Moroccan tradition is deeply rooted in the Gnaoua music festival, in Essaouira, on the Atlantic coast, this year’s celebration aims to highlight and bring together ancestral Gnaoua art, bridge jazz and blues, and appeal to young and urban audiences.
With a mission to honor the values of humanity, coexistence and brotherhood, this festival has become a norm throughout the country.
Spiritual music originally performed by the descendants of slaves from the Maghreb, it was included in UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage in 2019.
In the show for this 24th edition, artists such as Cuban guitarist Eliades Ochoa of legendary social club Buena Vista, Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz and Belgian reggae musician Selah Sue.
Gnaoua festivities musicians begin the event by parading around the old town of Essaouira.
Last year, for the first time in history, the organizers chose to hold an itinerant festival that, after its first stop in Essaouira, brought musicians to Marrakech, Casablanca and Rabat.
