I Shall Not Be Moved Lyrics

It's a family affair

It’s not often that Asheville audiences get to hear Saharan desert guitar music. Actually, it’s not often that the makers of such music play stateside, but that will happen this week, when Group Doueh plays its first-ever North American show, of its first-ever North American tour, right here.

Salmou Baamar, who goes by the name Doueh (pronounced “Doo-way,”), is a virtuoso guitarist and the leader of Group Doueh. He’s played music since his childhood in the Western Sahara, and started a band of his own in the ‘80s. For 27 years, Group Doueh has blended the flammable, modal sounds of Saharwi music with the Western influences of Jimi Hendrix and James Brown.

The Sahrawi people inhabit the Western Sahara. Nomadic lifestyle is common, and includes a cultural blend of folk from Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria. Life on the move requires flexibility and working together, so it’s not surprising that Group Doueh is constructed of family and friends. Hailing from Dakhla, Doueh’s lyrics are in the Hassania language, backed by the vocal prowess of his wife, Halima, and his friend, Bashiri. Using traditional Moorish instruments — the tinidit (a Moorish four-stringed lute), the ardin and the tbal drum — alongside the rock savageness of electric guitar and Korg synth. The marriage is a cultural feast for the ears.

Hisham Mayet of the Seatlle-based Sublime Frequencies record label has a strong working relationship with Group Doueh. In 2006, after discovering the band on AM radio in Morocco, Mayet pursued them through the Sahara desert, finally catching up to Doueh near the Mauritanian boarder.

Three albums later, Hisham and Doueh continue the voyage together, crossing the Atlantic. “This is their first show on American soil … they just received their U.S. visas today,” Mayet tells Xpress .

Group Doueh played the Barbican in London last month for an audience of 800, but the tour also included smaller “art squat” shows. According to Mayet, Sublime Frequencies desires to meet the audiences where they’re at, sharing the unique sounds of the artists included on the label to ears around the world.

The addition of a drummer has been a longtime suggestion of Mayet’s. Doueh enlisted his son, Hamdan, as drummer on the newest album, Zayna Jumma . The result is a thing of beauty. The melodies and harmonies are knit together with an enchanting pulse, daring feet that shall not be moved to dance. Unfortunately, the new drummer is not able to make this trip with Doueh; he’ll be attending his high-school graduation. Group Doueh will continue their use of a variety of percussion instruments in his place, delighting in Hamdan’s achievement.

I Shall Not Be Moved | Devotional Christian

All trees have distinct characteristics which make them appealing and beautiful.  Take for instance, the glorious sassafras tree.  This tree stands out for a variety of reasons.  First, it has an intoxicating, pleasant fragrance.  The sweet odor invites wildlife to eat from it and bask in the comfort of its shade.  Second, the tree bears three different shaped leaves, making it interesting and unique.  Because of the leaf formations, the tree is popular and easy to identify.  Finally, the sassafras tree is deeply rooted in the richness of the earth giving it strength and longevity. 

There is an uncanny connection between a sassafras tree and a believer.  Christ calls on and expects us to carry His Good News to everyone.  2 Corinthians 2:14b-15 says,

“Through us the fragrance of the knowledge of Him is spread.  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”