Moroccan Culture

Folklore and Music

The art of oral story telling frequently accompanied by singing and dancing is common street entertainment, especially at local festivals. Berber storytellers specialize in recounting odes and songs of local myth and faraway places. The heirs of a long oral tradition, storytellers continue this ancient art to the joy of their listeners, whether Moroccan or tourists. The most famous of them work on Djemaa El-Fna square in Marrakech. Told in a colourful and imaged vocabulary, endless stories take listeners into a world of adventure and travel, a magical world where Good triumphs over Evil. 

   
Story teller and musicians entertaining in Marrakesh                     Story tellers can attract big crowds              

Tales and storytellers are an integral part of popular Moroccan culture. The origins of these stories were for a long time anonymous. This also means that they belong to everyone. The story can have a moral aspect where as others explain the marvels and horrors of the world. But the storyteller is also there to entertain and amuse his audience with grotesque or picturesque characters, imaginary or idealised locations. Everything is designed to make the audience get away from the trivia of everyday life. It is a colourful spectacle that you should not miss, however, made much more enjoyable with your Erlebnis Tours guide, who will be able to translate and explain the subtleties of this popular art form. 

Classical music in Morocco is music of the Arab-Andalusian style. It features an orchestra of traditional stringed instruments, such as the rabab (two-string violin), ‘ud (Arab lute), and qanun (zither), as well as percussion instruments, including the tambourine and drum. Songs in Arabic often accompany this music. A popular modern music style known as rai (“opinion”) developed in the cities of Algeria and Morocco during the 1970s, as young people sought to break with traditional society and express their views. Its outspoken lyrics are set to a rock beat and the music is performed on traditional as well as electronic instruments. A folklore festival is held each June in Marrakech, featuring folk music and folk dances from various locales in Morocco.

Morocco has preserved its rich folklore which is nowadays an important cultural patrimony. It varies from one region to another. The most appreciated and famous shows of Moroccan folklore are: Gnawa, Ahidous, Fantasia and Ahouash. Gnawa has become a worldwide musical force. They use some typical instruments, included the tbal (drums), and are accompanied by female voices. Al Aita ("the cry-sound", made by the tongue) is famous world-wide because of its scalping power of the voice. This "cry-sound" is very sacred, used for rituals and ceremonial traditions.

  
Andalusian musicians in Fez                                                      Gnawa in Fez               

In rural or Berber tribes, music is intimately linked with poetry and dance. The folk dances are magnificent and accompany the tribes’ everyday life. These are the most important ones:

The Ahouach in the valleys of the High Atlas: The women form a circle around men playing tambourines.
The Ahaidous of the Middle Atlas: Men and women in a circle beat out the rhythm in turn by stamping on the ground.
The Guedra from Southern Morocco: The dancer is on her knees, totally covered by a black veil. A throbbing rhythm builds as the dancer’s fingers weave and transfix the audience, which goes into a trance.
The Tissint de Tata (from south of Agadir): Women and men dressed in indigo perform the dance of the dagger.
The Gnaouas of African origin: Against an obsessive rhythm, the dancers rival each other with acrobatic feats.
The Taskiouine from the High Atlas close to Ouarzazate: A dance of warriors, powerful and virile. Dressed in white tunics, a powder flask on their shoulders, the dancers beat out the rhythm with their feet and clap their hands energetically.
The Kelaa M’Gouna: not to be missed during the Rose Festival ever year during the month of May in the Dades Valley near Ouarzazate.
Al Aita: authentic rural art from the valleys and the mountains which accompanies weddings, moussems and popular festivities.

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