Larbi Batma, Nass el-Ghiwane and Postcolonial Music in Morocco - Paperback

by Lhoussain Simour (Author)

Established in 1971, Nass el-Ghiwane is a legendary musical group that transformed the Moroccan music scene in the last decades of the 20th century.

The charismatic founding member Larbi Batma (1948-1997) through his lyrics brought to light Moroccan folklore and obscure poetry. His autobiography Al-raḥīl, blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction and deals with social issues plaguing post-independence Morocco.

Providing a reading of Al-raḥīl, this book is the first in English to examine the work of Nass el-Ghiwane, as well as the emergence of al-Ūghniya al-Ghīwaniya as a musical genre and the social conditions that fostered its growth.

Author Biography

Lhoussain Simour is an assistant professor of English and cultural studies at Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco. His research interests include cultural studies, colonial discourse analysis, and postcolonial literature.