents of these slaves.
This unique fortified port has continued to fascinate travellers and
artists from all over the world, including Orson Welles, Jimi Hendrix,
Mick Jagger, Maria Callas and Pasolini to name but a few. It has
recently been classed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
Who are Gnawa?
Gnawa are the descendents of slaves originating from Black Africa
who established brotherhoods throughout Morocco. They are made up
of master musicians (maâlem), metal castanet players, clairvoyants,
mediums and their followers.
They are at the same time musicians, initiators and healers, blending
African and Arabo-Berber customs. Despite being Muslims, the Gnawa
base their ritual on Jnoun (spirits) straight from the the African
cult of possession.
The most spectacular and important ceremony is the Lila, whose
function is essentially therapeutic. During the celebration, the
maâlem and his group call on the saints and supernaturel entities
to take possession of their followers who fall into a trance.
Their instruments:
-3-stringed percussive lute (guembri) -Large metal castanets (qraqeb)
-Drums (ganga)
Their ritual can be compared to Haïtian voodoo and Brazilian macumba.
The music of the brotherhood – of which only the profane part is
played on stage to the public during the festival – has sparked a
wave of emulators on the international scene.
Glossary
Gnaoua: plural of Gnawi. A generic term which includes all members
of the brotherhood including the master musicians, castanet players,
clairvoyant healers and the followers of the cult.
Maâlem: master of the ceremony
Moqadma: priestess
Tallaâtes, chouwafates or arifates: clairvoyant healers
Mlouk: supernatural entities
Guembri or Hajhouj: percussive 3-stringed lute
Aouicha:small guembri
Qarqabats or Qraqech: metal castanets
Tbel: drums
Ftouh errahba: beginning of the mlouk repertory of songs
Derdeba or Lila: Ritual of possession
Hal or jedba: trance
Koyo: Pre-Islamic musical repertory
The Essaouira Gnaoua World festival website provides more information
on Gnaoua. To visit the site go to
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