Artists and Clips of Gnawa Music
Gnawa musicians can be found throughout Morocco, but are particularly concentrated in Marrakesh and Essaouira, due to the legacy of slave markets and slave ports in those cities. Today, gnawa music manifests itself in several different ways, as shown below.
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Traditional Gnawa groups, who perform lilas in a private context, are regional within Morocco. These groups don't achieve recognition outside of their neighborhoods, but they are the most traditional manifestation of gnawa music in Morocco. Opposite, a gnawa group performs part of the red section, which invokes the spirit Hamou, who requires a blood sacrifices and who is thought to be a harsh and demanding spirit.
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Gnawa street performers, found especially in Marrakesh and Essouira, represent the secularization and popularization of Gnawa music within Moroccan culture. For tourists and foreigners, these performances are one of the most visible manifestations of Moroccan culture. Again, these musicians rarely achieve individual recognition.
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Gnawa fusion artists participate in the collaboration and fusion of gnawa music with musical genres from the United States and other parts of the world, such as blues, jazz, hip hop and world music. Famous gnawa artists in this category include Malika Zarra, who also fuses Berber music into her work, Hassan Hakmoun, Mehdi Nassouli and Mahmoud Guinia. Opposite is a performance featuring Hassan Hakmoun.
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