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Essaouira concludes three-day Gnaoua Festival celebrating music and cultural dialogue
via Le Matin3 min read
The Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira concluded three days of musical celebration and cultural exchange, featuring Gnaoua sounds, artistic fusions, and performances by musicians from Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, and the Arab world. The closing night on the Moulay El Hassan stage included a performance by Maâlem Hamid El Kasri, an iconic figure in Gnaoua art, who blended tradition and modernity. Another highlight was a collective creation uniting Maâlem Hassan Boussou with international musicians such as Alexandre Herichon, Mohamed Derouich, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Cheikh Ndoye, Karim Ziad, and Meryem Assid, creating a bold musical fusion. The festival also presented a collaboration between Hamid El Kasri and Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown, mixing Gnaoua rhythms with Afro-Brazilian percussion. Beyond concerts, the 27th edition hosted the Human Rights Forum, organized for the thirteenth consecutive year in partnership with the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad CCME, discussing "Youths of the world: freedom, identity, future." The festival continued its commitment to training through the Berklee at the Gnaoua and World Music Festival program, offering workshops and masterclasses for young musicians. The partnership with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University UM6P was strengthened around the Transitions Chair, focusing on research into Gnaoua heritage. This edition brought together 43 Gnaoua Maâlems from various regions of the Kingdom, alongside hundreds of international art
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