The Gnawas

The Gnawas came to Morocco from Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Sudan and other African countries. They have a Sufi oriented tariqat (brotherhood/sisterhood) and they celebrate their rituals with sacred songs and ecstatic dances. Their tradition is mainly oral and what survived of it, is coded in their trance healing ceremonies which are called Leila.

The spiritual path of the gnawas integrate music, dance, song and prayer as a way of individual and collective transformation of the soul and body. They have one of the oldest spiritual ways in the planet. The circle of the Gnawas is made of several different groups.

Some groups play only music and dance, while others are only specialized in healing. The Gnawas are known as people of the night or people of the stars because of their main ceremony called Leila which take place only during the night.

This ceremony contains five parts:
KOYO or opening
NKCHA or sacred dances
ADA or trance dance
MILK or vibrations, energies
MIRA or rebirth, ressurection


Gnawa Leila

The leila tell us the story of the creation of the universe and its development and transformation. The leila is the story of our ancestors manifested through the seven colours of the rainbow.

The dancers wear one of the colours in order to manifest its energy in their body and in the universe.

A Leila is a one night ecstatic ceremony. It is the manifestation of the power of the feminine, the mysterious part of the night.

The Leila is a traditional trance ceremony which takes place during the night. It connects many things together: music, healing, trance, movement, prayer, dance, colour, ritual, song and initiation.

It is a journey that starts with the sunset and finishes with sunrise. It is a celebration of the path of life that goes through death and ends with rebirth in the morning with the beauty of the sunrise.

The leila is a cycle similar to the week, with its own fears, joys, ups and downs, ecstasies and peak experiences. It is a process with its comings and goings between day and night, dream and reality, life and death, love and loneliness...


The trance of seven colours

talks & stories about the leila,
workshops about trance
movements, rhythm,
colours, dance, incense, music...

A rare occasion to
- Study and practice the Leila
- Visit the city of Marrakech
- Meet with the moroccan culture.

Day 1 Arrival, transfer and dinner.
Day 2 Presentation of the week & city visit.
Day 3 Workshops.
Day 4 Workshops.
Day 5 Visit of the Alifia "Spirit Farm".
Day 6 Leila from sunset to sunrise.
Day 7 Feedback.
Day 8 Breakfast & transfer to airport.

Marrakesh

Marrakesh is not yet the desert but almost, the city has one of the most beautiful palm groves of Morocco. Marrakesh has many surprises, It was founded in 1070 by the Almoravides and it developed quickely into a big city because of its ideal situation as a meeting point between the North and the South of Morocco. Marrakesh is a fascinating city full of contrasts, colours, shapes, fragrances and rhythms. The famous square Djemaa el fna hosts one of the most fascinating markets with spices, food, aromas, story tellers, snake charmers, healers...


Pris: 5200:- SEK 585:- EURO
Prisen inkluderer:
Mat, opphold, undervisning, deltagelse i Leila, skyss til og fra lufthavnen.
Prisen inkluderer ikke:
flybillett og forsikring, ekstrautgifter og tips, besøk ved muséer og andre severdigheter.

Påmelding