Samifati presents

Najat Aâtabou is a world-class Moroccan singer, songwriter, and composer. She is the star of Moroccan Chaabi music, famous in Morocco and far beyond. You can feel the warmth and hospitality of Morocco in her music. As a singer songwriter of songs about life, she wants to improve women's rights, sings about difficult issues, and confronts them with a clear opinions. Najat Aâtabou remains one of the most famous and sought-after singers in Morocco and the Moroccan diaspora to this day. Some of her best-known songs are Ana Jit Jén Ai Marre (I'm Fed Up) and Hadi kedba bayna (Visible Lie), also known from a sample used by the Chemical Brothers. 

The SAMIFATI duo - Sami on the violin and machines, Axel on visual creation - traveling around the world for more than 10 years to meet the artists of our planet. Sami and Axel have wanted to get closer to Gnawa culture for a very long time, but they were waiting for the right project to present itself. Finally, the French Institute of Essaouira was looking for an original show to present during the 24th edition of the Gnaoua Festival… All the stars were aligned. The adventure could to start.

Everything came together clearly. Between these young artists of same age but from different backgrounds, the musical and friendly complicity was immediate. Popular while being highly artistically demanding, Transe Gnawa Express is a all-terrain project: multicultural, transgenerational… bringing  together all audiences in a festive and positive atmosphere. It can be adapted to the stages of large festivals as well as clubs and neighborhood centers.

One of the things the members of Trance Gnawa Express have in common is loving people. Going out and meet people of all ages and from all social backgrounds is particularly important to them. So, they imagined a whole series of workshops alongside the show which could bring together the inhabitants of a city or neighborhood and offer them a moment of festive and unifying exchanges.