Aita (haita, rita or ghita) means in Arabic, "call, cry or lament" and is a

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

musical style that originates from the countryside of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

Origins

It is sung in colloquial

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

by mixed groups composed of musicians and singers and singers and dancers, these women are called ''sheikhates''.Sheikha in singular feminine In

, the Aita Festival is organized in Safi.

Notable Aita singers

Fatna Bent Lhoucine Fatna Bent Lhoucine (in Arabic: فاطنة بنت الحسين) (born 1935 - died 6 April 2005 in Sidi Bennour, Morocco) was a Moroccan singer specialized in the Aita and Chaabi music. She was a prominent artist in this genre, and was among other ...

Hajib A ''hajib'' or ''hadjib'' ( ar, الحاجب, al-ḥājib, to block, the prevent someone from entering somewhere; It is a word "hajb" meaning to cover, to hide. It means "the person who prevents a person from entering a place, the doorman". The ...

Mohamed Benomar Ziani Mohamed Benomar Ziani (in Arabic:محمد بنعمر الزياني) (born 1938 in Rabat) is a Moroccan musician specialized in the Aita and Chaabi music. Life Mohamed Benomar Ziani was born in 1938 in Rabat from a family originating from the ...

Mohamed Laaroussi Muhammad was an Islamic prophet and a religious and political leader who preached and established Islam. Muhammad and variations may also refer to: *Muhammad (name), a given name and surname, and list of people with the name and its variations ...

References

Moroccan styles of music {{Morocco-stub