From June 19 to 21, the city of Essaouira will host the 26th edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival, bringing together 350 artists for 54 concerts across a range of open-air and intimate venues, reads a press release by organizers. The event opens with a symbolic street parade uniting all Gnaoua Maâlems in a collective moment of celebration. The opening concert at the Moulay Hassan stage will feature Maâlem Hamid El Kasri, one of Morocco's most iconic Gnaoua artists, alongside the Senegalese Bakalama Company, known for its mastery of West African percussion and dance. Vocalists Abir El Abed and Kya Loum will join them for a performance blending Moroccan spiritual sounds with Sabar rhythms and modern energy. Throughout the three-day program, the festival will present a number of original musical collaborations. These include Houssam Gania performing with New York-based drummer Marcus Gilmore; Morad El Marjani in dialogue with Tunisian musician and mystical jazz artist Dhafer Youssef; and Asmaa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou teaming up with Malian singer Rokia Koné. Another highlight is an original project by Maâlem Mohamed Boumezzough, joined by Anas Chlih, Aly Keïta, Tao Ehrlich, Martin Guerpin, Quentin Ghomari, and Hajar Alaoui, bringing together guembri, balafon, and brass into a cross-cultural ensemble. The lineup also features well-known names from across Africa and the diaspora, including Afro-Cuban rising star Cimafunk, Ivorian reggae legend Tiken Jah Fakoly, and Nigerian pop artist CKay. Younger Gnaoua musicians will share the stage with established Maâlems, particularly on the Beach Stage. The festival will also showcase genre-bending acts such as Fehd Benchemsi & The Lallas, DuOud, Nishtiman Project, The Leila, and Ribab Fusion, all artists combining local traditions with contemporary influences. As in previous years, the event will include the Human Rights Forum, which returns for its 12th edition. This year's theme focuses on human mobility and cultural dynamics. Writers, filmmakers, and intellectuals, including Andrea Rea, Elia Suleiman, Véronique Tadjo, Karim Bouamrane, Kassie Freeman, Faouzi Bensaïdi, Pascal Blanchard, Rim Najmi, and Barthélémy Toguo, will take part in discussions around migration, storytelling, and identity. In partnership with Berklee College of Music, the «Berklee at Gnaoua and World Music Festival» returns from June 16 to 21, bringing together young musicians from 23 countries for a week of training and artistic exchange with renowned musicians. Additionally, the festival will introduce a new Chair of Cross Cultures and Globalization, launched in partnership with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. Two public roundtables will be held, focusing on spiritual intersectionality, the resonance of Gnaoua rituals, and contemporary musical fusion. Essaouira will also host a number of parallel cultural events: «Arbre à Palabres», a public space inspired by African oral tradition; the exhibition Entre jeu et mémoire at Borj Bab Marrakech; and street concerts and open workshops throughout the city. The Gnaoua Festival offers three days of music, dialogue, and shared experience, reaffirming its role as a cultural bridge and space for creative freedom.
