Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival
The Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival celebrates the music of the Gnaouas, the product of a mystic tradition with branches as widespread as Haitian voodoo and Brazilian Candomblé. Performers include the best local and international musicians of the genre.
A picturesque port painted in blue and white, Essaouira is a travellers' favourite and the perfect destination for a festival devoted to the feats of the Gnaouas, best known for their tasselled hats, which spin wildly as the musicians rock.
Originating through a cross-pollination of African magic and Islamic rituals, the Gnaoua brotherhoods form a structured unit around a master. He leads the music and dancing until the participants are in a trance induced by the mesmeric rhythms of the drums, the guenbri (a form of lute) and the hand-held garagab (metal castanets). During religious ceremonies, Gnaouas have been known to impale themselves on swords or beat their heads with iron balls without sustaining visible external injury.
Faint-hearted visitors have nothing to fear, the Essaouira Festival does not feature such extreme performances: the programme focuses on the purely musical elements of Gnaoua tradition and its influence on African-inspired musicians.
Related Information
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Tickets and Information |
| Email: | ntazi@festival-gnaoua.net |
| Phone: | +212 22 2726 02 / 03 / 04 |
| Town Information: | Essaouira |
| Full Name: | |
| Directions: | By Road: 2 hours by taxi or 2 and 1/2 hours by bus from Marrakech's Menara International Airport. |
| Other Information: | Essaouira |
| Website: | Essaouira Website |
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Tickets and Information |
| Email: | ntazi@festival-gnaoua.net |
| Phone: | +212 22 2726 02 / 03 / 04 |
| Name: | Morocco Tourist Office |
| Location: | Morocco |
| Address: | Angle 31 rue Oued Fès et avenue Abtal, Agdal, Rabat, Morocco |
| Email: | contact@onmt.org.ma |
| Phone: | +212 (0) 537 67 40 13 / 39 18 |
