Raï nights are filling a small Exarchia bar every second Saturday
A monthly night of raï, chaabi and gnawa has become a meeting point for North Africans, Greeks and everyone in between.
By Nour MezianeAthens4 min read
It starts slowly, with a few chaabi standards. By midnight the floor is full and the band is deep into the raï classics that everyone seems to know — including the Greek students who came for the first time last month.
The organisers, a collective of musicians from Algeria and Greece, say the idea was simple: create a space where the music of their childhoods could be heard live, not just through phone speakers.
“Raï was always the music of people far from home. Athens is just the newest place it has travelled.”
Entry is by donation, with proceeds shared between the musicians and a community fund that helps newcomers with translation costs.
