Gnawa music & Gnawa Origins

The Gnawa (or Gnaoua, Ghanawa, Ghanawi, Gnawi) people originated from North and West Africa; to be precise the ancient Ghanaian Empire of Ouagadougou (present day Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Burkino Faso and 85% of Mali).

photo:Fatima Abbadi

This name Gnawa is taken from one of the indigenous languages of the Sahara Desert called Tamazight. The phonology of this term according to the grammatical principles of Tamazight is as follows: Gnawi (singular), Gnawa (collective) and Gnawn (plural rarely used).

The Gnawa are an ethnic group whom, with the passing of time became a part of the Sufi order in Morocco. This kingdom bordered Morocco and Algeria's southern borders, and had a 300 year blood war with Morocco, prior to both countries forging a long lasting peace accord (conducted between the Monarchs of both countries alone with a scribe). Evidence of this is found is the tribal oral tradition of both countries (Soussi, Riffi, & Ashanti tribes). The result of which saw unprecedented levels of marriages between the Gnawis (ancient Ghanaians) and Soussis of Morocco. A small percentage of this community (Gnawa/Ghanawa) were given to Morocco's monarch (Mulay: to mean Emperor) as workers as a token and seal of the aforementioned accord. They traveled to Morocco by way of tribal caravans during (and external to) the hours of trade Trans-Saharan trade.[wikipedia]

Gnawa music is a rich repertoire of ancient African Islamic spiritual religious songs and rhythms. Its well preserved heritage combines ritual poetry with traditional music and dancing. The music is performed at 'Lila's', entire communal nights of celebration, dedicated to prayer and healing, guided by the Gnawa Maalem and his group of musicians and dancers. Though many of the influences that formed this music can be traced to sub-Saharan West-Africa, its traditional practice is concentrated in Morocco and the Béchar Province in South-western Algeria.[wikipedia]

The Gnaoua World Music Festival is a Gnawa music festival held annually in Essaouira, Morocco.
The festival provides a platform for exchanges and a meeting point of music and dialogue between foreign artists and the mystical Gnaoua (also Gnawa) musicians. In this melting-pot of musical fusion, the Gnaoua masters invite players of jazz, pop, rock and contemporary World music to explore new avenues.

http://www.festival-gnaoua.net/en/

An example of the rythm and music is exectuted my the master Mahmoud Guinia, a Moroccan Gnawa musician, singer and guembri player, who is traditionally regarded as a Maâllem.

ORIENTALISM: A Reinterpretation

With this tenth edition of FANTADIA which will be held in Asolo  from the 7th to 16th June 2013 proposes, in addition to its standard installations, performances and multi-vision projections from  various foreign artists and local Italians, a photographic exhibition by Fatima Abbadi.

Municipality of Asolo: Fatima Abbadi - "ORIENTALISM: A Reinterpretation "

Fatima Abbadi introduces us to an exotic journey, permitting us to follow the traces of what was once the journey of the 'Orientalists', a phenomenon that took place and was formed around the 19th century. It aroused great interest from Westerners towards the oriental culture. In their documentations they described the caravans and camps under the various narrative forms, painting and photography, they captured biblical landscapes scenes and ancient ruins, deserts, the Bedouins and natives, scenes from daily life: such as the souks, mosques and harems, a world that since its discovery captured great curiosity due to its mystery and its inaccessible feminine sphere and hence was illustrated with various famous Odalisques bath scenes.

Scenes that often were constructed, not authentic, with the purpose of giving a mysterious, mystical and fascinating vision of what this new world could offer.

But what makes Fatima’s  approach different towards ‘orientalism', however, is that she is  an Arab- Italian 

photographer belonging to both Eastern and Western worlds and with her shots, she aims to illustrate a realistic and  authentic vision. Her shots encapsulate the landscapes and the people in an entirely real way and they not placed in a theatrical frame or schema, without any touristic propaganda or picturesque scenes. Her vision is direct and narrates her world without any distortion to reality. It is an authentic photography, with a pure and exotic scent free from typical stereotypes of Orientalist photography.

http://www.fantadia.com