- Title: MOROCCO: ATLANTIC COAST CITY OF ESSAOUIRA HOSTS ANNUAL GNAWA WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
- Date: 23rd June 2005
- Summary: (MER1) ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO (JUNE 23, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. GENERAL VIEW OF THE SOUTHERN TOWN OF ESSAOUIRA ON THE ATLANTIC COAST 0.06 2. PEOPLE WAITING FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE GNAWA FESTIVAL (2 SHOTS) 0.14 3. VARIOUS OF WOMEN WAITING FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE GNAWA FESTIVAL /POSTERS ADVERTISING THE GNAWA FESTIVAL 0.25 4. PAN OF PEOPLE IN FRONT OF THE STAGE 0.32 5. CHILDREN CLIMBING SPEAKER STAND 0.37 6. ANDRE AZOULAY, ADVISER TO MOROCCO'S KING MOHAMED VI AND ABDESLAM BEKRATE, THE GOVERNOR OF THE ESSAOUIRA PROVINCE, WALKING SIDE BY SIDE IN THE STREETS OF ESSAOUIRA (2 SHOTS) 0.44 7. (SOUNDBITE) (French) ANDRE AZOULAY, ADVISER TO MOROCCO'S KING MOHAMED VI AND ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE GNAWA FESTIVAL SAYING: "Essaouira has always been an open city towards all the religions, towards all the civilisations, and I believe that it was essential, especially those days, to reanimate this message. Essaouira which made this choice has become a flagship of a society, of people, of more and more people who have chosen now to show to the rest of the world the force of the tradition in Morocco but also its capacity of being modern by meeting the others. And I believe that the result in Essaouira is very eloquent." 1.31 8. WS: ENTRY TO THE OLD TOWN OF ESSAOUIRA /POSTER OF THE GNAWA FESTIVAL 1.37 9. CU: POSTER FOR THE GNAWA FESTIVAL WITH "WELCOME" WRITTEN IN FRENCH AND IN ARABIC 1.42 10. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABDELAZIZ KHASI, MOROCCAN TOURIST SAYING: "The Festival of Essaouira is wonderful. Is one of the biggest in Morocco. There are many people coming from Europe and elsewhere to participate to this festival." 1.55 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WOLF, A DUTCH TOURIST SAYING: "Before I came here I didn't quit know the Gnawa music but I think the three or four days really gave me some idea of what music is. I think it's also a bit difficult to combine it with other music, it's quite dominating when it is performed." 2.08 (MER1) ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO (JUNE 24, 2005) (REUTERS) 12. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WATCHING A GNAWA PERFORMANCE WITH THE SUN SET ON ESSAOUIRA (2 SHOTS) 2.18 (NIGHTSHOTS) 13. WS: MOROCCAN GROUP "PACA" PERFORMING ON SCENE 2.23 14. VARIOUS OF THE MOROCCAN TRADITIONAL GNAWA ARTIST MEMBER OF THE "PACA" GROUP WEARING RED COLOURED TUNIC AND COWRIE-SHELL CAP DANCING ON THE SCENE AND CLUTCHING METAL CASTANETS, THE "CROTAL" (2 SHOTS) 2.33 15. MUSICIAN OF "PACA" GROUP PLAYING ON SCENE THE GNAWA TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENT, THE "GUENBRI" 2.39 16. CU: MUSICIAN OF "PACA" GROUP PLAYING ON SCENE THE GNAWA TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENT, THE METAL CASTANETS, THE "CROTAL" 2.47 17. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) YOUNES PACA, MEMBER OF THE MOROCCAN GNAWA GROUP PACA SAYING: "We should be in accordance with our culture. We should not change our music in order to fit into a fashionable style but we should be ourselves. We are very rich in our music in Morocco." 3.08 (MER1) ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO (JUNE 25, 2005) (REUTERS) 18. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING FOR THE BEGINNING OF A CONCERT (3 SHOTS) 3.29 19. VARIOUS OF AN EGYPTIAN DANCER OF THE GNAWA SUDANESE GROUP LED BY THE EGYPTIAN / COMPOSER, FATHY SALAMA, PLAYING THE SUDANESE GNAWA MUSIC (3 SHOTS) 3.55 20. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) THE EGYPTIAN COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN, FATHY SALAMA SAYING: "In Egypt, the Zar music is associated to sexual relations, that's the reality. There are people assimilating this with black magic and with the sorcery. Me I try to show the historical roots of this music which is nearly two thousand or three thousand years old and which can be assimilated to the Gnawa music." 4.34 (MER1) ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO ( JUNE 26, 2005) (REUTERS) 21. PAN OF PEOPLE WATCHING A GNAWA PERFORMANCE AND THE GROUP OF THE GNAWA MAALEM H'MIDA BOUSSOU PERFORMING 5.16 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 8th July 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ESSAOUIRA, MOROCCO
- Country: Morocco
- Reuters ID: LVA8CHUAUXBS015XM3XZRYGUFFJ3
- Story Text: Musicians from around the world participate in the
Gnawa music festival in the Moroccan city of Essaouira.
