Discover Gnawa: Morocco's Indigenous Music

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Welcome to another amazing episode of the Destination Morocco podcast. We are here today all the way from village Ksar Khamlia. Just to give you a little bit of perspective, it's about six kilometers from Merzouga Desert. Is that right? Yes. Okay. In today's episode, we have a very special guest, Mr. Mohammed, or Mohamed, with us. Mr. Mohammed, welcome to the podcast. Very glad to have you today. 

MOHAMED: Thank you so much.

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: We appreciate your 

hospitality. Thank you so much. You are so welcome. We are so happy for your existence with us here today. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Mohamed, would you please tell us and the audience a little bit about yourself, your background?

So my name is Mohammed. I am 26-year-old. [00:04:00] I start music here in Khamlia around 8-year-old. Since you were eight years old, okay. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: I'm 8 years old! What can you tell us about the history of Ksar Khamlia? The people? 

So about Khamlia, Khamlia is an Amazigh word.

What does it mean? It expresses like the green, some green land. Vegetation. That's why people came to live here in the past, because of agriculture. I see. But for now it's totally different. Yes. As you can see. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: It's very dry. 

Yeah. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Very hot. ' It looks like it's [00:05:00] been dried out for quite some time.

Exactly. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: What can you tell us about the history of the Gnawa music, and we have some Gimbri playing in the background. Sure. We watched you do a couple of shows earlier for us today. Just amazing, incredible. If you can give us the 

little bit of history of Gnawa music. So for the Gnawa music, it's traditional music. It's an African traditional music. And it's spiritual music also. Black people created it. It became in the past as some was as slaves and some was as nomads. Nomads. Okay. So 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: when you say, can you tell us the country specific? 

Specific countries? Yes.

Actually there is no one, no specific country. Just we can say Sub-Saharan. Sub-Saharan. Okay. [00:06:00] All the black countries. 

So all black people came as slaves, as nomads from all black countries. So they came to Morocco. They came to Morocco, and from Morocco to other countries.

And as you can see in the US or in Europe. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: What does Gnawa music mean to them, and what's the significance of Gnawa music to them and to this region? 

So forn Gawa music, it'll be created just to express suffering of its slaves. I see. As I told you, it's spiritual music, so it's to express suffering of its slaves.

And how you were looking to get freedom. And for us also, how we get freedom, because it's religious music also. Because for us, we believe that we get our freedom because [00:07:00] of Islam. That's why in most of our music songs, we are talking about God, about Prophet Muhammad.

And, that's it! 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Very short description. I see, you said that you were playing music since you were 8 years old. Can you take us back to your father's generation, to your grandfather's generation? Yeah, sure. How was that music? Has it changed since then, or the culture of it and the tradition,

is it still the 

same? Surely not, it's not same. It's not the same, okay. In the past it was life here so hard. After the agriculture and after the coming of the occupation of the French, people were working with French, especially in a place here, it's called Mfis. [00:08:00] Mfis.

It was working in the metallic. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: We have visited this site just earlier today, afternoon, and we've seen how harsh that life is. We've seen, we've shown how the village is, and how people lived in those harsh and very difficult conditions,

under the occupation of the French. This is back in 1912, so it's over a century. And they were used for labor basically, and his grandfather was one of those people. And our guide told us that they used to have a day off, maybe once a week, but in his case, his grandfather used to have one day off in two weeks.

So your grandfather will come from those mines to the village to see his family. Can you tell us a little bit more please, 

Mr. Mohammed? For this [00:09:00] situation of my grandfather, he was working with the occupation, as you know, He just can come back one time in two weeks.

Around two weeks. Yes. Two weeks. Exactly. And it was so hard work for them there. I can imagine. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Going up all the way to those caves, just, it's beyond difficult. So what else can you tell us about the importance of Gnawa music? We understand, you said that it's Sub-Saharan, it doesn't really have a specific origin, but Sub-Saharan came here in caravans as slaves.

Yes. And the other ones, they came by ships. 

Yes, exactly. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Through Essaouira. 

Yeah. So 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: the Gnawa music here, is it the same as the Gnawa music in Essaouira, or in Marrakesh, or anywhere else that is being played 

in Morocco? It's not the same, just if you [00:10:00] can, as you can see just in the dress.

 Here we are using the white dress as expressing of peace. And also because it's totally different, because here it's not like the city, the working city is totally different. Yeah. Because here in the past, most of its slaves, they work just with nomad 

To keep saving them animals here. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Okay. That must have been very difficult. 

Yeah. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: I can just imagine. Can you give us a little bit of history of how the Gnawa music is supported? I see there's a lot of tourists. We've been here for probably two and a half hours and I've seen [00:11:00] people come in and out, and in and out.

Small groups, a couple, is that the only way, or one of the ways, that you guys get support in the Khamlia village? 

Yes. For the moment, yes. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Is it enough? Or you need more help? Actually, we still need more help. You need more help? I see the importance of you obviously, trying to keep the traditional life moving from generation to generation, which is very meaningful. As we speak, the Gnawa Music Festival in Essaouira has started yesterday and it goes on for a few days. [00:12:00] Do you have something similar here in Khamlia?

