Gnaoua 2024: Opening of the 25th Gnaoua and World Music Symphony in Essaouira. Credit: MAP
A fusion of colorful, skillfully measured influences, bringing together Morocco, Ivory Coast, Brazil and Spain in a concert that will surely go down in history.
During a memorable evening with unique fusions, the Gnaoua and World Music Festival in Essaouira celebrated Thursday evening different Moroccan, African, Hispanic and overseas influences.
A true hymn to crossbreeding, the opening concert, the result of an exceptional residency, brought together the Maâlems Hassan Boussou and My Tayeb Dehbi with the Dumanlé Company, Nino de Los Reyes, Sergio Martinez & Ilê Aiyê.
In front of a captivated and enthusiastic audience of all ages and different nationalities, the very eclectic Hassan Boussou whose music penetrates the soul and the fiery My Tayeb Dehbi exchanged their spiritual notes with their Brazilian alter-egos, the very committed Ilê Aiyê.
The stage performances of the Ivorians from the Dumanlé company resonated with the tempo of Nino de Los Reyes and Sergio Martinez, the two stars of current Flamenco jazz.
It is a fusion of colorful, skillfully measured influences, bringing together Morocco, Ivory Coast, Brazil and Spain in a concert that will certainly go down in history.
This musical and visual experience is an explosion of rhythms mixing the genres Gnaoua, Brazilian Batucada, Flamenco and Zaouli to put their similarities into perspective. This show also marks, for the first time, the extraordinary meeting between 3 genres classified on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list (Gnaoua, Flamenco and Zaouli).
Another highlight of the evening was the meeting between two exceptional talents. The first, Alune Wade, is used to the most prestigious collaborations: Youssou N’dour, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Bobby McFerrin, Joe Zawinul, Aziz Sahmaoui, and Marcus Miller.
Senegalese bass virtuoso, composer and singer Alune Wade crossed notes, during this evening, with the young Maâlem Abdelmalek El Kadiri, spiritual son of the greatest Gnaoui masters such as Maâlem Abdallah Guinea, Maâlem Abderrahman Paco, Maâlem Cherif Regragui and many others.
Artists, from the four corners of the world, shared the stage, creating moments of harmony and musical magic. Spectators, transported by this unique symbiosis, enjoyed a rich cultural experience, testifying to the singularity of this emblematic festival.
The streets of Essaouira resonated with the echoes of this universal celebration, further consolidating the festival’s reputation as an unmissable event on the world artistic scene.
This year again, the Festival is offering a bold and inclusive program, a hallmark of this event which provides a unique experience in the world.
The program includes 53 concerts, a human rights forum, a training program with the prestigious musical institution Berklee College of Music, round tables on Gnaoua culture, a major exhibition of Moroccan artists and numerous activities throughout the city.
