The Anthropological Aspect of Sidi Bou Ali's Kairouanese Hadra: Fixed and Variable Elements
By Dr Qasim Al-Baji
The purpose of this paper is to explore traditional customs and their cultural implications, semantic patterns and dimensions as manifested in the context of sound and vision.
The study is significant because it sheds light on popular ethnic manifestations and practices and delves into their historical frameworks, social impacts and the meanings they carry, allowing us to analyse the intentionality of the foreign culture and the authentic culture of cultural-social activities.
This paper aims to investigate the musical aspect of the Sufi Hadras phenomenon and spiritual practices through social and cultural events in different dialects in central and coastal Tunisia over time. The paper includes an overview of musicians and researchers in this field.
The research is based on ‘Sidi Bou Ali's Hadra’, which involves music in rituals. The study attempted to examine the phenomenon and its connection to social, musical and traditional aspects by answering questions such as:
- How is the example performed?
- Is it classified as folk art or ethnomusicology?
- What are the functions and social ramifications of this type of music?
- Can this Sufi music be used as music therapy?
This study is based on information from field research and the analysis of the opinions of specialised field researchers. The information may constitute cultural patterns, providing us with a sociological portrait of Sufi methods and music.