The 2024 Gnaoua and World Music Festival took place in Essaouira, Morocco, from June 25 to 27, drawing master musicians and international artists to celebrate and evolve the centuries-old Gnaoua tradition.
A Living Oral Tradition
Gnaoua music, named after an ethnic group descended from enslaved West Africans and Sudanese brought to Morocco, fuses African, Arab Muslim, and Amazigh elements. With no written history, the tradition is passed down orally and re-enacted in ritual performances known as lilas. During these ceremonies, a maâlem (master musician) leads call-and-response chants, playing the guembri (a three-stringed bass lute) while others click qraqeb (iron castanets). Participants may enter trance states believed to allow communication with jnun, or spirits.
Opening Parade and Free Concert
The festival began with a parade through the medina, where intergenerational Gnaoua troupes in colorful, symbolically rich garments danced, drummed, and clacked qraqeb. The opening concert on Place Moulay Hassan, a square facing the Atlantic, was free to the public. Moroccan guembri specialist Mehdi Nassouli and his troupe performed alongside Rwandan traditional dance group Troupe I Buhoro, French wind instrumentalist Sylvain Barou, Moroccan singer Sara Moullablad, and Indian vocalist ganavya, who presented devotional songs.
Global Fusions and New Generations
Throughout the three-day event, audiences heard Maâlem Mohamed Kouyou and witnessed Ethiopian singer Selamnesh Zéméné and Badume’s Band. Zéméné, a descendant of Asamris, upholds a distinct Ethiopian musical lineage. She shared the stage with rising Maâlem Mohamed Montari, part of a new generation balancing tradition with contemporary fusion.
Preserving Heritage: A Conversation with Founder Neila Tazi
Festival founder Neila Tazi, speaking at the Borj Bab Marrakech fortification, recalled the marginalization of Gnaoua culture before the event’s launch in 1998. “There’s a before and after the first festival here in Essaouira,” she said. “This culture was so marginalized, you’d never see a Gnaoui on a stage or on TV. They’d be playing in the streets or in the houses.”
International musicians invited to early fusion concerts accepted immediately, she noted, drawn by the chance to immerse themselves in the music. The festival has since expanded to include a Human Rights Forum and an immersive training program with Berklee College. Tazi also led the successful bid to inscribe Gnaoua music on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“This is not the end of something; it’s the beginning. You have to preserve this heritage and bring more awareness to it. Gnaoua are descendants of slaves. Here in Morocco, they’re the symbol of human development. Getting this recognition means a lot about what you can reach when you do hard work.”
Rooftop Performances
The Borj’s rooftop was converted into a stage with carpets, where Asma Hamazoui, daughter of a maâlem, performed.
