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AHOUACH/HASSANI: MUSIC OF THE CITY OF ASSA
About the Artist
Ahouach is a communal dance specific to the Berber Amazigh population of Morocco. This secular art combines dance, poetry and songs unique to each tribe. Sometimes mixed, sometimes held to the men, the participation of the woman remains dependant on sociological specificities of the human groupings.
Like the majority of Moroccan traditional dances, Ahouach incarnates a reference of identity, one collective memory in which the individual recognizes itself and a sign of ethnic membership.
Assa is an old castle (XIII century) in the middle of commerce routes between the north of Morocco, the southern provinces and the desert.
The Berber tribe living there around the "ZAOUIA" of "AIT IAZZA OUHDA" accepts friendly the Arabic tribes coming from the south and the east.
It became the tribe of AIT OUSSA (people of ASSA), the biggest tribe in Tekna region. It also gives a mixture between Berber music (Ahouach) and Arabic / sahraoui music (Hassani).
Past Performances
August 5, 2009
This concert showcases Berber and Arabic or sahraoui music, combining dance, poetry, and songs unique to the Ahouach and Hassani tribes from Assa, Morocco. Presented in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco.
