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The 27th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival will once again spotlight musical creation and cross-cultural dialogue, according to organizers, who unveiled the first details of this year’s collaborations ahead of the event scheduled from June 25 to 27 in Essaouira.
For nearly three decades, the festival has brought together Gnaoua maâlems and artists from around the world through fusion concerts and artistic residencies built around experimentation and collective creation.
This year’s opening concert will be led by Mehdi Nassouli and will bring together Morocco’s Gnaoua heritage with Rwanda’s UNESCO-recognized Intore dance tradition, represented by the troupe i Buhoro. Moroccan singer Sara Moullablad, Indian vocalist ganavya, and French musician Sylvain Barou will also participate in the performance.
The festival’s artistic residency program, described as a «laboratory for experimentation», will this year bring together Hassan Boussou alongside Alexandre Herichon, Mohamed Derouich, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Cheikh Ndoye, Karim Ziad, and Meryem Aassid for a new collective creation set to premiere in Essaouira.
Another collaboration will unite Mohamed Montari with Ethiopia’s Badume’s Band and singer Selamnesh Zéméné in a performance exploring links between Gnaoua rhythms and Ethiopian musical traditions.
The festival will also feature a fusion between gospel and Gnaoua music through a collaboration between The Harlem Spirit of Gospel by Anthony Morgan and Mehdi Qamoum.
Brazilian artist Carlinhos Brown is set to return to Essaouira alongside Hamid El Kasri for a new creation rooted in shared African rhythms and heritage.
Meanwhile, renowned bassist Richard Bona and his band will welcome Moroccan singer Asma Lmnawar for a special collaboration continuing an artistic dialogue between the two artists.
According to organizers, the festival aims to reaffirm Essaouira as a place «where music is transformed through encounter, and where creation is written collectively».
