When the Singer Hires the Musicologist: Chaabi Habibi, an Action Research by Belgian-Moroccan Women Musicians

Hélène Sechehaye & Laïla Amezian

Chaabi Habibi is a project born in the mind of the Belgian-Moroccan singer Laïla Amezian. Like many working-class families, Laïla's parents arrived in Belgium after the bilateral agreements signed in 1964 between Belgian and Moroccan governments. Moroccan community has thus become one of the largest in Belgium and its cultural life has flourished. While male musicians are undoubtedly most visible on public stages, women are just as dynamic in more private settings, such as weddings, and some their ensembles specialize in the popular repertoire known as ša‘bī (‘popular’). In these events characterized by informality, women occupy spaces that are only dedicated to them, where dance and music are predominant.

Laïla Amezian set herself the task of collecting and making known this music through ‘Chaabi Habibi’ ('ša‘bī my love'), a project motivated by a reflection on the place of Moroccan women in musical environments, where their bodies are strongly marked by taboos, prohibitions, and even violence both from the communities of origin and the host communities. The project operates on several levels: creation of a women’s choir singing Moroccan popular songs; constitution and accompaniment of a women’s orchestra playing in public venues; coordination of cultural events, and arrangements of ša‘bi songs merging with jazz, flamenco or other genres. To document her approach, Laïla raised significant institutional funds to hire (ethno)musicologist Hélène Sechehaye, whom she commissioned to collect the stories and songs of the musicians, to inventory them and to carry out historical and musicological research.

Directed by videographer Fabio Martinez Bueno, who followed and filmed the project from January 2022 to March 2023, this short documentary looks back at the various events that punctuated the Chaabi Habibi year in 2022. It mainly follows the musicians during their public performances (lectures, concerts and workshops) and features Laïla Amezian, who talks about her personal connection with ša‘bī music. The film also includes excerpts from biographical interviews with several women musicians.

CONTENTS

1. Preface / Elina Seye & Nina Öhman
2. No future? Female Instrumentalists in the Austrian Jazz Scene / Magdalena Fürnkranz
3. When the Singer Hires the Musicologist: Chaabi Habibi, an Action Research lead by Female Moroccan Musicians in Belgium / Hélène Sechehaye & Laïla Amezian
4. A window into the World of South Indian Female Percussionists in Kerala / Karin Bindu & Retnasree Iyer
5. Becoming “Women of the Future”: Malian-Finnish Conversations about Being Musicians and Women / Marjo Smolander, Sinimuso & Elina Seye