- By Myriam Francois
- In Essaouira
Image source, Getty Images
Gnawa music is a Moroccan spiritual musical tradition developed by descendants of enslaved people from sub-Saharan Africa.
Combining ritual poetry with traditional music and dance, the Gnawa master is centre-stage, playing the main guitar-like instrument, the ghembri.
The Gnawa master was always a man in the deeply patriarchal society, but that changed when Asmâa Hamzaoui came on to the scene.
Her father – a Gnawa master – had hoped to pass the tradition of playing the…
