Gnoua Brotherhood of Marrakesh

about

The term Gnoua/Gnaoua/Gnawa refers firstly to a North African ethnic minority that traces its origins to West African slaves and soldiers. Gnawa communities in the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) trace their origins to sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, like the term "African-American," Gnawa refers to a group of people whose ancestors came from diverse regions of Africa but took on a collective identity in exile. Secondly the term is used to define a religious/spiritual order consisting of aforementioned Moroccan Black Muslims, and thirdly a music style connected to this order. While the Gnawa people have retained many of the customs, rituals and beliefs of their ancestors, their music is the most preserved trait. Over the past fifty years in north Africa, Gnawa music, like the Blues in America, has spread and attracted practitioners from other ethnic groups, in this case Berber and Arab. Although most present-day Gnawa musicians are metisse and speak Arabic and Berber, some West African religious words and phrases do survive even though their meaning is lost. But Gnawa music is found mainly where black people live in a relatively large number; large enough to form a distinctive community like the one in Marrakesh. The city is known historically to have slave markets connected to the trans-Saharan slave trade. Gnawa people have created a distinct space in Moroccan society. They play a social and spiritual role as well as perform entertainment. Gnawa music is spiritual musi

top songs

albums

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Moroccan Trance II Sufi

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Moroccan Trance Sufi

10% File Under Burroughs

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10% File Under Burroughs.Disc 2 (Beats)

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Moroccan Trance 2 : Sufi

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Moroccan Trance Music, Vol. 2: Sufi

Mind The Gap Volume 8

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10% File Under Burroughs.[Disc 2] (Beats)

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10% File Under Burroughs CD2. Beat

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10% File Under Burroughs Disc 2

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10%: File Under Burroughs: Beat

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10% File Under Burroughs. (Beat)

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