In the early 1970s, a group of young men from Casablanca’s working-class Hay Mohammadi district began performing songs that sounded like nothing else on Moroccan radio. They used traditional instruments such as the banjo, the gimbri and the bendir drum, drew on Gnawa and Sufi music, and sang poetic lyrics about injustice, loss and longing. They called themselves Nass El Ghiwane. Their music became a sensation, and the American filmmaker Martin Scorsese later described them as the Rolling Stones of Africa.
Hay Mohammadi and the band
Hay Mohammadi, a densely populated district of Casablanca, was home to many workers and migrants from the countryside. Its culture shaped the band’s music. Founding and key members included Larbi Batma, Boujemaa Hagour, Omar Sayed, Allal Yaala and Abderrahman Paco, among others. Several members came from theatre, which influenced their dramatic, poetic performances and their strong stage presence.
The band used traditional Moroccan instruments, including the banjo, gimbri and percussion, creating a raw, acoustic sound. Abderrahman Paco brought Gnawa music, a spiritual tradition with roots in sub-Saharan Africa, into the band’s sound.
Lyrics, Scorsese and losses
Their songs used classical Arabic poetry and Moroccan dialect, often with layered meanings about social and political life. The band attracted huge crowds and influenced many Moroccan and Algerian musicians. The documentary Trances, released in 1981 and directed by Ahmed El Maanouni, captured the band in concert and later became internationally celebrated. Martin Scorsese championed the film, and his World Cinema Foundation restored it.
The deaths of key members, including Boujemaa Hagour in 1974 and Larbi Batma in 1997, were deeply felt. Nass El Ghiwane are regarded as pioneers of modern Moroccan music, credited with showing that traditional instruments and poetry could speak to young city audiences.
Influence and songs that lasted
Bands across the Maghreb have followed their example of blending tradition with social commentary. Their concerts often became intense, almost spiritual experiences, with audiences singing, clapping and swaying to long, building songs. Songs such as Mahmouma and Ghir Khodouni became classics and are still sung in Morocco, at gatherings, on radio and in cafés.
Nass El Ghiwane began in a working-class Casablanca district with a banjo and a drum. Their songs are still sung there by people who know every word.
