Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou

Although women are essential to Gnawa rituals, there haven’t been many female musicians in this musical genre. Asmâa Hamzaoui and the group Bnat Timboktou are part of a new wave changing this trend, performing in Braga at Square – Mapping The Atlantic.
Hamzaoui was born into a Casablanca family that lived and breathed Gnawa – her father is a master musician, her mother a dancer. He learned to play the guembri instrument as a child and, from an early age, joined her father’s band in the qraqeb and choir, before he encouraged her to create her own group. That group became Bnat Timboktou, the band that in late spring 2024 released L’bnat, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut album Oulad Ighaba on the Swedish label ajabu! Records. For Asmâa Hamzaoui, Gnawa stands above all other types of music as it represents her childhood, being “spiritual, healing and makes you feel grounded.” 

Square Pass Pro 50€
Square Pass General 25€
Square Pass Saturday 15€

Square – Mapping the Atlantic is a gathering and celebration of independent music made on the continents bathed by the Atlantic Ocean. With a program coordinated by Lovers and Lollypos, this is a festival that connects bands, artists, professionals and audiences in a celebration of diversity, creating a space for emerging artists and new trends in music from these diverse territories.