Moroccan Songs for Palestine from the Cassette and Vinyl Era

An article entitled “Odes of Solidarity”: Moroccan Artists Amplify Palestine was published in December 2024 in the recently resurrected journal Souffles. Written by Aomar Boum and Brahim El Guabli, it discusses the topic of Palestine in Moroccan popular song. The article is worth checking out, as is the entire issue, Morocco's Palestine, dedicated to the history of Moroccan people’s engagement with Palestine since the 1920s.

The article lists more than 30 songs, most of them from artists working in the Ghiwani style (the acoustic folk-based style pioneered by the group Nass el Ghiwane). I found a few additional songs mentioned in articles on Megazine and Al-Quds Al-Arabi, plus I knew that Nass el Ghiwane's "Sobhane Allah" contained a Palestine reference as well. And I went hunting on YouTube to find them. Here's the playlist I put together, limiting the list to songs/styles from the vinyl and cassette era:

Below is a list of the individual songs and links to each one on YouTube. The titles and images found in YouTube videos are wildly inconsistent, so I've searched for the "correct" spellings and names of songs as best as I could, linking to Discogs where possible for info on the original releases. Additionally Aomar has translated the lyrics to several songs into English at Souffles, so I've linked to those as well. I do urge you to have a look at the article - it's quite short but makes some important points that situate this era of Moroccan musicking within the larger context of postcolonial nationhood and identities. Props to the team at Souffles for their great work and to the artists who continue to bring attention to the injustices suffered by the Palestinian people.

	Artist: Jil Jilala جيل جيلالة Song: Palestine فلسطين Date: 1973 Notes: not sure if this is the 1973 Cléopatre album version or the 1974 Polydor album version ("Kouds")  Lyrics translation by Aoumar Boum Discogs link
	Artist: Nouas واس Song: Qods القدس Date: 1974 Discogs link
	Artist: Batma & Larfag باطمة و لرفاك Song: Palestine فلسطين Date: 1976 Discogs link
	Artist: El Farka Chaabia الفرقة الشعبية Song: El Koudsse القدس Date: 1976 Discogs link
	Artist: Nass el Ghiwane ناس الغيوان Song: Sobhane Allah سبحان الله Date: 1976 Discogs link
	Artist: Larsad لرصاد Song: Qudsi قدسي Date: late 70s? Lyrics translation by Aoumar Boum Discogs link
	Artist: Lemchaheb لمشاهب Song: Talit El Haramain ثالث الحرمين Date: 1980 Notes: aka "Palestine" Lyrics translation by Aoumar Boum Discogs link
	Artist: Essiham السهام Song: Al Quds القدس Date: 1981 Discogs link  Lyrics translation by Aoumar Boum
	Artist: Izenzaren إزنزارن Song: Touzzalt توزالت Date: 1981 Notes: aka "Sahiyoun" Discogs link  Lyrics video in Tachelhit with translation to Arabic
	Artist: Nass el Ghiwane ناس الغيوان Song: Alkassam القسم Date: 1981 Notes: aka "Palestine" Lyrics translation by Aoumar Boum Discogs link
	Artist: Larsad لرصاد Song: Kafr Kassem كفر قاسم Date: early 1980s? Lyrics translation by Aoumar Boum Discogs link
	Artist: Shuhub الشُّهُب Song: Abria' Filastin أبرياء فلسطين Date: early 1980s? Notes: interesting harmony vocals at start and end, bouzouki chords in final section Discogs link
	Artist: Nass el Ghiwane ناس الغيوان Song: Sabra et Chatila صبرا و شبيلا Date: 1983 Notes: aka "El Majzara" Discogs link
	Artist: El Jouda مجموعة الجودة Song: Ouraq Khrifek أوراق خديفك Date: 1984 (according to YouTube comments)
	Artist: Jil Jilala جيل جيلالة Song: Koun M'â Allah كون مع الله Date: 1985 Notes: aka "Ya Ârbi, Ya Muslim" Discogs link
	Artist: Muluk El Hwa ملوك الهوى Song: Sahiyoun الصهيون Date: mid 1980s? Discogs link
	Artist: Larsad لرصاد Song: Anti Lana انتي لنا Date: mid 1980s? Notes: sung in Fus'ha (Standard Arabic, not Moroccan dialect) Lyrics translation by Aoumar Boum
	Artist: Alouane مجموعة ألوان Song: Ân Insan عن إنسان Date: mid 1980s? Notes: This is a setting of a poem by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish
	Artist: Essiham السهام Song: Fine el Haqiqa فين الحقيقة Date: late 1980s? Discogs link
	Artist: Nass el Ghiwane ناس الغيوان Song: Intifada انتفاضة Date: 1992 Discogs link
	Artist: Mohamed Rouicha محمد رويشة Song: Ida Zzman Ighoudan إدا الزمان إغودان Date: 1990s? Notes: Wow - it's Rouicha! Discogs link
	Artist: Malak ملاك Song: Wa Hasratah واحسرتاه Date: early 1990s? Notes: Notes: Sung in Fus'ha. This sounded like it was gonna be boring, but when the beat drops in, wow - also some vocal harmonies! Discogs link
	Artist: Essiham السهام Song: Bi Kulli L-Asi ou Asaf بكل الأسى والاسف Date: 1998 Notes: aka "Al-qawmiya al-‘arabiya ayna hiya" Lyrics translation by Aoumar Boum Discogs link
	Artist: Bnat El Ghiwane بنات الغيوان Song: Ktir el Khouf كثر الخوف Date: 2000
	Artist: Chourouk شروق Song: Ana Filastin أنا فلسطيني Date: 2004
	Artist: Ikabaren مجموع إيكبارن Song: Sahiyoun صهيون Date: 20??
	Artist: Nass el Ghiwane ناس الغيوان Song: Ya Sellom يا سلام Date: 2007 Notes: aka "Ya Quds" Discogs link
	Artist: Jil Jilala جيل جيلالة Song: Kouds لاقدس Date: 1974 Notes: not sure if this is the 1974 Polydor album version or the 1973 Cleopatre album version ("Palestine") Discogs link

