The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair was feeling the blues on Monday. After nearly a week of literary discussions and panel conversations, the book fair’s Discussion Sofa was transformed into an impromptu stage, as Moroccan musician Hassan Boussou and his ensemble delivered a euphoric set of Gnawa tunes.
With a pedigree so renowned that he is labelled a “maâlem” – or master – by his peers, Boussou and his accompanying six-piece delivered a near one-hour set full of the groove and clacking percussion that characterises the spiritual north-African music form.
The heart of Gnawa music – also referred to as desert blues – lies in the strings of the gimbri, a three-stringed, skin-covered lute that delivers a unique bass tone that’s deep, fat and heavy.
Augmented by castanets and wailing vocals, the droning tracks – some of which stretch to an epic 15 minutes – created a sound that is trance inducing.
It didn’t take long for the venue to be packed with crowds of families, booksellers and a growing contingent of the UAE’s Moroccan diaspora.
It was the latter who got the party started and the show evoked the spirit of Womad Abu Dhabi, with groups of young people breaking into dance, joined by some of the percussionists and a contingent of beaming kandura-clad Emiratis.
It was enough for the normally stoic-looking Boussou to break out in a large grin that stayed put throughout the performance.
“Yes, it is a book fair, but I am not surprised by the crowd reaction to us,” he said after the show, as he graciously responded to the clamour for selfies with him from the crowd.
“At the end of the day, what these events do is exchange culture and ideas, and Gnawa music has a deep and sacred culture. I hope we can return and perform again – in any kind of festival.”
• The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, ends today. For details, visit www.adbookfair.com
sasaeed@thenational.ae
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Japan 30-10 Russia
Tries: Matsushima (3), Labuschange | Golosnitsky
Conversions: Tamura, Matsuda | Kushnarev
Penalties: Tamura (2) | Kushnarev
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
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Cons: Powell 3
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
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Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950
Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury
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