What is a Moroccan music night or lila like?

A lila, sometimes called a derdeba, is the deepest musical experience Morocco offers, and also the most misunderstood. It is not a concert. It is an all-night Gnawa ritual of healing and spiritual cleansing, rooted in the traditions of West African ancestry blended with Moroccan Sufi practice. The whole point is to invoke and appease spirits called mlouk through music, movement and trance, so attending one is a privilege rather than a ticketed show.

The ceremony is led by a maâlem, a master of the guembri (the three-stringed bass lute), supported by players of the metal qraqeb castanets and a chorus. Over many hours the music moves through a sequence of suites, each tied to a particular spirit and a colour, marked by changes in incense, in the coloured cloths brought out, and in rhythm. As the night deepens the tempo builds and certain participants enter a trance state, dancing until the spirit is satisfied. It is intense, beautiful and completely unlike Western live music.

Surrounding the music is a whole communal world: candles and incense, the family or community hosting the night, and shared food brought out in the small hours. There is a structure and an etiquette to everything, who sits where, when to be still, what not to photograph. Because it is a sacred and sometimes private occasion, I only ever arrange a lila through Gnawa musicians and families we know personally, with the guest fully briefed beforehand on respectful behaviour.

To be honest with you, a full lila is not for every traveller. It runs most of the night, it is spiritual rather than entertaining, and you are a respectful guest, not an audience. But for serious music lovers and culturally curious visitors it can be the most profound few hours of the entire trip. If a complete ceremony is too much, I instead arrange a shorter private Gnawa set in a riad, which captures the sound and rhythm in a way that suits a normal evening.