 Yeah, here in Khamlia also we have festival each year in August. In August. For this year, it will be in first days of August. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: The festival in August, why is it specifically in August? Is there a reason why, or is just that's how it has always been.

The reason is the same reason why people came to live here. For agriculture. People in the past, they finished the agricultural work in summer, so that's why they prepared the festival in summer. 

When all finished with the agriculture, they start the festival. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Anybody can attend the festival or you have to be invited to attend the festival? 

No, there is no invitation [00:13:00] for the festival.

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: anyone can attend. Yeah. But do you send some specific invitation to people from surrounding villages? 

It takes one month of preparation, so in these days before, we prepare it by touring around villages and getting some supports, like money or some dish.

Okay. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Is there a specific area where the festival is been done, is there like a big tent, or how many people usually attend the festival? And how long is the festival, by 

the way? So for the festival, it's three days. And there is a specific place.

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: How many people can that place host? It is lot of people. 

Because also in summer there is the national tourists. So [00:14:00] as you know, Merzouga is known by the sand, and that's why we are covering everybody. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Exactly. Do you invite any certain type of guests like ministries, ministers and stuff like that?

Yes, exactly. Okay, I see. I see. So, what else can you tell us about your story, about your history? 

Khadija's in the back laughing at me.

 So, to give you some information about the groups of Yes. Of music, because normally there is the big [00:15:00] group of music that is preparing the festival. And it's not same as this one. 

Because normally this one, it's newer than the other one. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: So this is the newest group. So basically, we talked earlier and you said that you have three groups. The biggest group is the one that takes care of preparing the festival. And the festival, it really takes around one month to get it prepared. And the reason why, is because it's the reason why it's in August. Because it's after the Eid. Oh, yeah. The Eid al-Adha. Because if you look at Ramadan, and then Eid al-Adha which is the biggest holiday in our Islamic calendar, it's about two months and ten days.

And next week will be Eid al-Adha. So people, they need a little bit more time. So we're talking about probably the first week of July, the preparation will be starting preparing for the festival. So that's why it takes approximately about 30 days to get it [00:16:00] done. And that's the reason why it moved to August. And it moves around,

depending on the lunar calendar, where that falls. So probably it's gonna be in August for some time, then it'll probably move to July at some point. And it moves slowly, year after year. So, in the village, you have three groups. You have a second group that takes care of the tourists. For example, us, when we came in and, we've seen a lot of people in and out. And you've been doing some shows, quite a few actually. And sometimes it gets busy. So in that case, you have to create another group

 of Gnawa music. Can you walk us through that experience, please? 

Yeah. Because sometimes it became full, so there is nowhere to play the music for the other guests. [00:17:00] That's why we need another group, to create another group. That's why there is Bombara group. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: So basically, the big group takes care of the logistics of big events.

Yes. Then it's you take care of something like this, which is just incredible. And then when it gets busy and there's like a waiting list and people are waiting, then the other group of Gnawa music will take over. 

And for now, the two groups are working together.

 And when each group needs help from the other, they collaborate. 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: So explain to us, the importance of Gnawa music to this region, Merzouga, the south of Morocco region. Why is it really important?

Why are you keeping this tradition alive?[00:18:00]

Because it's like a part of life here. For us, it's very important because it's our work for now. And also for the other villages, it's very important because it's part of the tour programs. 

To pass it from here to discover the place, and to get information about the place, the village.

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: Can anybody come and visit you here, or do they have to make a reservation? Do they have to make a booking ahead, or how does it normally work? Anyone can visit us here. No reservation. Okay. And they get welcomed with the Gnawa music?

Yeah. Authentic Gnawa music and mint tea. The tea is just very different. It has a cake. [00:19:00] The desert tea is very different, so I really enjoyed it. Now the question that I have, I wanna see if there's anything else you wanna share with the audience, something that we did not talk about,

you and I. 

 Here in Khamlia also we have Bivouac Gnaoua around, just here. And also we have a riad. Okay! 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: They have a riad with the local family, Gnawa, and also they have a camp, Gnawa camp, in the desert.

Yeah. 

Where you can enjoy music at night. And it is totally [00:20:00] different of course than the one that we just visited. Because it's with women, because normally there are women also playing music with us. So in the camp it's music with the women, it's a mixture of men and 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: women playing Gnawa music in the camp. Thank you so much. Thank you. This concludes our episode of today, Gnawa music. We really appreciate you tuning in. And please book a trip through Destination Morocco podcast. Thank you. Thank you.

[00:21:00] [00:22:00] [00:23:00] Thank you for joining me on Destination Morocco podcast today.

I truly hope this episode brought you a little closer to the heart and soul of Morocco. And remember, the stories and sounds you hear on the podcast are just the beginning. If you're feeling inspired, and ready to experience Morocco's incredible culture, breathtaking landscapes, and genuine hospitality firsthand, let Destinations Morocco create your unique personalized journey.

[00:24:00] Visit destinationsmorocco.com to explore tour ideas, listen to past episodes and most importantly,

book your free discovery call today. And start planning! Until next time, Bslama, 

AZDEAN ELMOUSTAQUIM: thank you. 

(Goodbye).