| Duration | 90 min |
Experience the Power of Gnawa Music
When music transports you to another world and fills you with joy and hope, you feel its true healing power. That’s the magic of North African Gnawa music—experience it at the Gnawa Festival in Korzo.
In collaboration with Amare, Multicultureel Jongeren Geluid, PAARD, and Het Nationale Theater, we present, this third edition the very best of today’s Gnawa music. The journey begins with a (free) Gnawa-Lahay Parade, featuring 11 Gnawa musicians bringing rhythm and energy to the heart of The Hague. Afterwards, Maâlem Reda Stitou and his father guide us through a ceremony with their guembri (a lute-like bass) that draws us into deep trance. We close the evening festively with a hypnotic set full of house and Arabic musical influences by Moroccan DJ Kawtar Sadik.
With 11 Gnawa musicians we fill the city with rhythm, song, dance, and pure joy of life. A colorful procession moves right through the city center, awakening the streets. Everyone is welcome to join in, dance along, and sing at the top of their lungs. The parade starts at 17:00 at Korzo and participation is free. We will pass by the Grote Kerk, the Passage, and the Grote Marktstraat, ending around 18:30 back at Korzo.
A Gnawa Night, also known as Lila, is a ceremony that brings to life the ancient spiritual and cultural heritage of the Gnawa community in Morocco. It is a nocturnal journey full of music, dance, and ritual, in which we are purified and connect with each other and with past generations.
The ceremony is led by Maâlem Reda Stitou together with his father, Abdelouahid Stitou. Two generations of guardians within the Gnawa tradition keep the centuries-old wisdom of Gnawa alive. With the deep, hypnotic sounds of the guembri and the rhythm of the metal qraqeb, they guide us step by step into trance. We enter the spiritual realm, encounter sacred spirits, release what is old and painful, and feel a deep communal bond.
Moroccan DJ Kawtar Sadik is a driving force of renewal, blending modern electronic music with ancient traditions. With a bold and fearless approach, this singer, rapper, and composer fuses electronic beats, Afro-house rhythms, and progressive house with the deep resonance of traditional Moroccan music. In her work, the trance-like sounds of Gnawa intertwine with the rich melodies of Amazigh heritage and Arabic influences. The result is a hypnotic mix that feels both deeply rooted and strikingly futuristic.
Korzo Zaal