With infectious passion and exuberant musicality, Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou celebrate the love for the spiritual world through dusty, vital rhythms, catchy melodies, chanting songs, and dance. After unforgettable concerts at both ALICE and Roskilde Festival, we are thrilled to once again present Morocco’s great female gnawa star and her group of choristers as they take over Nørre Allé with a new album. Before the concert, you can enjoy a Moroccan-inspired dinner at the restaurant Send Flere Krydderier. Read more below.

Morocco’s ancient spiritual music tradition, Gnawa, was created by descendants of slaves from sub-Saharan Africa and combines ritual poetry with traditional music and dance into a warm and rhythmically seductive sound. At the center stands the gnawa master, holding the guitar-like gimbri. In Morocco’s deeply patriarchal society, the gnawa master has always been a man—until 2012, when the then 20-year-old Asmâa Hamzaoui became the first woman ever to take the stage with virtuoso gimbri playing at the country’s most important gnawa festival in Essaouira.

Ten years later, Asmâa Hamzaoui was the headlining act at the very same festival. She has become a role model for an entire generation of young women and has grown into an internationally recognized gnawa star, making the once marginalized music tradition widespread and popular. Asmâa Hamzaoui takes audiences by storm wherever she goes with her group Bnat Timbouktou, which traditionally consists of four choristers with the characteristic metal castanets qraqab. With infectious passion and exuberant musicality, Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou celebrate the love for the spiritual world and African people’s life through dusty, vital rhythms, catchy melodies, chanting songs, and dance. We have experienced several fantastic concerts with Asmâa Hamzaoui & Bnat Timbouktou at both ALICE and Roskilde Festival, so we are looking forward to November when they return to Nørre Allé with their new album “L’Bnat” (2024).

Enjoy a Moroccan-inspired dinner at Send Flere Krydderier before the concert

Before the concert on Thursday, November 14th, you can enjoy an authentic Moroccan dinner at Send Flere Krydderier, which serves classic dishes starting from 6:00 PM at Kulturhuset Union (Nørre Allé 7, right across from ALICE). Savor the rich flavors and then head directly to the concert. You can purchase a dinner ticket along with your concert ticket.

Menu

Starter: Olives, hummus, and bread chips with za’atar and sumac.

Main Course: Middle Eastern-inspired tagine with pumpkin, celeriac, and apricots, seasoned with preserved lemons and cinnamon, topped with fresh cilantro. Served with couscous with fresh herbs. Salad with kale, red cabbage, citrus fruits, mint, roasted almond flakes, and pomegranate, served with a date syrup dressing.

Dessert: Harissa-semolina cake with orange and orange blossom water.

Price per person: 150 DKK