Gnaoua: Morocco's Spiritual Music Tradition and Its Festival

Gnaoua is a ritual trance music with Sub-Saharan roots. It was brought to Morocco by enslaved people from Mali, Senegal and the wider Sahel, and it has grown into a living Moroccan tradition.

The memory of those displaced ancestors is kept mainly in the songs and dances. Much of what is passed on is carried by voice and movement rather than by written history.

You will see the name written in different ways, mainly Gnaoua and Gnawa, depending on the source and the transliteration. They all point to the same tradition. In this article we use Gnaoua.

Sources do not agree on exactly when this story begins. Some place the arrival of these communities in the 17th and 18th centuries. Others say it began from the 16th century onwards.

You may also read claims of much older roots, linked to early trade. These remain unconfirmed, so we avoid pinning the story to a single date.

That is quite normal for an oral tradition. Songs, stories and rituals are handed down from master to student, and they rarely come with exact dates. What we can say with confidence is that the music carries a long, layered history.

Gnaoua has a very recognizable sound, and it comes from a small group of instruments.

A popular story says the krakeb's iron comes from metal once used to shackle enslaved people. Please read this as a story that is told, not as established fact.

• The guembri: a three-stringed bass lute that leads the music. Its deep, rolling line is the heart of the sound.
• The krakeb: large metal castanets, played in pairs. They are said to help bring on a trance state.
• Drums: instruments such as the tbel and the darbouka add rhythm and drive.

Gnaoua is performed in all-night ceremonies. UNESCO describes it as first and foremost Sufi brotherhood music, with lyrics of a generally religious content. In 2019, UNESCO added Gnawa to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

If you are new to it, listening is simple. Start by following the bass line of the guembri. Let its repeating pattern settle in.

Then listen for the call-and-response between the lead singer and the chorus, with the krakeb running steadily over the top. Give a piece a little time. The music builds slowly, and that is part of its effect.

The festival started in 1998 on Morocco's Atlantic coast. By one account, a group of friends decided the setting would be perfect for a small festival.

Sources credit Moroccan entrepreneur Neila Tazi and her company. The festival's own site credits its concept and production to that company.

Attendance figures differ from one source to another, so we give no number. What is clear is that it became a meeting point for Gnaoua masters and musicians from other genres, and it helped introduce the tradition to listeners well beyond Morocco.

You do not need to travel to enjoy Moroccan culture. Put on a Gnaoua recording while you try a Moroccan Hammam at Home ritual. It makes a slow, calm evening feel a little more special.

If you are curious about the people behind traditional crafts and beauty, read how we source traditional crafts and beauty.

And if you are choosing something for a loved one who enjoys Moroccan culture, our Moroccan beauty gift guide is a good place to start.