The Moroccan town of Essaouira hosted last month
the annual Gnawa World Music Festival. Currently in its
eighth year, the festival is dedicated to this West African
style, and is one of the few cultural events that brings
together audiences from all social classes.
With its late 18th century fortified old town,
Essaouira attracts tourists throughout the year. Situated
on the Atlantic coast, this town was formerly named
Mogador, derived from the Berber word "Amegdul", or
well-protected". Its buildings have been declared world
heritage sites. Throughout its history, Essaouira has been
known as a melting pot where different religious and ethnic
groups such as Arabs, Africans, Berbers, Christians and
Jews live in coexistence.
"Essaouira has always been an open city towards all the
religions, towards all the civilisations, and I believe
that it was essential, especially those days, to reanimate
this message. Essaouira which made this choice has become a
flagship of a society, of people, of more and more people
who have chosen now to show to the rest of the world the
force of the tradition in Morocco but also its capacity of
being modern by meeting the others. And I believe that the
result in Essaouira is very eloquent," says Andre Azoulay,
an advisor to Morocco's King Mohammed VI and one of the
festival's founders.
Gnawa is a mystical form of music that draws its roots
from the descendants of black slaves. It is an ancient
tradition in Morocco: wearing coloured tunics and
cowrie-shell caps with tassels, clutching "guenbri" string
instruments or metal castanets, musicians used to perform
it in the streets for a handful of dirhams.
The term of Gnawa is thought to derive from Guinea. Its
rites combine ritual, divinatory and healing practices,
bringing together musicians, soothsayer-therapists and
followers.
And in Essaouira last week, Moroccan tourists, as well
as fans from around the world were once again attracted to
the four-day festival which brings together musicians from
around the world.
"The Festival of Essaouira is wonderful. Is one of the
biggest in Morocco. There are many people coming from
Europe and else where to participate to this festival",
said Abdelaziz Khasi, a Moroccan tourist.
"Before I came here I didn't quit know the Gnawa music
but I think the three or four days really gave me some idea
of what music is. I think it's also a bit difficult to
combine it with other music, it's quite dominating when it
is performed," said Wolf, a Dutch tourist.
Egyptian pianist and composer Fathy Salama played for
the first time in Essaouira. Considered to be the inventor
of "jeel" (Arabic pop), he collaborated in the past with
Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour on his latest album
"Egypt". Salama performed a repertoire which grew from a
meeting with Hassan Bargamoun, one of the new virtuosi of
"rango" (a type of percussion from southern Sudan) who came
accompanied by his Egyptian Gnawa musicians.
This year's festival has paid tribute to Abderrahman
Paca, founder the 60's popular group 'Nass El Ghiwane'. It
was performed by his son Younes Paca, who wants to keep
alive the heritage of this Moroccan traditional music.
"We should be in accordance with our culture. We should
not change our music in order to fit into a fashionable style but we
sh
ould be ourselves. We are very rich in our
music in Morocco", says Paca.
The Gnawa rituals takes place twice a year.
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