Festival Gnawa in essaouira
The festival of Gnaoua music in Essaouira is one of Morocco’s most popular music festivals that attracts around 200000 music lovers each year for 4 days of interchangeable music by blending may musical forms and genres together in live performances during June and July. Since its first edition in 1998, the festival has been very successful in its interchangeable music philosophy by combining Gnaoua music with many other music genres from all over the globe like Jazz, Rock and Roll, Pop and Reggae. The festival has successfully featured some great international artists like Randy Weston, The Wailers, Keziah Jones, Pharaoh Sanders, Doudou N’Diaye Rose and Omar Sosa.
Essaouira, nicknamed “The wind of Africa” is a coastal city in the Midwest of Morocco, famous for its beaches, windy weather and artistic atmosphere as the capital of Gnaoua music. Gnaoua music is an originally north-African music genre, especially in Morocco and Algeria, yet it has attracted many influences such as the sub-Saharan Gnaoua.
Gnaoua music is spiritual, yet it attracts many music lovers and artists from around the world for its soothing rhythms. It is said that Gnaoua music harmonizes both mind and soul. A Gnaoua music band consists of the lead singer, called Mâalam, which means master. It takes lots of talent, leadership and mainly experience to become a Mâalam, who plays the main instrument, the Guimbri which is a 3-string lute. Guimbri’s sound is unique and its importance is equivalent to an electric guitar in a rock band. Along with Mâalam, the Gnaoua band also consists of several musicians who perform as accompanying singers who play the other two instruments of Gnaoua music, the Qarqaba (large metal castanet) and the Tabal (cylindrical wooden drum). Some describe Gnaoua music as North African Jazz as it allows for so much freedom and creativity during songs, and as the musicians get to perform improvised solos and dances.
Gnaoua is not just a music genre. It defies categorization as it has specific dance move and special costumes as an essential part of the music. The Gnaoua musicians dance along to their own music with original dance moves, by jumping on one foot, swinging around and hopping in a swaying fashion. The costumes consist of light eastern Sahara-like kind of Djelaba with shiny colors and colorful round hats. Even before the launch of the festival in 1998, many musicians used to come to Essaouira and Marrakech with big interest in Gnaoua music like the arguably greatest guitarist and Rock musician of all time, the great Jimi Hendrix who visited and stayed in Essaouira in the late 60s and stayed in apartment that is now open for visitors. Jimi Hendrix loved Gnaoua music and the people of Essaouira loved him more. He is celebrated to date as one of the city’s icons with murals of him all around the city walls and there’s also a café with his name. Robert Plant and Jimi Hendrix from the famous Hard Rock/Blues band Led Zeppelin visited Marrakech in 1994 and showcased their love for Gnaoua music by singing 2 songs, “Wah wah” and “City don’t cry” with a local Gnaoua band, which they also performed in the famous square of Jamaa El Fnaa.