The Gnawa and Their Music in Morocco: Trance, Healing and Identity
- Date of account
- 1990s–2000s scholarship and festival documentation
- Location
- Essaouira, Marrakech, Casablanca and southern Morocco
- Source
- model_recalled_reference
- Record updated
- 2026-10-10
Record summary
Gnawa lila or derdeba ceremonies, documented through Moroccan ethnomusicology and the Essaouira Gnawa and World Music Festival, provide a strong comparison case for spirit idioms, healing, possession language, music, and social identity. The tradition combines Islamic, West African, and local Moroccan histories, while practitioners and observers do not always describe its effects in the same way. Festival performances are not equivalent to therapeutic or initiatory ceremonies. Researchers should identify the particular community, maalem, ceremony, and publication rather than generalize from recordings or tourism materials.
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