El Maâllem
Mahmoud Guinia (Guinea)
Born in Essaouira 1951
Died : 2 August 2015 (aged 64)
The Splendid Master Gnawa Musicians of
Morocco. "Maâllem
Mahmoud Guinia" ( محمود ﯕينيا)
The Gnaoua instruments :
- 3 stringed percussive lute (Sintir or guembri)
- Large metal castanets (qraqeb)
- Drums (ganga)
Maâllem Mahmoud Guinia (the
King) or Gania (actual spelling in
passport).
He is the son of the late Maâllem Boubker Gnaia,
and his two brothers Abdelah and Mokhtar are
also distinguished maâllemin (masters). The Gania Family
does also include Zaida Gania, who is a very popular
medium and clairvoyant at the nights of trance (leelas) as well
as the head of a group of female gnawas, The Haddarate
of Essaouira.
PRESS
Message de condoléances et de compassion de SM le Roi à la famille de l’artiste Mahmoud Guinea
mapexpress.ma, Lundi, 3 août, 2015 à 18:00
Mahmoud Guinea, disparition d’un grand maâlem
(Telquel.ma 3 August 2015)
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Morocco's gnaoua (gnawa)
tradition with its special mix of African and Arabic elements and
gnaoua rituals combines both music and acrobatic
dancing to create an atmosphere of trance and healing.
The Gnawa religious brotherhood
are the descendants of West African slaves who were brought northward,
but they claim their spiritual descent from Bilal al-Habashi,
the Ethiopian who served as the Prophet Muhammad's first muezzin,
a person who calls the Muslim faithful to prayer.
The most important gnaoua ritual is the
lila (also called a derdeba), an all-night, healing
trance ceremony led by a maâlem, or master
musician.
Here the seven spirits are evoked through around 100 chants.
Especially in the Muslim month of Sha'aban, which is just
before Ramadan, there are "leelahs"
held in the gnawa community.
Read more in:
Culture Gnaoua
and The Gnaoua Festival
" C’était un personnage très impressionnant, un monument, ardent défenseur de la culture gnaouia, c’est grâce à des gens comme lui que cette culture a (sur)vécu quelques siècles. "
"It was a very impressive character, a monument, an ardent defender of Gnaouia culture. it is because of people like him that this culture (of) lived a few centuries."
Telquel.ma 3 August 2015
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