Moroccan Gnawa Concert in North London

Though women are essential to Gnawa rituals, there have not been many female Gnawa musicians.
The singer and her group are part of an all-female new wave changing this trend.

Born in a Casablanca family embodying and breathing Gnawa – her father a master musician, her mother a dancer, the singer was taught the guembri as a child, and at an early age, she joined her father’s band on qraqeb and choir, before he encouraged her to start her own group.

‘To us, Gnawa stands above all other kinds of music. It’s our childhood. It’s spiritual, healing, and it makes you feel grounded.’
When this group of women performs, the guembri – a plucked lute played in a percussive style known also as sintir, الكمبري, gimbri, hejhouj – and the singer's expressive voice is the centrepiece, while the soundscape is filled with the rhythmic percussion of qraqeb, so characteristic of Gnawa music.

‘When I play the guembri, I’m truly in my element. It’s hand-made of wood and goatskin. That makes it alive, in a sense.’

While a traditionalist in many ways, this singer is also a trailblazer, bringing the Gnawa music to the western world. She wants to keep gnawa alive – in this instance, it’s a case of transformation through preservation.

This event will last approximately 2 hours, including an interval.