The Gnaouas or Gnawas or قناوة (a word derived from the African N'Goni) are descendants of former slaves from tribes (sometimes entire) from Black African origins (Senegal, Sudan, Ghana ...). The present brotherhoods of the Gnawas still practice important rituals today in which music and singing play an essential role. The Gnawies ceremonies always seem to be a ritual of possession for a therapeutic purpose: to heal, to act against negative influences or in favor of favorable spirits. The rites in which both African and Arab-Berber contributions are mixed can often be very long, and lead to trances of possessions. The Gnaoua Festival in Essaouira is an annual gathering place of this brotherhood.
