Samira’s blues: the emancipatory and healing power of North African roots music

Tuesday 21 December '21 This event is unfortunately cancelled due to the new corona measures.
(archive)

taal: English and Dutch spoken
!!This event is unfortunately cancelled due to the new corona measures!!

Due to corona protocols, this day is only accessible to ArtEZ students and employees.

Join us for the masterclass Samira’s blues: the emancipatory and healing power of North African roots music, with poet, singer, and writer Samira Dainan and guitarist Bas Gaakeer.

After finishing her degree in Law, Samira’s love for music evoked a long-term research into her Arabic, Berber and African heritage. This brought her to Morocco and the Sahara, where she played and collaborated with local musicians, ranging from Amazigh, Trans Sahara to North African folk.

Because of its powerful sound, message and healing rhythm, countless alternative bands in Morocco and North Africa such as Tuareg bands Tinariwen and Bombino are emerging in the music scene. Yet, in the Netherlands this genre of music is still in the margins. In this talk, Samira will discuss why she wants to create a stage for North African music together with her collaborator and band-member Bas Gaakeer.

They will focus on their artistic practice and the range of styles and traditions that play a role: Gwana music, Sufi music, music of the Southern Sahara, and their own “desert blues sound.” In essence, and in contrast to the classic Arabic music and commercial Moroccan music, these sounds and the Berber and local dialects are more in tune with the lived experience and sense of belonging of young Moroccans.

In their talk, they will also touch upon the ritualistic practices of folk music and discuss how these practices offer a way to engage freely with spirituality and religion. Within this context, they will introduce us to groups such as Nass el Ghiwane, who were wholeheartedly embraced by the Moroccan youth in the 70s for their poetry as well as for breaking with the ideals of classical, Andalusian and salon music.