The Gnaoua World Music Festival has been held in Essaouira, Morocco, since 1998. Known as one of the country’s most important cultural events, it brings together traditional Gnaoua music with a wide range of global influences. Each year, the festival transforms the coastal city into a meeting point for musicians, scholars, and fans from around the world.
During the 2019 edition, held from June 20 to 23, the Gnaoua World Music Festival featured powerful collaborations. Local Gnaoua masters shared the stage with international guitarists, producing performances that honored heritage while pushing musical boundaries. These sessions demonstrated how the guitar can both preserve tradition and inspire innovation.
Beyond concerts, workshops allowed young Moroccan musicians to explore how the guitar interacts with Gnaoua rhythms. Such exchanges encouraged creativity and showed how instruments from different cultures can enrich one another.