Fehd Benchemsi and Mehdi Nassouli - KHALI MBARA

Three friends (actor and singer Fehd Benchemsi, Gnawa new generation figurehead Mehdi Nassouli, director and choreographer Abderrazak Zitouni) were bored, stuck at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
They though: "Why not do a video clip remotely?" Okay, it took a little longer than what the first seconds of the video suggest, but basically that’s how it all started. The work of the trio (the idea is Fehd's, the musical arrangements, Mehdi’s, and the mosaic-style direction, Abderrazak’s) was blessed by Gnawa grand masters Abdelkbir Merchane, Hamid El Kasri, and Hassan Boussou, then enhanced by world-class percussionists Karim Ziad and Rhani Krija, and spiced-up by Ribab virtuoso Bouhssine Foulane.

Introducing: “Khali Mbara”

A classic from the Gnawa repertoire, the song contrasts the life of Mbara, a handyman of modest means, and upper-class bosses "Sidi" and "Lalla." But with arranged lyrics (featuring PayPal, Viagra, and Yoga classes,) "Khali Mbara", as reinvented by Fehd, Mehdi and Abderrazak, becomes a festive, star-studded comedy in which god-hearted simplicity triumphs over money and social barriers.