The 25th Essaouira Festival “Gnaoua Musiques du Monde” ended on Saturday, after three days of cultural activities marked by concerts in several places in the Moroccan province, round tables, workshops on “Gnaoua” culture, artistic exhibitions and other discussion forums.
This world-class cultural event began on Thursday with a grand parade through this seaside town, showing the facets of Gnaoua culture. The Gnaoua or Gnaoui, a people descended mainly from slaves, finds its place in a space at the crossroads of Berber peoples including the Tuaregs, peoples of sub-Saharan Africa, those of Islam, their religious traditions (brotherhoods, trances) and musical traditions, and their instruments. Several tenors of Gnaoua music such as Maâlem Hamid El Kasri, renowned musicians from the world jazz and “world music” scene, such as the Senegalese Alune Wade and Ablaye Cissokho, or even prestigious musical companies communed for three days with a large audience from Morocco and beyond. The Essaouira Gnaoua World Music Festival was created in 1998, with the “primary objectives of rehabilitating a heritage with deep African roots that was threatened with extinction, highlighting the splendor of the Essaouira destination, which was then going through a difficult period, and contributing to promoting Moroccan culture throughout the world,” according to the organizers. “Today, we must recognize that these objectives have been achieved beyond initial expectations,” they rejoiced. Four hundred artists, including 34 Gnaoua Maâlems, performed in 53 concerts, including 6 fusion concerts. In the Gnaoua language, Maâlem means “one who has know-how”, “a master who can transmit knowledge” in music. According to Neïla Tazi, the festival producer, “the ancestral culture of the Gnaoua is an inestimable treasure that we have passionately defended for over 25 years and brought to its inscription at UNESCO.” “The music of the Gnaoua has left its mark on the world music scene. This culture and this festival have served Morocco in what is most emblematic, its message of peace, coexistence and openness to the world,” she added.
Thousands of festival-goers
Maâlem Hamid El Kasri, one of the biggest Gnaoua names, performed on the Moulay Hassan stage this Saturday, June 29, to the delight of the thousands of festival-goers present in Essaouira. The one who needs no introduction offered a captivating symphony that transcends cultural and sound boundaries, on the occasion of this 25th edition. The spectators, who came in droves to attend his concert, were taken on a musical journey through time and styles, discovering the power of Gnaoua music as a universal language of peace. The festival-goers, who came in large numbers to attend this third day of festivities, were able to discover the beauty, power and universality of Gnaoua music. For its part, the Algerian group Labess performed on the beach stage and offered a performance that will remain etched in the memories of the festival-goers. Their performance in Essaouira confirms their status as a talented group to watch closely, a true ambassador of peace and love through their art.
With Aps
