Reggada


Reggada is a musical genre and traditional dance from the Eastern Rif and Oriental region in Morocco.

History

Origins

Both the music and the dance originate from an ancient war dance of Rifian fighters. It is also known as Aarfa in Arabic and Imdiazen in Amazigh.

Etymology

Reggada is named after the Moroccan villages of Ain Erreggada and Tala-n-Areggada near Berkane. These Zenati tribes are also called Bneznasan and have traditional war dance and music after victory over the enemy, and thus the use of weapons and foot strikes in the rhythm of music.

Location

Aarfa dance and Reggada music were published in the vicinity of the north east regions of Morocco. Thus, it is very popular in the provinces such as Nador, Berkane, Alhoceima, Driouch, Oujda, Taza, Guercif and Taourirt.

Dance and music

The dance is characterised with the masters. These masters play music and dance using several traditional instruments such as Bendri, Ghaita and Zmmar which is a kind of flute with two horns typically found in Africa. The dancers use move their shoulders, a rifle or a stick and strike the groin against the floor to the rhythm of drums.
The music often tells stories about topics such as love, emotions of sadness and happiness. From the late 1980s, music synthesizer are increasingly widely used.