Essaouira.. The Curtain Comes Down On The Activities Of The 25th Edition Of The Gnaoua And World Music Festival
Yesterday evening, Saturday, the curtain came down on the activities of the 25th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival, after three days of immersive music across the ocean.
Musical performances overflowing with the meanings of peace, tolerance and coexistence have attracted the interest of visitors to the City of Winds, fans of the Gnaoui heritage and world music, fans of the fiery rhythms at the concerts of the major platforms, and those looking forward to the human rights discussions that are organized in parallel with the spiritual nights along the paths of the ancient city.
With the distinctive Gnawa “Gembri” instrument, the master Ismail Rahil, founder of the “Awlad Bambara” band, appeared before his audience who love world music, delighting them with what his singing talent has produced, which draws from both the Aissawa and Gnawa heritages.
This musical night was also marked by the performance by the Spanish singer of Guinean origin, Boyka, of a musical number that spread the magic of flamenco, jazz and funk to the audience of the famous Moulay Hassan platform with her unique voice, full of life and optimism.
Boyka, one of the most distinguished singers on the Spanish music scene, presented her fans with a diverse bouquet of melodies and rhythms that transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries.
From the United States of America and Guadeloupe, the Bokanti band resonated with its artistic creativity that combines the sounds of the desert and the delta, with the blues and caladja of the Caribbean region.
A diverse and rich collection of unconventional melodies and rhythms, created by Boukanti, who deals in her songs with topics such as racism, asylum, and indifference to human suffering.
The closing act of this evening was a musical fusion that brought together one of the pillars of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival, whom the audience has been accustomed to seeing on its stages since its founding in 1998, namely the master Hamid El Kasri, who has established his name through exceptional and historic concerts, to whose rhythms that transcend the ocean, his audience never tires of dancing.
With him, the Boukanti band created this duet musical epic, which penetrated the conscience of the audience who loved Gnaoui music with its spiritual depth, carrying peace, coexistence and integration while preserving diversity.
It is worth noting that the 25th session of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival, which lights up the sky of the City of Winds, hosts 400 artists performing a total of 53 concerts, within a diverse agenda of musical dates, offering the audience a wide range of qualitative musical rhythms.
In parallel with the concerts, the 11th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival Human Rights Forum, organized in partnership with the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad, was held to explore the richness and diversity of the relations between Morocco, Spain and Portugal, just a few years before the historic event of the joint hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
This year, the Forum invited prominent figures from diverse backgrounds to participate in a free discussion in three round tables on “A Thousand Years of History, What Remains of Us?”, “Sports, Art and Culture... Our Common Destiny”, and “Human Mobility, Economy and Communities... Neighborhood stories?
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