ISP: Gnawa Music in Essaouira

Here’s a quick update of what I’ve been up to and what I have planned for the next few weeks:

Last Monday morning, I said goodbye to my homestay family and left for the coastal town of Essaouira to begin my month-long research project called the ISP (independent study project). We get one month to go anywhere in Morocco to explore a topic of our choice and produce a substantial research paper at the end. It’s a chance for us to practice conducting field work and to explore a topic of interest in-depth. We are given a daily stipend of 200 dh/day and have to make our own living arrangements.

After contemplating several different research topics, I eventually decided to explore Morocco’s Gnawa people and their music. These people originated from West and sub-Saharan Africa and were brought to Morocco several centuries ago during the African slave trade. Their music is used in healing rituals and has traditionally been played only in spiritual and religious contexts. Recently, however, Gnawa music has become commercialized and “festivalized.” Western rock and jazz musicians came to Morocco in the ’60s and ’70s and were fascinated by the Gnawa “trance” style of music. They began creating music that became a fusion of jazz, rock, world, pop, and Gnawa. Eventually, the Gnawa World Music Festival was created which takes place every year in June in Essaouira. I will explore the effects and consequences of the “festivalization” of the Gnawa sacred music and the role it plays in redefining the Gnawa identity.

After spending time in Essaouira for a couple weeks I will go to Marrakesh for a few days. After that, I will travel to Merzouga and Khamlia, two small villages on the edge of the Sahara desert, near the Algerian border, known for their Gnawa population. Lastly, my research will take me up north to Tangier.

I’ve spent a week now in Essaouira and it has been a fantastic experience. I’ve learned a tremendous amount already about Gnawa music, even squeezing in a few lessons on the qraqeb and guembri, two instruments of Gnawa. I am looking forward to the rest of the month and to learning as much as I can!

Well that’s all for now. As always, thanks for reading and have a happy Thanksgiving!