The city of Essaouira (central Morocco) will hold on June 23 to 26 its eighth edition of the Gnaoua World Music Festival. Gnaoua are the descendents of slaves originating from Black Africa, who established brotherhoods throughout Morocco. These brotherhoods were made up of master musicians (maâlem), metal castanet players, mediums and their followers.
The first festival of Essaouira for Gnaoua music was held in 1998 and has since then become a major cultural event, attended by numerous international musicians as well as by an increasingly large public. From 20,000 people, who arrived to the festival in 1998, the number of spectators has risen to 200,000 in 2004.
Maghrebbe Arabe Presse reports that as part of the festival aim to bring west and east closer, the Gnaoua Maalems' are going to also play in symbiosis with Jazz, Rock and other universal musical rhythms.
