Abdeltif El Ghozi

Mezwed (also spelled mezoued/mizwad) is a popular, working‑class wedding and party music from Tunisia that grew around local modal traditions and lively social occasions. It is centered on the mizwad (a North African bagpipe with a goatskin or ewe’s leather bag) and the darbouka/tabla (goblet drum), producing a raw, reedy timbre over insistent hand‑drummed rhythms. The genre draws on Tunisian and wider Maghrebi scales that include microtones, and its vocal lines are typically delivered in Tunisian and Algerian Arabic varieties. Songs often use call‑and‑response refrains, short strophic verses, and communal clapping, making mezwed a high‑energy, dance‑forward style. Although rooted in rural and peri‑urban contexts, it became an emblem of popular culture in cities, especially for celebrations such as weddings and neighborhood festivities.