The History of AZA

Aza is a musical band that was founded in Santa Cruz, CA by two members: Fattah Abbou and Mohamed Aoualou. Both are from Morocco and currently live in Santa Cruz, CA. They’ve played and studied music for over twenty years before moving to the USA seven years ago. Fattah and Mohamed are Berbers; and the Berbers or Imazighen (preferred term) are the indigenous people of North Africa whose history records date back to 3300 years ago. The band’s activities are not limited to music but also promoting the Amazigh Culture. Fattah and Mohamed’s efforts have always been part of the Amazigh movement and struggle to revive a culture that has been marginalized for centuries. Our goal is to raise awareness about the Amazigh culture, that it may take its place in the network of various cultures of the world. Through its artistic activities AZA has been able to introduce the Amazigh culture to people of varying ages and arouse their curiosity to know more about it.

Venues Played

Ashkenaz, Berkeley, CA
Burbank, CA
BRTV, Paris, France
Cal State Pomona Polytechnic University
Cal State University Monterey Bay
Cayuga Vault, Santa Cruz, CA
Chicago World Music Festival
Don Quixote's International Music Hall, Felton, CA
Festival D'Immigre, Imi-N-tanout, Morocco
Festival Timitar, Agadir, Morocco
Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz, CA
Madison World Music Festival, Wisconsin
Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA
San Francisco State University
Theatre Corona, Montreal, Canada
University of California, Santa Cruz

Special Thanks

Web developement funded in part by a grant from the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County.