Kamar presents Tealeaves - exploring sound through migration, seeking to appreciate the multitude of ways that migrants and the movement of people have contributed to global society and cultural richness.
This month, Kamar selects a first hour of music made exclusively by migrant musicians, from many times and places, before deep diving into covering Gnaoua Festival D'essaouira, 2025.
Every year, in the heart of Essaouira, the Festival brings together famous and emerging artists alike in a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere. Between unprecedented fusions and prestigious collaborations, the maâlems’ hypnotic rhythms encounter sounds from other places – jazz, blues, rock, reggae, traditional music – to create unique and magical moments. Legends like Pat Metheny, Marcus Miller, Joe Zawinul, or Maceo Parker have shared the stage with Gnaouas, pushing the limits of secular music toward a truly universal dimension.
Born of an ancestral African heritage, Gnaoua music was long relegated to the margins of society before establishing itself as a unique and essential musical legacy. Since its creation in 1998, the Gnaoua and World Music Festival in Essaouira has played a decisive role in the recognition of this art form, offering maâlems – the masters of Gnaoua music – access to the international stage.
The show features several interviews with the likes of Ckay, Dhafer Youssef, Maalam Khalid Sansi, Cimafunk and Maalama Hind Ennaira.