The Gnaoua World Music Festival Tour
Fes, Oualidia, Essaouira, Oukaimeden and Marrakech
June 18-July 2, 2008
Come journey with us into the Gnaoua Mystical Tradition
and the Mountains, Coast and Culture of Morocco
Highlights:
- Experience the unforgettable Gnaoua World Music Festival in the gorgeous seaside city of Essaouira
- Meet with master musicians and Sufi mystics in private sessions
- Explore the ancient imperial cities of Fes and Marrakech
- Trek to the scenic Ourika River Valley in the High Atlas Mountains near Marrakech, home of the Berbers
- Relax in the off-the-beaten-track beach town of Oualidia
- Contribute to a Moroccan ecological project
The internationally acclaimed Gnaoua World Music Festival takes place annually in the beautiful port city of Essaouira. This gathering fosters dialogue and new direction in jazz, pop, rock and contemporary world music. Gnaoua music has reached a worldwide audience through its influence on musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin, Adam Rudolph, Pharoah Sanders, and the Wailers. The Gnaoua World Music Festival is an exhilarating celebration of mystical Gnaoua masters playing with their friends from around the world.
Members of the Gnaoua Brotherhood are most likely descendents of former slaves from Sub-Saharan Africa or African caravan migrations. They exist throughout Morocco but their numbers are greatest in Marrakech. The Gnaoua Brotherhood claims spiritual descent from Sidi Bilal, an Ethiopian who was the Prophet Muhammed's first muezzein (caller to worship). Gathered around Masters, Gnaoua Brotherhoods mystically blend pre-Islamic African traditions with the classical Islamic Sufi tariqa (way). The Master leads participants into a trance-like state through music, dance and the mesmerizing rhythms of drums.
Prior to the Festival, our group will visit Fes, the spiritual center of Morocco. We will attend Sufi concerts and meet with Sufi teachers, learning the chant practice known as zikr, or remembrance. From Fes we will travel to the lovely seaside village of Oualidia and then settle in Essaouira a for the Festival. Next we travel up to the High Atlas Mountain town of Oukaimeden and the beautiful Ourika River Valley for a vigorous trekking expedition. Our last days in Morocco will be spent in the ancient Red City of Marrakech, where we will relax and explore one of the great cities of the world. In Marrakech we will experience private sessions with Gnaoua masters who will bring us into the heart of their spiritual music valued as a form of worship.