Mohammed Rahhal "Music of the Diwan From the Savannah of Central Africa to the World"

 

Music of the Diwan From the Savannah of Central Africa to the World

Bright Aspects of High-End Photographic Creativity. The Diwan differs from other musical genres prevalent in Algeria and abroad, due to its association with the practice of special rituals and its atmosphere characterized by spirituality. It may resemble some other styles known in the Maghreb, such as "Ghanawi" and "Istambali" in Tunisia, which has disappeared, along with the "Maliki" genre in Libya. All of these rituals and customs are embraced by the family in a place that is carefully maintained and preserved, called "Al-Tarh." They are led by the "Muqaddam," the owner of the "Mahala," which is a box containing all the instruments used for practicing the Diwan. Its members are "Qandiz," the singular of "Qandouz," whose role is to dance and play the "Qarqabou." They are also called "Kouyo." The guembri player is called "Al-Maalem," and the one who speaks or performs is the "Kouyo Bongo." It is not permissible to say that the Diwan sings, let alone other members. Like the "Shawish," he is known among us in popular melhoun poetry and is the assistant to the "Muqaddam." The Diwan, as a ritual, belongs to a collective memory and seeks to preserve itself in the face of the threat of globalization, which some members of the Diwan are betting on by clinging solely to the true Islamic faith. As for the musical and artistic aspects of the Diwan, it has been decided that it may be transferred to platforms, and by the way, it has a wide audience. However, the Diwan's members refuse to transfer the rituals to the platform to be a spectacle for everyone. It is a sacred ritual that requires a lot of purity and good intentions, and its place remains in the "Tarh," or the home, among families and those familiar with the Diwan. Its goal is purely therapeutic. #Origin_of_Diwan_Music:

Origin of the Diwan: Opinions differ regarding the time of its emergence, but it is generally agreed that it is the product of caravan journeys coming from Sudan, which currently includes Senegal and Guinea. Some suggest that Mali was its most important home until the sixth and seventh centuries AD, when caravans of slaves, salt, and gold came from the Sahel countries toward the Maghreb. Historically, sources indicate that researchers derived it from the "Gnawa" in Morocco, and that it did not originate from Sudan, which is currently Guinea. She added, "Things are not entirely clear," but the most comprehensive source is Sudan, which currently includes Ghana, Senegal, and Mali. It is very old and there is even a difference in the name between the Gnawa and the Diwan. Some believe that the Gnawa are people who came from Guinea, and they all came from the savannah region, most of them from Mali. It was practiced by those who lived in Timbuktu, where there was a slave market, and they met in Algeria. These people called it the Diwan. Those who met in Tunisia called it Stambali, and those who met in Morocco called it the Gnawa. The history of slavery in North Africa exists and this is a fact that cannot be denied. These people came with caravans and the slave and salt trade, and they were sold in slave markets, for example, in Qnadsa in Bechar, in addition to other markets. This is because these people were wealthy and had a high status in society. They were bought to be servants in homes or in the fields. In Morocco, for example, the three important jobs for slaves were to work in the sugar cane fields, and for women, they worked as cooks in the kingdom or as guards for the king. Reaching the position of guard for the king means that slavery passed through the previous jobs. In Algeria, they did not have the same functions, as they were intertwined with Sufi Islamic movements. There was more Sufism than integration into Algerian society, which helped them remain conservative. Therefore, perhaps not much information about them has reached us. It remained among them, not because of them, but because of the Sufi method they adopted over time. The Diwan in Algeria had a therapeutic function, linked to Brotherhood Islam and to the movement-based sentiment known in the Sahel. This means that there are remnants. It does not mean that they only practice activities, but rather that it is a mixture of all of the above, but they tried to adapt it to the Brotherhood's Maghrebi Islam. Regarding the conflict of some rituals with Islam, Colonel Hammou explains that the Diwan is being distorted. The African rituals practiced in the Diwan before the Islamic conquest of Africa and the Maghreb, including eating raw meat and drinking blood, were gradually phased out with the advent of Islam. However, some African rituals remained that they were thought to be healing. He said, "I, a son of the Diwan, cannot beat myself up or flog myself for the purpose of healing, even if it were truly healing, because I would have committed a crime or sin within myself." Much has been said about spiritual ritua