Ibrahim Hesnawi

Ibrahim Hesnawi was born and grew up in Tripolis, the capitol of Libya. His family was not into music and initially he did not focus on it either. After graduating school he started working as a customs officer at the port of Tripolis. Asked if he could think of an artist, who changed his life, Ibrahim’s immediate answer is: “Bob Marley.” Bob Marley was THE artist that brought reggae to to Libya. In fact, the alliance wasn’t that far off, as one would think nowa- days. Even the contrary; local musicians seem to intermix influences quite naturally as Farrah Fray wrote in her article about Libyan Reggae for Lindsay Mag in 2019, “Like all genres of music that migrate between places, Libyan reggae borrows elements from its own culture. Libyan folk music known as zim- zamet and the rhythmic repetition of a voice or vocal sound in a stanza form the base of many reggae songs. Libyan reggae is usually accompanied by a steady marching tempo, which is the most significant hallmark of wedding chants. The influence of North African and Middle Eastern music is also undeniable.”