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Festival of the Gnaouas and World Music (Late May/first week of June). For more information: http://www.festival-gnaoua.co.ma (the site doesn’t get early updates for the coming festival, so try also http://www.essaouiranet.com or http://www.couleur-maroc.com to get a feel for what might be happening). In Essaouira, the festival office is in Dar Souiri on Rue du Caire. The word gnaoua probably derives from Guinea. At Marrakech and Essaouira, Gnaoua refers to trance-music and dances performed by descendants of freed slaves from West Africa. Essaouira is the gnaoua centre and the musical tradition runs deep in certain local families. In 1998, the Association Essaouira- Mogador and local politico/royal advisor André Azoulay launched the Gnaoua festival. The open-air concerts were free. The 2003 edition of the festival (theme ‘transe-atlantique’) attracted nearly 200,000 spectators – raï star Cheb Mami played the final concert. Events, still largely free, are held on the esplanade at Bab Marrakech and on Place Moulay Hassan near the port. If you are planning in being in Essaouira for festival week, make sure you book your accommodation well in advance.
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