Gnawa music – World Music Central

Sonic Pluriverse Festival 2026 Echoes of Gnawa banner. a colorful design with metal castanets (karkabas) in the corners.

Events

Berlin’s Sonic Pluriverse Festival 2026 Spotlights Gnawa Music in Five-Week Program

The 2026 Sonic Pluriverse Festival will place Gnawa music at the center of a five-week program at the rooftop terrace of Haus der Kulturen der…

Events

Essaouira Prepares for Gnaoua Festival 2026 With Carlinhos Brown, Richard Bona and Yasmine Hamdan

World Music Central News Room June 12, 2026 No Comments 47Soul African heritage African music African rhythms Afro-Brazilian music Afro-diasporic music Ahwach alternative Arabic music Amazigh culture Amazigh music Anthony Morgan Arabic music artistic residency Asmaa Lmnawar AZMZ Bahia music bass Bnat Louz Bob Maghrib Bob Marley Brazilian popular music Carlinhos Brown Casablanca choral music concert series contemporary fusion contemporary music cross-cultural dialogue cultural event cultural exchange cultural tourism dabke electronic music electronic pop Essaouira Essaouira events Essawira experimental music festival lineup fusion music Ganavya global artists Gnaoua and World Music Festival Gnaoua Festival 2026 Gnaoua music Gnawa music gospel heritage music hip-hop Hoba Hoba Spirit improvisation international artists Jazz Levantine music live music Maghrebi music Moroccan heritage Moroccan music Morocco Morocco festivals multicultural festival music collaboration music festival musical collaboration Oudaden percussion post-rock Raskas Reggae Richard Bona rock samba-reggae Shamstep Souss region South Asian devotional music spiritual jazz spiritual music Tachelhit music Tafraout The Harlem Spirit of Gospel traditional music urban music vocal music world culture world fusion world music world music scene Yasmine Hamdan

From June 25 to 27, 2026, the 27th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival will bring 460 artists from Morocco and abroad to…

Abdel Benaddi — A Dream In Essaouira cover artwork. Gnawa musicians wearing blue robes and playing karkabas marching down a street, followed by drummers.

Album reviews

Abdel Benaddi: Gnawa Tradition, Captured Live In Essaouira

Tyler Bennet May 8, 2026 No Comments Abdel Benaddi Gnawa Gnawa music Moroccan music world music

Abdel Benaddi — A Dream In Essaouira (Worlds Within Worlds, 2024) Abdel Benaddi is a hereditary Gnawa musician from Essawira, Morocco, a coastal city known…

An illustration of a Gnawa drum and karkabas (metal castanets) on top of the drum.

Music videos

Desert Blues Band Tarwa N-Tiniri Weaves Gnawa and Amazigh Music on “Nbina”

World Music Central News Room April 9, 2026 No Comments Amazigh music Berber music desert blues Gnawa music Moroccan music Tarwa N-Tiniri world music

Moroccan desert blues band Tarwa N-Tiniri has released “Nbina,” a new single and video from its upcoming third album, Zaman (release date: April 17, 2026).…

Haus der Kulturen der Welt photo by Mathias Völzke/HKW

Events

Berlin’s Sonic Pluriverse Festival 2026 Announces Global Echoes of Gnawa

World Music Central News Room February 19, 2026 No Comments Asmaa Hamzaoui Baaba Maal Bab L’Bluz Berlin Bnat Timbouktou Gnawa Diffusion Gnawa music Justin Adams Mauro Durante Moonlight Benjamin Moroccan music Salif Keita Sonic Pluriverse Festival world music

Sonic Pluriverse Festival has set its 2026 edition at Berlin’s Haus der Kulturen der Welt, with a program dedicated to Gnawa music culture. The festival…

The banner for the 26th Essaouira Gnaoua & World Music Festival (June 19–21, 2025) features modernist artwork of a stylized Gnawa musician against a warm desert-sunset backdrop. The design integrates traditional Moroccan motifs—like arches and geometric patterns—with vivid blocks of color. A small boat on the ocean and a seagull perched beside the musician. Text elements clearly highlight the event's name, location, and dates in a mix of blue and red.

Events

From Trance to Transcendence: Gnaoua Festival Goes Global Again

World Music Central News Room May 22, 2025 No Comments Asmaa Hamzaoui Bnat Timbouktou Cimafunk Dhafer Youssef Essaouira Essaouira Gnaoua and World Music Festival Essawira Gnawa music Maâlem Khalid Sansi Maâlem Morad ElMarjan Moroccan music Morocco Rokia Koné world fusion world music

The 26th Gnaoua and World Music Festival returns to Essaouira, Morocco, from June 19 to 21, 2025. Since its founding in 1998, the festival has…

A pair of karkabas, fair trade. Metal castanets.

Articles

Karkabas: the Trance-Inducing Metal Castanets

Angel Romero June 2, 2024 No Comments Gnawa music karkabas Moroccan music Morocco world music

(A pair of karkabas, fair trade. Gnawa metal castanets.) The karkabas, a musical instrument intricately tied to Gnawa music, a traditional genre originating from Morocco.…

Hssan Hakmoun in Lanzarote, Spain, playing guembri - Photo by Angel Romero

Articles

Guimbri: The Formidable Gnawa Bass Lute of North Africa

Angel Romero May 28, 2024 No Comments Gnawa music guimbri sentir sintir world fusion world music

(headline image: Hssan Hakmoun in Lanzarote, Spain, in 2000 playing guimbri – Photo by Angel Romero) The guimbri is a traditional musical instrument intrinsically linked…

Album reviews

Bab L’ Bluz’s Swaken Adds More Fire Into the Mix

Angel Romero May 28, 2024 No Comments Bab L’ Bluz Gnawa Gnawa music Moroccan music world fusion world music

Bab L’ Bluz – Swaken (Real World Records, 2024) Bab L’ Bluz, the French-Moroccan power quartet, has unveiled their latest album, Swaken. The new project…

Album reviews

Moroccan-French Sensation AYWA’s Latest Album Strikes a Chord of Unity and Diversity

Angel Romero December 28, 2023 No Comments AYWA Gnawa music world fusion world music

AYWA – Saadi (Jules Sonic Prods, 2023) On AYWA’s latest album, Saadi the Moroccan-French band skillfully crafts an immersive experience with their deeply satisfying and…