Golden
Administrator
https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/indepth/features/2015/12/gnawa-music-slavery-prominence-151203135403027.html
Gnawa reflects the effect of black African culture on Moroccans. The African touch is clearly reflected in the dances and the garments the singers wear.
The roots of the music are recognisably African in the drumming, the unique metallic castanets, the three-stringed bass lute (guembri), as well as the mosaic gowns and caps worn by musicians mostly decorated with cowry shells.
"This music is a part of ancient and rich African heritage, which has been growing and prospering for centuries as a thriving music project in Morocco. It is a fascinating combination of poetry, music and dancing. Its secret also lies in its religious, spiritual dimension, which gives it a kind of therapeutic power," said Anass Fassi Fehri, Professor Assistant at Fes Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University.
Origins in slavery
It is said that the name Gnawa originated from the word Guinea, a place known for its slave trade during the 11th century.
The music is found mainly in communities with large populations of ethnic Africans and is not connected with the elite. Gnawa bands come mainly from the cities of Marrakech and Essaouira, which are historically known for slave trade with trans-Saharan countries.
The components of Gnawa songs and dances incorporate references to the singers' origins and enslavement, as well as displacement and misery.
Not just a set of a series of rhythms, Gnawa is a music which, according to academic and researcher Fouzia Baddouri, takes one back to the remote past where poor black slaves sang their misery and daily worries.
_________________________
It’s a beautiful genre I learned about by accident. Read the full article and listen to the music, it’s superb.
Gnawa reflects the effect of black African culture on Moroccans. The African touch is clearly reflected in the dances and the garments the singers wear.
The roots of the music are recognisably African in the drumming, the unique metallic castanets, the three-stringed bass lute (guembri), as well as the mosaic gowns and caps worn by musicians mostly decorated with cowry shells.
"This music is a part of ancient and rich African heritage, which has been growing and prospering for centuries as a thriving music project in Morocco. It is a fascinating combination of poetry, music and dancing. Its secret also lies in its religious, spiritual dimension, which gives it a kind of therapeutic power," said Anass Fassi Fehri, Professor Assistant at Fes Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University.
Origins in slavery
It is said that the name Gnawa originated from the word Guinea, a place known for its slave trade during the 11th century.
The music is found mainly in communities with large populations of ethnic Africans and is not connected with the elite. Gnawa bands come mainly from the cities of Marrakech and Essaouira, which are historically known for slave trade with trans-Saharan countries.
The components of Gnawa songs and dances incorporate references to the singers' origins and enslavement, as well as displacement and misery.
Not just a set of a series of rhythms, Gnawa is a music which, according to academic and researcher Fouzia Baddouri, takes one back to the remote past where poor black slaves sang their misery and daily worries.
_________________________
It’s a beautiful genre I learned about by accident. Read the full article and listen to the music, it’s superb.
