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What did Gnawis and I do to nurture our roots,
keep awareness alive in these uncertain times?
GNAWA LIVE STREAM I
GNAWA LIVE STREAM II
GNAWA LIVE STREAM III
GNAWA LIVE STREAM IV
GNAWA LIVE STREAM V
GNAWA LIVE STREAM VI
GNAWA LIVE STREAM VII
Seven heavenly earths came from ancient Dunya, an ancient
serpentine egg and our world today.
A cosmic hajjaj or whirlwind split it in half.
This is when dunya's black, "red" and white yolk
became Earth as humans know it today.
Holy white robes and turban were known as soff.
This multi-colored suite of green, white, black,
blue, multi-colored, red, brown, yellow is worldly now.
You can find both pre-Islamic figures and Muslim prophets
in their worldview.
For example...Sidi Musa's
sedr tree is a landmark
between Earth and God,
long after the Red Sea.
Musawi, the sea spirits which non-Moroccan Africa refer to as well
Gnawa play the guembri, qarqaba
and tbal or ganga drums because their first
musical ancestor (besides Bilal) worshiped fire
on what was likely a xalam.
Mande
Music: Traditional and Modern Music of the Mandinka, pg. 133
Mande jelis (Mande Music), diasporic
Africans en route through Algeria
(North African Muslim Scholars and Their Influence...)
to Morocco, and Hausa bards like my
family are responsible for Moroccan Gnawa.
Even if they lived abroad all these years.
A removal gave birth to a new history.
Gnawa, Central-West African descendants
from the Hausa, Toubou, Wolof convey
a generational story through the seven colors...
and soundscape across the Sahara.
The Fula Muslims' Sokoto Caliphate was a Muslim
expansionist mission over centuries.
This would be modern-day Benin, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, etc.
Look there by the Pra River. What do you see?
Is Youbati not a Gnawa song? Why is it in Ashantee Kingdom?
Gnawa are respected and yet in the societal margins.
They are disenfranchised by life's circumstances,
but still find a way to heal in their oral tradition.
It is rare that a community can create
such a bond and still hold on.
We spoke to Zakaria from Meknes/Manchester,
Mohamed Errebbaa (Rabat/Wales), Samir LanGus
and more about Gnawa's meaning to them...
especially during quarantine.
And they gave amazing perspective on their ability.
What have they been doing since last year?
Samir is in North Carolina, performing
with Gnawa Nova on the East Coast.
Mohamed (Simo) and Chloe Rose Laing
have collaborated and made
Gnawa fusion music altogether!
Congratulate them on their happy family.
Simo also recorded 'Balini', a powerful song from the nubat.
He tried to thank me for sharing this beautiful, hidden
music beyond Morocco.
But another wise man once told me: "If it's already
reached you, we did our job well."
Maalem Rida Stitou Barrady, the Gharbaoui master,
cheers up Brussels with his Gnawa troupe Gnawa de Bruxelles.
They provide a necessary therapy through music
on the city streets in a different way than the private lilas.
Find their more recent performances in the latest episode!
Zakaria the Meknassi master has been inviting
as many people as possible into the tradition.
His warm energy and musical dedication lend to true tagnawit.
So what have we discovered in a year?
Arguably a lifetime's worth.
And there is still more to go.