Refiguring Pan-Africanism Through Algerian–Moroccan Competitive Festivals

Abstract

I investigate the politics underlying Pan-African festivals in Algeria and Morocco and argue the two political regimes’ scramble for influence in sub-Saharan Africa has shifted to the festivalization of Tijāniyya Sufi order and the organization of Africa-themed cultural festivals. Analyzing the politics undergirding the organization of Tijāni mawāsim (annual gatherings) and Essaouira Gnawa World Music Festival, I make a case for a refigured meaning of Pan-Africanism, which has shifted to focus on spiritual and religious communities. However, this spiritual Pan-Africanism, which is performed through official patronage and a high degree of ritualization, is just one aspect of an ongoing resignification of this seminal concept. The institutionalization of Pan-African religious foundations that bring together African religious scholars is the latest aspect of this resignification. Finally, Essaouira Gwana World Music Festival is another site in which a secular aspect of this refigured Pan-Africanism plays out to address both Africa and the diaspora.