Gnawa festival opens in Essaouira
Morocco, Culture, 6/28/2003

Morocco's Prince Moulay Rachid, younger brother of King Mohammed VI, on Thursday opened the 6th edition of the Gnawa festival.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Morocco's culture minister, Mohamed Achaari, said the Essaouira festival has gained world fame, as a reflection of Morocco's genuine values of tolerance and roots.

The Gnawa music is played by the descendants of former slaves originating from Black Africa. Gnaoua, who constituted themselves as brotherhoods through Morocco, are Masters musicians, players of crotales, conspicuous women, mediums and followers. They practise a syncretic rite of possession, where interfere at the same time African and Arab-Berber contributions, during which followers devote themselves to the practice of the dances of possession and trance.

This rite of possession that they indicate by the term of "derdeba" proceeds during the night. It is animated by a Master musician accompanied by his troop, by a conspicuous affiliated with the brotherhood of the gnaoua and her assistants. This night ceremony comprises a profane part intended for the entertainment during which there is no trance and a sacred part during which saints and supernatural entities are called upon (mlouk).

The instruments used during these ritual ceremonies are a lute drum with low register (guembri) and crotales (qraqech). The drums are used, at Gnaoua townsmen, only during the procession which precedes the rite of possession. The Gnaoua term is a generic term which includes the stimulating members of the brotherhood like the Masters musicians (maalem), the players of crotales (qraqeb), the conspicuous-therapeutists (tallaate and chouwafate) and the followers affiliated to the brotherhood.

The activities of Gnaoua, which are at the same time musical, ritual, initiatory and therapeutic, link the cultural contributions of the Black Africa and Islam in a specific and harmonious unit.

The rite of possession that Gnaoua celebrate is in the heart of their multiple activities. It is called derdeba and is held the night (lila), hence its name lila of derdeba.

It is jointly animated by a Master musician at the lead of his troop and by woman-conspicuous who gets in charge of the accessories and clothing necessary to the ritual.

During the celebration, the Master musician, using a lute-drum with three cords (guenbri) calls, via sung currencies and by burning incenses, the saints and the supernatural entities (mlouk) to come in order to take possession of the followers. These latter, once "inhabited " by these same entities, are devoted then to trance.

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