Those wishing to take part in the lila later tonight at SAVVY Contemporary should come here first. An hour before the evening’s concerts, and five hours before the beginning of the ritual, three people who know the lila from inside explain what to expect. 

Maalem Hicham Bilali, who performed on the opening evening with Black Koyo and who ran the Gnawa for All workshop, explains the role of the maalem: who he is, how the guembri opens up the treq—the ritual path—how the seven mluk are called in the prescribed order, why the music never stops, and what a maalem does and does not do. Mqaddma Souad from Marrakesh—the woman who lead the ritual at SAVVY later the same night—speaks about her role as the guardian of the ceremony who defines the sequences of colours, scents, and fabrics, maintains contact with the spirits, and accompanies the participants in their trance. Alaa Zouiten, curator of the festival, moderates and mediates. 

The focus here is on practical questions: What is a lila—a concert, a ritual, or both? What will take place between 11pm and sunrise? When is dancing allowed? What about photo and video recordings? Is it OK to come and go? What happens when someone goes into a trance? How does one behave respectfully without hiding one’s curiosity? What is the meaning of the colours, the clothes, and the scents? An introduction for non-initiates that requires no prior spiritual knowledge—instead creating a framework within which a Berlin audience can experience the ritual without disturbing it or getting lost. 

Attending this lecture is not a precondition for taking part in the lila—but it is warmly recommended. Those who follow this event with the concerts by Mehdi Nassouli and Gnawa Diffusion before going to the nighttime lila at SAVVY Contemporary experience the evening as a single journey—from public concert to politicized fusion and back to the ritual source.