MOROCCO: MUSIC AND DANCE

There’s no doubt that Morocco is a multi-ethnic country, from both a historical stance and a cultural stance. Their traditional music is multi-faceted, and the different ethnic groups have their own varieties and variations of their music. 

Andalusian music (music of Andalusia, or Muslim Iberia [Spain and Portugal]) is a mix of the music of the Maghreb with the music of Iberia. Other popular styles of traditional music include Berber music, Sufi music, mystical Gnawa music, Chaabi music, and classical Malhun music. Some of the differences between these different styles include whether it’s for a religious or spiritual purpose or who performs it or what function the music is for.

While there are certainly differences between the various styles of music, some instruments are used throughout the region. Vocal music is still at the heart of their music. Instruments such as the rabab (like a fiddle), oud (lute), qanun (zither), tambourine, kamenjah (like a fiddle that is played upright held by the knees), darbuka (type of goblet drum, usually made of metal or pottery), handwa (small, brass cymbals), swisen (small folk-lute that is typically pitched higher; there’s also a bass version called a hadjouj), and the garagb (metal castinets) among others.

And like the diversity you find in their music, each ethnic group has their own dance as well. A few of the more common dances from Morocco include the shikat (belly dancing), ahwash (danced in the High Atlas Mountains, where women dance to a circle of male drummers), guedra (a type of Tuareg Berber dance performed by women), and the gnaoua (performed by men to drive out spirits, typically danced with acrobatic moves). 

And certainly as they moved forward into independence and the latter half of the 20^th century, their music was influenced by European and American music along with other areas of Africa and the Middle East.  The first one I sampled was the music of Cheb Mimoun. There are several Moroccan musicians who perform their own version of rai music, a style of music far more popular in neighboring Algeria. The music uses some traditional instruments mixed with some modern ones. I think the rhythms drive the music—not just in the percussion lines but in the instrumentals as well.

Hanino is another musician who falls into this rai music genre as well, but to me, it’s a little more modernized. There are times when I swear he’s using autotune. There’s something I like about this, though. 

There is also a huge hip-hop scene in Morocco. For the most part, they base their style off of American-style hip-hop. I first listened to Dizzy Dros. The music is catchy and the change ups are spaced well. I liked his rhythm and flow; his voice reminded me a little of Cypress Hill in a way at times, except that he was rapping in Arabic with some phrases in English mixed in. I listened to the album 3azzy 3ando Stylo, and what impressed me was that the album was long—it had 21 songs!

Another big name in Moroccan hip-hop is Muslim. His style wasn’t too much different than that of Dizzy Dros, although, I think sometimes he integrated traditional melodies into his music. The way he raps was a little more dark, maybe more gangsta? I don't know. I liked what I heard, though; I saw he collaborates with quite a few other artists. 

I also came across a Moroccan rock band called Lazywall. Most of their songs are sung in English, and I think they’re great. Their style is an early-to-mid 2000s-style alternative rock, kind of similar to Audioslave. Ok, I am actually pretty damn impressed with them. In fact, I followed them on Spotify just so I can listen to them later in the car. They might be my new favorite band of the day. 

There are other genres represented in Morocco as well. One Moroccan DJ and singer, who goes by the name Dub Afrika, has a few songs that are pretty catchy in the dance/club category. There’s also a small metal scene; I listened to a song by the band Sakadoya called “Back to the Age of Slaves.” It’s pretty metal in every sense. While everyone knows by now that I’m not such a fan of screaming in music (I do have my moods and moments where I don’t mind it), their instrumental playing is on point.

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MAURITANIA: MUSIC AND DANCE

Traditional music in Mauritania is built around social lines. In their caste system, musicians fell toward the bottom, but they often sang of great warriors and those in the ruling classes. Music was also used as a way of spreading information and news. Although Mauritania is made of many ethnic groups, traditional music tends to be in the style of the largest group, the Berbers (or Moors, which is based on the same root as the ancient kingdom of Mauretania and modern-day Morocco). 

There are three main categories that traditional music is written in. There’s the al-bayda, or the white way (fine and dainty, elegant, based on northern African styles); the al-kayla, or the black way (masculine, based on sub-Saharan African styles); or the l’gnaydiya, or the mixed way. There are also modes and submodes based on the Arabic modes that their music also utilizes, introduced by the Arabs when they moved into the area. Most of the musicians are men, although there are a few women musicians. Women musicians do not utilize the same modes as the men do. 

While the instruments used in much of Mauritanian music are similar to either African or Arab music, a few of the instruments that are commonly heard in Mauritanian music include a type of kettle drum called the tbal, a rattle called daghumma, a type of kora that women utilize called the ardin, and four-stringed lute called the tidinit. 

