Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
^ Transvestite
dancers
You'll find men
who dance wildly
while dressed in
women's clothing
(right) . It's an
age-old practice -
one that lends a
slightly surreal,
almost cultic air, to
the goings-on on
the square.
% Storytellers
Gifted orators enthral their rapt
audience with tales of Islamic heroes
and buffoons. Sessions end on a
cliffhanger - the outcome is revealed
only on the following night.
& Musicians
A smattering of
musicians (below), often
groups of Gnawa, who
specialize in hypnotic,
thrumming rhythms,
entrance crowds of
listeners who stand
around swaying in far-off
reveries, long after every-
one else has
called it
a night.
The Gnawa
The Gnawa came to
Morocco as slaves from
sub-Saharan Africa.
Over the centuries they
have kept alive their
culture through oral
traditions and, parti-
cularly, music. Played
on simple string
instruments known as
gimbri , their music is
looping and repetitive,
intended to produce an
almost trance-like state
in the dancers and
vocalists who some-
times accompany the
musicians. Gnawa
music has made a great
impact on the global
world music scene.
* Majoun
The wild-eyed
appearance of some of
the denizens of Jemaa El
Fna is undoubtedly aided
by consumption of this
mild, hallucinogenic drug.
It is basically Moroccan-
grown marijuana eaten in
a jam- or cake-like form
and is best avoided.
) Henna painting
At their busiest as
the evening comes on,
the ladies with piping
bags full of henna paste
paint hands and feet with
the most intricate of
designs (above). Clients
choose the design from a
book of photographs; the
“tattoos” usually last a
week or more.
( Café Glacier
One of the best
places from which to
observe the spectacle of
the Jemaa El Fna at night
is from the rooftop
terrace of Café Glacier,
located at the southern
edge. The best time to
visit is as the sun sets.
11
During the International Film Festival a large screen is erected on
Jemaa El Fna, see p44 .
 
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