Sources consulted:

• Aoumar Boum and Brahim El Guabli, "'Odes of Solidarity': Moroccan Artists Amplify Palestine". Souffles Monde, Issue 3 (2024)
• Younes Ouali, "بين ناس الغيوان والألتراس.. فلسطين في وجدان الأغنية المغربية". Megazine, 20 November 2024.
• Marwa Salah Metawally. "فلسطينيات ناس الغيوان". Al-Quds Al-Arabi, 2 January 2023.

Note: Undoubtedly there are additional Moroccan songs from this era that touch on the theme of Palestine. Boum and El Guabli identify the following Nass el Ghiwane songs as mentioning the issue:

• M'zine M'dihek مزّين مديحك
• Ya Sah يا صاح
• Ghir Khoudouni غير خدوني

and Metwally identifies these as doing the same:

• Daïyne (aka "Ya Ahli Lhal") ضايعين
• Narjak Ana La M'Chite نرجاك انا لامشيت
• Echams Ettalâa الشمس الطالعة
• El Oumma الامّة

but I haven't scrutinized the lyrics deeply enough to find the references, and there's plenty of Nass el Ghiwane in the playlist already. 🎵 بَحْرَ الْغِيوَانْ مَا دْخْلْتُ بَلْعَانِي  🎵

Tagroupit in the House - Oudaden Live at Ksar al Andalus, Agadir

Well here's another Moroccan live album from La Voix el Maarif! This one is from the Soussi group Oudaden. Unlike our last live album from LVEM, which was recorded in Canada, this one was recorded in Morocco. According to the Arabic text on the spine and shell, this is a "live artistic soirée with Oudaden at the Ksar al Andalus in Agadir."

According to Anir at amazighnews.net, Oudaden recorded their first album for LVEM in 1985. (Perhaps this is it? It does say "Volulme (sic) 1".) The author characterizes Oudaden's artistic direction as being different from that of earlier groups from the 1970s such as Izenzaren. That earlier style, which came to be called Tazenzaret (i.e., in the manner of Izenzaren), was characterized both by its "revolutionary" lyrics and by the novel musical compositions of Igout Abdelhadi, who incorporated non-Soussi rhythms and melodies.

Oudaden, on the other hand, represented a return to traditional Soussi rhythms and melodies, albeit with the use of the electric guitar alongside the banjo. Oudaden also specialized in love songs. This style - love songs, traditional Soussi melodies and rhythms, with a somewhat modernized ensemble - came to be known as "Tirubba" (possibly "in the manner of a rub3a quartet"?) or "Tagroupit" (in the manner of a groupe - i.e., a modern ensemble). Oudaden group member Mohamed Jemoumekh, describes these styles as "le chaabi n tchelhit" (Berber chaâbi).

There's rather a lot of tape hiss on this one - I tried to roll off some of it in the EQ. There's loads more Oudaden over at Yala, if you want to sample some other, more hi-fi recordings of theirs.

By the way, the group name Oudaden refers to the bighorned Barbary sheep native to the Atlas mountains.

Oudaden - Live at Ksar al Andalus, Agadir (LVEM 126)
Track 2 (of 4)

Get it all here.

Like Chaâbi, Tagroupit seems to be continuing its popularity. Moroccan Tape Stash blog follower Owen Buck traveled in southern Morocco earlier this year and was treated, while dining, to a musical performance from an amateur Tachelhit group. I couldn't tell you whether the style is more tazenzaret or more tagroupit, but the great sound of banjos, drums and pentatonic melodies is undeniable. Enjoy some of this performance here: