MAÂLEM MOHAMED BOUMAZOUGH

Immersed in the Gnaoua world from the age of 12, Maâlem Mohamed Boumazzough discovered this music during the first edition of the Gnaoua and World Music Festival of Essaouira in 1998. Fascinated by this heritage, he embarked on a complete initiatory journey, mastering the qraqeb, dance and the deepest rituals of the confraternity. At the age of 17, he performed alongside leading Maâlems, notably Maâlem Abdellah Gania, as well as major figures from the Guinea, Soudani and Baqbou families.

He further refined his art by joining the Tyour Gnaoua group, led by Maâlem Abdeslam Alikkane, before expanding his horizons internationally through his involvement with the Band of Gnawa in France. Winner of the Festival of Young Talents in Essaouira, where he received first prize, he launched a promising career that has taken him to numerous festivals in Morocco and across Europe.

Today, Maâlem Mohamed Boumazzough stands as one of the leading figures of the new Gnaoua generation in Essaouira, carrying forward this spiritual heritage with both passion and rigor while contributing to its international reach.