Gnaoua music known internationally poster
Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira, Morocco, known internationally, is an exceptional moment. Gnaoui music is inscribed in 2019 (14.COM) by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The term "gnaoua" refers to a set of musical productions, performances, fraternal practices and therapeutic rituals that combine the profane with the sacred. The gnaoua is above all a Sufi Confrerical music, usually associated with religious words that invoke ancestors and spirits. Originally, this culture was practiced by groups and individuals from slavery or the slave trade, dating back to at least the sixteenth century, and it is now part of the multiple facets of Moroccan cultural identity. The Gnawa, especially those in the city, practice a ritual of therapeutic possession in the form of a vigil of rhythms and trance where ancestral African practices, Arab-Muslim influences and indigenous Berber cultural events are mixed. The countryside gnawa organize group meals offered to maraboutic saints. Some gnaoua of the cities use a string musical instrument and rattlesnakes, while those in the countryside use large drums and rattlesnakes in particular. In cities, costumes are colored and embroidered, while costumes from the rural world are white and accompanied by accessories. The number of fraternal groups and master musicians continues to increase in the villages and major cities of Morocco. The gnaoua groups form associations and organize local, regional, national and international festivals throughout the year. This allows younger generations to discover the words and instruments, as well as the practices and rituals related to the gnawa culture.
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