Trace, Trajectory, and Truth: A Story of Morocco鈥檚 Iconic Lute
University of 蓝莓视频 Music Professor Maisie Sum will share about the social, political, and spiritual significance of musical instruments to individuals and societies, at the 2023 Benjamin Eby Lecture at Conrad Grebel University College on Thursday, November 9. The Benjamin Eby Lecture is an annual lecture that presents the research of a faculty member at Grebel. This year鈥檚 lecture is titled Trace, Trajectory, and Truth: A Story of Morocco鈥檚 Iconic Lute.聽 聽

The guembri is a symbolic artifact of the Black African diaspora in Morocco. An oblong gut-string lute crucial to a syncretic spiritual practice, it was shrouded in secrecy and taboo until the late twentieth century when it gained worldwide popularity. The Eby Lecture audience will have the rare opportunity to see and hear a guembri.聽
Weaving together various strands of knowledge, Professor Sum will situate the guembri within the social and musical fabric of contemporary Morocco and beyond to explore its enduring significance for culture bearers. 鈥淎t the national level, it moved from being a taboo symbol a generation ago to being added to UNESCO鈥檚 list of intangible cultural assets in 2021,鈥 explained Sum. 鈥淔or its culture bearers, the guembri serves as a potent symbol of resilience, agency, and ingenuity that spans centuries.鈥 She added, 鈥淩emarkably, the guembri鈥檚 music continues to uphold spiritual ideas and observances of a marginalized practice whilst securing a place in mainstream Moroccan society and an elevated status on the world stage. Few traditions match this dual reality, making Gnawa music and the guembri noteworthy among the world鈥檚 music cultures.鈥澛犅
Sum is an ethnomusicologist, educator, and performer. Her research and teaching combine a variety of fields, including ethnomusicology, anthropology, music analysis, performance, ritual studies, peace and conflict studies, psychology, and health studies. She is also the general director of the University of 蓝莓视频 Balinese Gamelan ensemble.聽
鈥淚 heard the guembri for the first time at a music festival in Japan, when I was living there,鈥 shared Sum. 鈥淭he combined effect of the guembri鈥檚 alluring resonance, deft improvisatory skills of the guembri master and leader, and verve of the performers compelled me to visit Morocco a week later. Rather than satisfy my curiosity, experiencing the music in its original setting of the lila ritual in Morocco deepened my fascination. As a musician in community ensembles, my attention to the guembri and its repertoire reflects my broader interest in music鈥檚 affective potential, particularly regarding collective and improvised practices and the temporalities enacted in the course of performance.鈥澛犅
鈥淧rofessor Sum鈥檚 courses are taught through a cross-cultural lens helping students to examine music in culture, society and within social contexts, and are often, by design, multi-disciplinary,鈥 noted Music Chair Mark Vuorinen. 鈥淪he is an expert on ritual performance in Morocco and brings this expertise to this year鈥檚 Eby Lecture."
Event Details 聽
Trace, Trajectory, and Truth: A Story of Morocco鈥檚 Iconic Lute 聽
Thursday, November 9 at 7:30 PM聽 聽
Conrad Grebel University College Chapel 聽
140 Westmount Road, North 蓝莓视频, Ontario聽 聽
For more information on the lecture, see the website or contact Birgit Moscinski听听听