Khadija El Warzazia’s Bnat el Houariyat & Esraa Warda: Tiny Desk Meets globalFEST 2023

For the third year, Tiny Desk concerts team up with globalFEST for a thrilling online music festival — Tiny Desk meets globalFEST.

Bob Boilen | January 30, 2023
Hosted by Angélique Kidjo, the series echoes globalFEST’s live flagship event in spirit but is centered in the framework of the Tiny Desk concert series. This collaboration presents exclusive video performances from nine artists filmed in their respective homelands, on the road and in exile all over the world. There will be three nights of concerts, each featuring three bands, on consecutive nights beginning Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET. The globalFEST team wrote the following biographical information about each performer.

Khadija El Warzazia’s Bnat el Houariyat & Esraa Warda, Morocco / Algeria / USA
Khadija El Warzazia’s Bnat el Houariyat & Esraa Warda is a pairing composed entirely of women artists: Bnat el Houariyat from the heart of Marrakech performs women’s celebratory and trance music, including chaabi and houara. The group’s percussion and call-and-response singing and complex polyrhythms build into a deeply transporting sonic experience. It is accompanied by the mesmerizing Algerian-American dancer Esraa Warda, a “rebellious spirit” known for her profound performances of the trance-like jedba hair-swaying dance.

SET LIST
"Dyaf Allah Rjal el Bled"
"Ya Rajel (Wal Mra Sabra)"
"Li Guer imout"

MUSICIANS
Fatiha Benmsinane
Malika Nouader
Khadija el Warzazia
Nouzha Lagrimi
Touria Nouader
Esraa Warda: dancer

CREDITS
Producer: Esraa Warda
Audio: Simo Chafai
Director, Producer, Camera: Ahlam Maroon
Camera: Oussama Mountassir
Lighting: Amine Houmam
Special thanks to Azzedine & Abdelghafour Art

TINY DESK TEAM
Creative Director: Bob Boilen
Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Series Producer: Bobby Carter
Editing: Joshua Bryant
Tiny Desk Team: Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer

GLOBALFEST TEAM
Co-Directors: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, and Bill Bragin
2023 Curators: Shanta Thake, Isabel Soffer, Bill Bragin, and Meera Dugal
Event Producer: Ian Thake
Host: Angélique Kidjo
Legal Services: Tamizdat
Legal Services: Duane Morris
Video Production: Karim Tabbaa

FUNDERS:
The Mellon Foundation
The National Endowment for the Arts
NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

SPECIAL THANKS:
Ken Umezaki
Fabian Alsultany
Steven Kirkpatrick
David Komar