In Mauritania these days, anyone with money can pay a musician to perform. And if they like what they hear, they can pay to record them. But unlike in much of the world where the musician owns the rights to their own music, whoever pays the musician to record their music owns the rights to the recording. 

Mauritanians enjoy games and dance. One type of common game that is commonly played is called anigur. Essentially, two people play fight with sticks as in a pretend sword fight. Others who watch this game clap along. A type of flute known as the nifara is important to Mauritanian culture, and it’s instrumental in dance. Many dancers dance to this instrument, and they like to use their skills to match the melody lines. 

And I looked high and low, but it seems that although most of the musicians in Mauritania are men, the two most world-famous musicians are women. Probably the most well-known musician is Dimi Mint Abba. Both of her parents were musicians, so it makes sense that she would go into music as well. The music I listened to was based on stringed instruments, probably the ardin and/or the tidinit, with the vocals on top. It tended to be driven by quick rhythms. 

Another well-known musician is Malouma. She was a social activist and politician. Her music has more of a slight Western appeal but still maintaining its roots in Berber and Arab music. Accompanied by flutes, various percussion instruments and stringed instruments, the vocals are all women. At times, it almost sounded like deep Delta blues, but perhaps it’s these roots that emerged itself in the blues. I listened to the album Noir, and I really liked what I heard. 

Another musician I came across is Ooleya Mint Amartichitt. She utilizes the ardin and tidinit quite a bit, and she has a broad range in her vocals. From what I listened to, her vocal styles are characterized by singing in the upper portion of her range. It almost sounds like she’s singing from her chest, but that’s probably from a Western music point-of-view; I would be interested in learning how they teach these singing techniques.

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LIBYA: MUSIC AND DANCE

The Berber people have been creating their own music for thousands of years. These groups of people are generally nomadic and pastoral; their territory stretched from Morocco across North Africa and extended down into Mali, Burkina Faso and other areas of West Africa. Much of their music was built on the pentatonic scale (a scale made of five notes — think of it like playing only the black keys on a piano). Utilizing instruments that resembled the modern oboe and bagpipes, musicians would often travel from town to town performing their music, much like the troubadours in France did. 

The Tuaregs, whose music is often similar to that of the Berbers, used the call-and-response style of music, and music was generally a woman’s area of expertise. Women also dominated at playing the imzhad, a type of string instrument similar to a violin. Other instruments heard in Tuareg and Berber traditional music include the flute (usually made of bamboo), the oud (a fretless lute), tambourines, and the darbuka (a type of goblet drum played with the fingers). Clapping intricate rhythms often accompany their music.  

Tuareg folklore dance styles are still widely popular and are linked with traditional music. Many times, these folkloric dances are showcased on television programs. Hagallah is a style of dance performed by women during special ceremonies. She will often use a handkerchief or a straight stick as a prop and is very rhythmic, utilizing the intricate clapping mentioned earlier. This style of dance is often used as a way for a young girl to showcase her beauty. Line dances are also another style of dance performed in Libya; dancers will link arms while gliding and hopping their way across the performance area.  

As far as pop music goes, there’s not much. After decades of music being repressed and only traditional music being played, it’s no wonder it’s been a little slow on the uptake for new music to open up. I mean, if you were under constant threat of being arrested and/or “disappearing” just for expressing your craft, would you do it? It’s certainly the true test of an artist, and many did it anyway. But many also emigrated for their safety. Musicians who did stay knew that Western music styles and speaking out against the government were pretty much out of bounds. 

However, one musician that stands out is Ahmed Fakroun. As someone who is skilled in many instruments, he was also influenced by the Europop styles and the rock coming out from France. I listened to the Compilation album. It certainly reminded me of the raï music; some songs were reminiscent of the style of Cheb Mami and others. 

In the aftermath of the Civil War, more musicians and bands are slowly feeling more comfortable with creating music that was originally banned. Although I think many of these bands are still on the underground, metal bands and rappers are starting to make names for themselves. I found some references for a few Libyan metal bands: Rex Mortifier, Acacus, Magma, Libya Death Metal Rebels, The BlackForce, Tasnim, and others. Some bands, like Rex Mortifier are no longer together.

Western- and European-style rap and hip-hop are also making an entrance on the music scene. Artists like Volcano often rap about the events that have taken place in their country in the past decade, the end of the civil war, and their sentiments about it. Often covering topics like injustices and calling out ISIS over their ridiculous extremist ideologies, these rappers use their art form as a means of dealing with this mess. I listened to Volcano’s song “C5,” which is fairly catchy and well written. The video is done well and is eye-catchingly riveting with scenes performed on the rubble from the attacks. Rappers like Volcano, Ibn Thabit, and Libyan-American rapper Khaled M. often use current events to fuel their message.  

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