Most people have never heard of Gnawa. Originally you weren't supposed to. For centuries, the music was only played in secret ceremonies by enslaved Black Africans brought to Morocco. Gnawa—an ...

Gnawa music is often likened to American blues and gospel. Gnawa music is a mixture of African rhythms and Islamic poetry created by enslaved West Africans brought to Morocco. For centuries, it was ...

In the Moroccan souks of Fez and Marrakesh, Gnawa musicians gather in the middle of the night and play sintirs (long-necked lutes), garagab (metal castanets) and other instruments that create ...

Simply put, Gnawa is the music of formerly enslaved black Africans who integrated into the Moroccan cultural and social landscape, and founded a model to preserve the traditions and folkloric music of ...

LONDON - Sitting on cushions placed across the floor, the audience awaits Simo Lagnawi and his band, Gnawa London, who are dressed in colourful traditional Moroccan robes and patterned hats. The ...

It is midnight in the port town of Essaouira on the Moroccan coast and, down through covered alleys and narrow streets, an audience has assembled on top of the battlements where Orson Welles filmed ...

A dancer whips her hair and lifts and drops her chest as the thwacking bass sound of the sintir fills the air. There are cries of “Ifriqiya!” and “Kandisha!” The musicians call out the names of ...

Gnawa music is a Moroccan spiritual musical tradition developed by descendants of enslaved people from sub-Saharan Africa. Combining ritual poetry with traditional music and dance, the Gnawa master is ...