Page 133 - VH Magazine N°187 - Novembre & Décembre 2020

tional clothing reflect off the people
along the route.
The community is less than 1,000
people. The Master Musicians of
Joujouka have a history that dates
back centuries. Their music was
popular with the court of the Sultan.
The royal family excused the musi-
cians from manual labor, so they
could devote themselves to their art.
They can play up to 10 hours a day
at festivals and weddings. Within the
village is a shrine, dating back to the
8th century, the Shrine of Sidi Ahmed
Sheikh. For centuries pilgrims came to
the shrine for its healing powers - said
to cure mental illnesses.
Jo ujouka music consists of powerful
soufi trance sounds. The instruments
are the traditional pipes and drums of
Tangier. The music, steeped in tradi-
tion, produces frenetic energy. The
mystical and enchanting melodies are subsequently donate $4,000 to the craft is forever cemented in the fabric
hypnotic and all-encapsulating. Many people of Joujouka. of music history. The next generation
of the people in the village begin to The Master Musicians of Joujouka now must continue to master these
learn these instruments from as young have performed all over the world. ancient instruments.
as four-years-old. Featuring on both Moroccan and inter-
Jones recorded the musicians in the national radio and television. They tANgier: the White city
album Brian Jones Presents the Pipes have filmed music with the London On the northern edge of Morocco is
of Pan at Joujouka. The influential Philharmonic. They feature in the Tangier, which looks across the Strait
music form would lead many to visit BBC production - Rhythms of the of Gibraltar to Spain. It is where the
the village. Joujouka had a healing World - entitled “The Rolling Stones Mediterranean meets the Atlantic; the
effect on the Stones after a trip that in Morocco”. Led Zeppelin would also pivot between two seas. Tangier has
was fraught with tensions most of draw influence from the musicians. and continues to be a fertile ground
the time. Jones had promised royal- The rock and roll spirits of the 1960s for the inspiration of musicians and
ties from the album to the village. stay behind in Joujouka for all eter- artists. They have sought adventure
But, these never materialized after nity. The Master Musicians of Joujouka throughout the 20th century. The
his death. The Rolling Stones would became an icon of counterculture. Their novel, A Naked Lunch by William S.

Novembre & Décembre 2020 VH magazine 133