Gnaoua Khamlia - Merzouga Sahara desert

Gnaoua music in Khamlia village

Gnaoua Khamlia - Merzouga Sahara desert

Khamlia is a village in the southeastern part of Morocco, 7km south of the famous village called Merzouga in the province of Errachidia. It has a population of about 405 from Gnaoua and Berber (Amazigh) ethnic origin. Khamlia is located exactly at the foot of Erg Chebbi dunes, doors to the great Sahara desert.

Watch this youtube video below to get an idea about how Gnawa music sounds

Khamlia's people also named "gnaouas" originated in black Africa, they have a close and long standing relationship with the desert, their ancestors were brought from central and west Africa, through the Sahara desert in caravans that arrived to the southeastern part of Morocco.

After their emancipation, they survived as nomads moving regularly in search of favorable land for their herds. Around the 50s and 60s they started to settle down with the Berber nomads in towns or in the growing urban areas. That is the way Khamlia was founded. Since then the main sources of income are agriculture, livestock farming and lately also tourism.

The village annual music festival is called "Sadaka" (religious charity), and it occurs during three days every July or August. In the weeks preceding the festival, the Gnaouas ask their neighbors, the Berbers and other nearby villages for donations (in the form of sugar, tea, food, or money).
The first day a lamb is sacrificed and the collected donations are used to prepare a huge couscous for all the attendees.
Music s played non-stop night and day for three days. people in Khamlia believe that the sadaka is meant to cure the sick people and to gain 'Baraka' (god's blessings) through music and dance.
Some people can enter a state of transitory trance, thanks to the incessant rhythm of the drums and the chants.. It is a spiritual experience that is also practiced in other parts of Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean.

Khamlia's music, in the hands on the gnaoua tribe, is the essence of the place. The music is legendary from their ancestors, preserved from their original homeland and still played in a traditional manner, no new electrical equipment or anything, just the raw instruments.

Until the 90s, the gnawa music was only played during the "Sadaka' or in specific family event such as weddings or baptisms, at that time the music patrimony was in decline and only the men of the family played it. So there was a huge risk that such a great cultural heritage will fade and vanish with time. That is the reason why some local musicians decided to teach the gnawa music to kids and youth of Khamlia village.

Nowadays there are few ganoua music groups in Khamlia that play songs throughout the years to both Moroccan and International tourists, which has brought good vibe to the village and helped a little bit its economy.
We encourage you to visit Khamlia and to have this great spiritual musical experience not to be found anywhere else. And better if you could attend the annual festival. The village and also people are very nice so you will not regret your visit.

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Essaouira - Mogador

Essaouira - Mogador

Essaouira (Amazigh: ⵎⵓⴳⴰⴹⵓⵔ Taṣṣurt, Arabic: الصويرة‎, as-Ṣawīra)(or Mogador like the Portuguese used to name it) is one of the most beautiful town on the west coast of Morocco, here are the best places of Essaouira in videos:

Part one

Part two

And here is a video about the Gnaoua (or Gnawa) music festival that happens every year in Essaouira:

More about Essaouira from Wikipedia:

Essaouira (Amazigh: ⵎⵓⴳⴰⴹⵓⵔ Taṣṣurt, Arabic: الصويرة‎, as-Ṣawīra) is a city in the western Moroccan economic region of Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, on the Atlantic coast. The city was known in the time of 11th-century Geographer al-Bakri and, as he reported, was called Sidi Megdoul. In the 16th-century, a corruption of this name became known to the Portuguese as Mogador or Mogadore. The Amazigh and Arabic names mean the wall, a reference to the fortress walls that originally enclosed the city.

History:
Archaeological research shows that Essaouira has been occupied since prehistoric times. The bay at Essaouira is partially sheltered by the island of Mogador, making it a peaceful harbor protected against strong marine winds.

Recent years:
In the early 1950s film director and actor Orson Welles stayed at the Hotel des Iles just south of the town walls during the filming of his 1952 classic version of "Othello" which contains several memorable scenes shot in the labyrinthine streets and alleyways of the medina. Legend has it that during Welles's sojourn in the town he met Winston Churchill, another guest at the Hotel des Iles. A bas-relief of Orson Welles is located in a small square just outside the medina walls close to the sea. It is in a neglected state being covered in bird droppings, graffiti and with a broken nose. In addition, the dedication plaque below it has been stolen (as of Dec 2008). Several other film directors have utilised Essaouira's photogenic and atmospheric qualities.
Beginning in the late 1960s, Essaouira became something of a hippie hangout. Despite common misconception, Jimi Hendrix's song "Castles Made of Sand" was written in 1967, two years before he visited the castles of Essaouira. Cat Stevens also spent some time in Essaouira.

Essaouira today:
The Medina of Essaouira (formerly "Mogador") is a UNESCO World Heritage listed city, an example of a late 18th-century fortified town, as transferred to North Africa by European colonists. Major problems currently are deterioration of the extensive ramparts around the Medina; and widespread violation of laws against motorized vehicles (primarily mopeds) within the Medina.

Full Article here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essaouira

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