MI week 10

Syncretism from an Islamic perspective: spirit propitiation/healing groups and practices combining Islamic and sub-saharan Africa: Gnawa and Zar

Tuesday (10a)

GNAWA

Due

Read/listen/browse the “Gnawa Stories” website: https://www.ibiblio.org/gnawastories/

Be prepared to outline the history and rituals of the Gnawa in class.

Using jstor locate one recent scholarly article about Gnawa or Gnawa music, including:

• Gnawa history
• current ethnography of Gnawa, their social life, rituals and music
• Gnawa folklorization, festivalization, popularization, fusion, locally and globally

Lcate some relevant online media.

Prepare to present your article and media in class by:

• summarizing the content, illustrated with an online example or two (video, audio, image, map...)
• offering a critique in light of the “Gnawa stories” website, and what you have learned about music and Islam in the course thus far. Feel free to raise questions as much as answering them - standard practice for a critique.

Submit a one-page summary/critique of your article (along with the article's title/author/date) on eClass 10a. Please do this before class so that I can access the materials for your in-class presentation.

Class

Intro to Gnawa and its globalization

Some lilas:

• GnAwA MaRRaKeCh
• Ahmed Bakbou
• Trance of red
• Trance of white
• Red

History: how the Gnawas came to Morocco...

• West African history: general timeline; art timeline; West African timeline, empires of West Africa (BBC); Basil Davidson on Empires of Gold
  • Ghana
  • Mali
  • Songhai
• Islamic history
  • Umayyads in Spain
  • Berber and Arab empires of North Africa
    • al-Murabitun (Almoravids)
    • al-Muwahhidun (Almohads)
    • Saadi dynasty
• [http://archnet.org/authorities/2872 Paul Bowles
  • overview
  • Gnawa[1]

Gnawa fusions: jazz, funk, hiphop, festival

• Randy Weston [2](jazz)
• Hassan Hakmoun: Gnawa fusion
• Sidi Yasser: Gnawa fusion
• Belikemuhammad: hiphop MC (Anas Canon?
• Gnawa festival[3]

Student presentations as per above.

Thursday (10b)

GNAWA and ZAR

Due

• Read/listen/watch:
  • Browse sites and watch videos associated with folkloric groups in Cairo:
    • Makan:
      • Mazaher
      • Video
    • El Mastaba
      • [4]
      • [5][6]
      • [7]
  • Read:

Liminal Rites and Female Symbolism in the Egyptian Zar Possession Cult Richard Natvig Numen Vol. 35, Fasc. 1 (Jul., 1988), pp. 57-68 Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3270140

• Write: one page on similarities and differences between Gnawa and Zar. Consider: the people, the ritual, the music - but also the ways this music has been folklorized and turned international. What are the reasons why they may be similar? Why are there differences?

Class

• More student presentations on Gnawa (if you didn't present last time)
• Introduction to Zar
• Discussion: spirit/healing groups in Islam