Category: Maghreb
Golden Mezwed, Part I
I think we’re about ready for a new feeling to enter music. I think that will come from the Arabic world. ~Brian Eno Meeting Gaddour We encounter Abdelkadr, who is better known as Gaddour, at our local café, where we often see him coming and going. He’s a friendly guy with a lot of friends, but we don’t pay him much notice until we see him performing on television with a large mezwed ensemble, singing and playing bindir (a lap drum like the Irish bodhrán, but played with the hands) and dharbouka (an hourglass-shaped drum held between the thighs and … Continue reading Golden Mezwed, Part I
GOLDEN MEZWED
I recently spoke with a couple of members of Golden Mezwed, a mezwed band here in Manouba. You can read the article here and here. Mezwed is the primary musical genre here in Tunisia. Have a look at this video … Continue reading GOLDEN MEZWED
The Famished Roots of Violent Extremism
Let’s imagine that just as Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart are reuniting over the dulcet tones of Dooley Wilson singing “As Time Goes By,” a group of dour young men stroll into the bar and blow up the joint. You may have some idea of the shock caused by the terrorist act of May 16, 2003. Continue reading The Famished Roots of Violent Extremism
The Famished Roots of Violent Extremism
by Wanda Waterman The Voice, Volume 22 Issue 41 2014-10-17 Film: Horses of God Director: Nabil Ayouch Writer: Jamal Belmahi, based on the book by Mahi Binebine “I was very interested in violence itself because I believe violence has a source. It has a reason why; it doesn’t come from the sky. I was interested in the genesis of violence.” – Nabil Ayouch “The name that can be named is not the eternal name.” – The Tao Te Ching On the 16th of May, 2003, 12 suicide bombers set off explosions in five different locations in Casablanca, Morocco—locations chosen for … Continue reading The Famished Roots of Violent Extremism
The Mindful Bard 