[2] Gnawa today is part of the North African culture and is inherent in the Maghrebi soundscape.

"...stories are told to those who are connected with their history by the very sound of the krakebs – they represent the sound of horses hooves hitting the ground as their people were carried away in grain sacks, and the rattling of shackles that used to hold their people captive.".

Several specific rhythms played by Gnawa musicians on Qarqabat (often accompanied by hajhuj or sintir) symbolise this freedom.

In the Gnawa style, krakeb stay closed between hits so that the instrument clanging shut is the most prominent sound.

In Tunisia, they are hit and pulled back apart quickly so that the ringing of the instrument is the most prominent sound.