Gnawa.music.chrisWitulski
2
CENTER FOR AFRICAN STUDIES Research Report 2011 51 STUDENT REPORTS Listening to Changing Narratives and Musical Diversity in Moroccan Gnawa Music CHRISTOPHER WITULSKI From November of 2010 to August of 2011, I had to opportu- nity to conduct my dissertation field research in Fez, Morocco. This was my fourth visit to the country and my fth to North Africa. While there, I completed lang uage study in the Moroccan dialect of Arabic and intensive et hnographic research with musicians from across the spectrum of musiqa ruhiyya, loosely translated as spiritual music. I focused on a population of professional musicians and ritual leaders called the Gnawa, though I also spent considerable time work- ing closely with Su musicians and other performers. In each case, I questioned how these professional musicians could constantly negoti- ate the space between “popular” and “religious,” always adapting to the competing economic and spiritual demands of their public positions. These strategies highlight the how the concepts of sacred and secular, popular, even entertainment or ritual, escape simple categorization. Furthermore, each of these members of Fez’s musiqa ruhiyya community is rmly a part of the incessant pro - cess of dening and redening how Islam is, and should be, practiced in everyday life. Through the presenta- tion of specic religious practices on stage and the dissemination of these performed ideologies through the recording industry and festival circuits, they use their artistry, cre- ativity, spirituality, leadership, and practicality to create and support an idea of what a publicly manifested Islam looks like. My project centered on the Gnawa, once a population of en- slaved sub-Saharan Africans forc- ibly brought to Morocco through the trans-Saharan slave trade. The ritual activity that comprises the fo- cal point of Gnawa practice involves a spirit possession ceremony, an event led by a group of ritual musi- cians. After years of marginalization as social, economic, and religious outcasts, their music gained the attention of the parade of American and European artists who came to Morocco (especially Tangier) after World War II and during the civil rights movement in search of ‘oriental’ or African inspiration (the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Bryon Gysin, Randy Weston, Ornette Coleman, etc.). Their music, often described in terms of its bluesy grooves, is now featured across the country in major music festivals and on innumerable world music releases. The research that I prepared while in Fez questions t he ways in which the Gnawa perform constru ct- ed narratives of their own history while asking where ritual leaders nd space for personal creativity. Representations of these different narratives (briey “We are African” and “We are Su”), which are em- bedded into the music, depen d on performative decisions, on musical style. The questions that perform- ers must ask and answer each time they proceed through a ceremony or public performance reify one or an- other of these imagined ontologies, foregrounding, for example, Afri- can instead of Arab elements of the tradition for international audiences or favoring songs that emphasize a timeless African communal history over those that result from more recent individual creativity. Additionally, while in Fez I accepted an invitation to perform on the violin with a malhun ensemble, a genre of music that straddles this divide between the pious and entertainment, in the Fez Festival of Sacred Music. I contributed cover- age and photography on the entire festival for the View From Fez, a prominent English language news blog, as well as Afropop Worldwide. Currently, I am writing my disserta- tion, teaching courses in American Popular Music, and preparing a study abroad course to Spain and Morocco that will highlight the role of the arts in healing traditions in Europe and the Islamic world, both historically and today. Chris Witulski is a Ph.D. candidate in musicology/ethnomusicology, a UF Alumni Fell ow, and former FLAS fel- low (Arabic, summer 2007).
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Transcript of Gnawa.music.chrisWitulski
CENTER FOR AFRICAN STUDIES Research Report 2011 51
STUDENT REPORTS
Listening to Changing Narratives and MusicalDiversity in Moroccan Gnawa MusicCHRISTOPHER WITULSKI
From November of 2010 to
August of 2011, I had to opportu-
nity to conduct my dissertation
field research in Fez, Morocco. This was my fourth visit to thecountry and my fth to North Africa.
While there, I completed languagestudy in the Moroccan dialect of
Arabic and intensive ethnographicresearch with musicians from acrossthe spectrum of musiqa ruhiyya,loosely translated as spiritualmusic. I focused on a population ofprofessional musicians and ritualleaders called the Gnawa, though Ialso spent considerable time work-ing closely with Su musicians andother performers. In each case, Iquestioned how these professionalmusicians could constantly negoti-ate the space between “popular” and“religious,” always adapting to thecompeting economic and spiritualdemands of their public positions.These strategies highlight the howthe concepts of sacred and secular,popular, even entertainment orritual, escape simple categorization.Furthermore, each of these members
of Fez’s musiqa ruhiyya communityis rmly a part of the incessant pro-cess of dening and redening howIslam is, and should be, practiced ineveryday life. Through the presenta-tion of specic religious practiceson stage and the dissemination ofthese performed ideologies through
the recording industry and festivalcircuits, they use their artistry, cre-ativity, spirituality, leadership, andpracticality to create and support anidea of what a publicly manifestedIslam looks like. My project centered on theGnawa, once a population of en-slaved sub-Saharan Africans forc-ibly brought to Morocco throughthe trans-Saharan slave trade. Theritual activity that comprises the fo-cal point of Gnawa practice involvesa spirit possession ceremony, anevent led by a group of ritual musi-cians. After years of marginalizationas social, economic, and religiousoutcasts, their music gained theattention of the parade of Americanand European artists who cameto Morocco (especially Tangier)after World War II and during thecivil rights movement in search of‘oriental’ or African inspiration (theRolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, BryonGysin, Randy Weston, OrnetteColeman, etc.). Their music, oftendescribed in terms of its bluesygrooves, is now featured across thecountry in major music festivalsand on innumerable world musicreleases.
The research that I prepared while in Fez questions the ways in which the Gnawa perform construct-ed narratives of their own history
while asking where ritual leadersnd space for personal creativity.Representations of these differentnarratives (briey “We are African”and “We are Su”), which are em-
bedded into the music, depend onperformative decisions, on musicalstyle. The questions that perform-ers must ask and answer each timethey proceed through a ceremony orpublic performance reify one or an-other of these imagined ontologies,foregrounding, for example, Afri-can instead of Arab elements of thetradition for international audiencesor favoring songs that emphasize atimeless African communal historyover those that result from morerecent individual creativity. Additionally, while in Fez Iaccepted an invitation to perform onthe violin with a malhun ensemble,a genre of music that straddlesthis divide between the pious andentertainment, in the Fez Festival ofSacred Music. I contributed cover-age and photography on the entirefestival for the View From Fez, aprominent English language news
blog, as well as Afropop Worldwide.Currently, I am writing my disserta-tion, teaching courses in AmericanPopular Music, and preparing astudy abroad course to Spain andMorocco that will highlight the roleof the arts in healing traditions inEurope and the Islamic world, bothhistorically and today.
Chris Witulski is a Ph.D. candidate in
musicology/ethnomusicology, a UF Alumni Fellow, and former FLAS fel-
low (Arabic, summer 2007).
