Algeria's Al-Andalus music legacy: exploring Nouba music, Sana'a, Gharnati & Malouf via history, performance, gender & decolonial debate.

DzFest 2026 presents a landmark conference at the University of East London, bringing together ethnomusicologists, researchers and master musicians to explore Algeria’s classical musical traditions and their relationship with the heritage commonly associated with Al-Andalus.

The conference will examine the Ṣanaʿa of Algiers, the Ṣanʿa of Tlemcen [also known as Gharnati], and the Malouf of Constantine, while taking a critical view of simplified claims around direct Andalusian transmission. Rather than treating origin as settled fact, the programme will explore how music, memory, migration and identity have shaped these repertoires across Algeria and within the diaspora.

Going beyond celebration, this event will challenge inherited narratives, revisit assumptions around the Nouba, and create a decolonial space for serious discussion on Algerian musical heritage, transmission and cultural memory.

By hosting this historical and cultural inquiry at the University of East London, DzFest draws on UEL and CMRB's diverse, community-centred academic environment to create an independent and decolonial space for indigenous, diasporic and transnational research.

This event is part of DzFest 2026 - the Fourth Editon of the Algerian Festival for Arts & Culture in the UK.

In collaboration with The Centre for Migration, Refugees and Belonging (CMRB) and University of East London (UEL)

Description supplied by the event organiser.