Listen, