Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou

• country:Morocco
• region:Sahara
• style(s):Gnawa
• label:Ajabu!
• type:Band
• gender:female
• instrumentation:vocal, percussion
• artist posted by:Ajabu!

Line up

• Aicha Hamzaoui  (vocals, qraqab)
• Asmâa Hamzaoui (lead vocals, guembri)
• Lamgammah Hind  (vocals, qraqab)
• Soukaina Elmeliji  (vocals, qraqab)

Links

• website
• YouTube

NEW ALBUM OUT & TOUR 2023
OFFICIAL SHOWCASE WOMEX TAMPERE 2019

Asmâa Hamzaoui and Bnat Timbouktou (the daughters of Timbuktu) represent a new generation of young women Gnawa performers, breaking new ground in a traditionally patriarchal realm. Asmâa Hamzaoui assimilated the Gnawa musical tradition from a young age through her father, renowned musician Rachid Hamzaoui, learning to play the guembri (three-string lute) from an early age and later accompanying him at celebrations. She formed Bnat Timbuktu in 2012, gradually winning over audiences, until their breakthrough invitation to the Gnaoua Festival of Essaouira in 2017. Their taboo-busting performance, and jamming with Fatoumata Diawara, won them invitations to major festivals in Europe and the US, even without a recording to their name. Asmâa still comes up against opposition from some Gnawa traditionalists but as she says: “They can talk, but here I am working and they're just talking.”

Debut album "Oulad Lghaba! nominated for a Songlines Music Award 2020