Traditional music and dance
The most common traditional Moorish music is perhaps theazâwân. It is played by the Moorish griots, the Iggawin, who are related to the Beidanes (or "white Moors") and whose social organization is modeled on that of the Mandingo griots. In some ways, music is the preserve of these Moorish griots, since the Iggawin are members of the artisan caste, and are therefore the only ones to play and sing traditional music professionally. Repetitive and intense,azâwân is full of Berber and African influences, both in its sounds and in its vocabulary. Most of the time, the griots interpret poems sung in Hassanya language and praise in song the chiefs or incite to courage, to generosity but can also sing funny and entertaining texts.
They are accompanied by traditional instruments, including the emblematic tidinit, a kind of lute with four strings and a metallic sound. Its use is reserved for men, unlike theardîn, the instrument of the griottes, a kind of harp of about forty centimeters played exclusively by women and having about ten strings. Alongside these instruments, there are generally percussion instruments such as the t'bol or "sand drum", made from a large calabash.
The two emblems of traditional Iggawin music are women: Dimi Mint Abba and Malouma. The first, Dimi Mint Abba (1958-2011), is nicknamed the "Diva of the Desert". Born to parents who were both musicians (her mother was a distinguishedardîn player), Dimi developed a precocious talent. However, her professional career did not really begin until 1976 when she participated in the Oum-Kalthoum competition in Tunis where she represented Mauritania. At the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, her career accelerated, she recorded a few albums and performed regularly in Europe and the United States. Among her works, the album Moorish Music From Mauritani, recorded with her husband Khalifa Ould Eide and their two daughters, is a fascinating testimony to the music of the country (highly recommended). A virtuoso of theardîn, Dimi Mint Abba remains one of the most important cultural ambassadors of her country. A role that her daughter-in-law Noura Mint Seymali works to extend through her music.
Another icon of the country, Malouma (born in 1960) is also an important politician and activist. From her first song Habibi Habeytou, Malouma addresses a severe criticism of the treatment of women within the couple. An immediate success, doubled by a polemic with the authorities and the conservative classes which see with a bad eye the success of its protesting words. After a forced marriage that forced her to silence in the 1980s, she returned with her own style, navigating between tradition, blues, pop and jazz. Her songs continue to be militant and address controversial issues such as married life, feminism, inequality and human rights, which led to her being shunned from the airwaves and even censored. No matter, Malouma became the people's singer. A popularity and a commitment that will allow her to be elected senator in 2007.
Two artists, two icons and certainly the two most famous Moorish personalities internationally today.
Less known outside its borders, let's not forget the excellent musician Tahra Mint Hembara. Also from a family of griots, Tahra's career took off in Paris while she was a student at the Sorbonne. There she met the famous jazzman Didier Lockwood who helped her record her first album Yamen Yamen in 1989. For the anecdote, one of her pieces is adapted by David Bowie(Don't Let Me Down & Down, on the album Black Tie White Noise in 1993). But it is especially for its musical style, fusion of all the Moorish musics(azâwân, medh) and jazz, even rock, that Tahra continues to mark the spirits.
All of the above-mentioned artists are greatardîn musicians, an instrument that is consecrated in a festival held every year in Nouakchott, where the best active performers are always performing.
If theazâwân is the music of the Beidanes (the "white Moors"), the medh is that of the Haratins (also called "black Moors"). Often performed on Thursday evening, the eve of the Friday prayer, these songs to the glory of the Prophet of Islam sometimes border on trance and can be likened to American gospel.
The Haratins also practice spectacular dances, the best known of which are the bleida and the kashra, which are staged representations of everyday life acts, such as hunting parties.
In addition to the works of the artists mentioned here, we recommend listening to the albums Griots de Mauritanie: Hodh Occidental: Trarza - a striking recording of Mauritanian griots - and Chants de Griots, produced by the Ensemble El Moukhadrami and published in 1994 by the Institut du Monde Arabe. Two very beautiful windows on the musical tradition of the country.
Less conventional, the National Orchestra of Mauritania is also a good gateway to Moorish music. Contrary to what its name might suggest, the National Orchestra of Mauritania is not a symphonic group but a traditional music ensemble. And an excellent one at that. Formed in 1968, it was the official group of the country in the post-colonial period. Led by the young Hadrami Ould Meidah, the ensemble had the very modern ambition of taking Moorish classical music out of its rigid and complex system and into orchestrations all made of electric guitars and brass. The whole, while being permeable to the sounds of the world and writing texts in several languages to pay tribute to the various ethnic groups of the country. The military coup of 1978 sounded the end of the group, the authorities even demanded that the recordings be burned. Fortunately, some archives were saved, and an album was recently released from them - on the fabulous Sahel Sound label (dedicated to the re-release of West African treasures). On the same label, we also recommend Nouakchott Wedding Songs, a fabulous compilation of wedding songs played on the tidinit, intense, sometimes to the point of trance. Sahel Sound: a sure value.
Lovers of Moorish music and curious music lovers should not miss the International Festival of Nomadic Music. Created in 2004, this annual event held in Nouakchott during April promotes dialogue between nomadic cultures and between tradition and modernity.
Current music
Unlike the beautiful Moorish landscape, the young music scene is not deserted, far from it. Among the artists to know, Ahmedou Ahmed Lowla is one of the most intriguing. Surprising at first listen, his festive music draws from traditional sounds that he plays like electronics, using a cheap synthesizer from the 1990s. A style that he has named "WZN" and that he is trying to make known outside his borders. Star in Mauritania, Ahmedou Ahmed Lowla counts on Terrouzi, his first album available in Europe (and released by Sahel Sounds, again them) to achieve this.
They are known outside their borders, especially since they collaborated with the French rock band Cheveu. "They are Group Doueh, a great mix of Moorish traditions, especiallyazawan, but a psychedelic desert rock version. It is powerful, raw and rather virtuoso on the guitar.
Finally, let's mention Noura Mint Seymali, Dimi Mint Abba's daughter-in-law, who takes the musical traditions of the Iggawin to more contemporary lands. We find the same fever, the same intensity as in the music of the griots but with something more rock'n'roll in the attitude. Pieces all in tidiness, ardîn, power and nuance.
