The Joujouka Festival began in 2008 to mark the 40th anniversary of the visit by Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and has been held annually since. Jones recorded the group during his stay and the resulting Brian Jones Presents The Pipes Of Pan At Joujouka is widely regarded as one of the first world music albums.
Other visitors to the village over the years include writers and artists Brion Gysin, William S Burroughs and Timothy Leary, who all wrote of their experiences after being entranced by the sacred music. There are plenty of reasons why the Joujouka festival is unlike any other you’ll experience but one is that it’s a festival in reverse: a small number of people watch the same band for three days. Up close.
So, when you come to Joujouka for the festival, you’re not just following in the footsteps of Paul Bowles, Brion Gysin, William Burroughs, Brian Jones and some of the world’s most challenging artists. You’re experiencing the unique healing power of the music of the Masters in its purest possible form.
The next Master Musicians of Joujouka Festival takes place from 14-16 June 2013 For the last six years Moroccan sufi trance group the Master Musicians Of Joujouka have held an annual festival for an international crowd of music lovers to experience their music in an intimate setting. This year’s event still has a limited number of spaces available.
The festival is held in the Musicians’ village, based in the picturesque rolling hills of the Ahl Serif mountains in northern Morocco, near Ksar El Kebir, offering guests a unique opportunity to witness the music of the “400 year old rock n roll band” over three days and nights.
The music played in the village is said to date back to the 15th century, when the Sufi saint Sidi Ahmed Schiech arrived and taught the Masters’ ancestors music which could heal. Today’s group of Master Musicians are blessed with the Baraka or spirit of their saint, who is buried in the village. In 2011 the group travelled to England to perform on the main Pyramid stage at Glastonbury. For the annual festival in Joujouka visitors spend three days with the Musicians in their homes
For more information and booking details visit: http://www.joujouka.org/
original article by VVF
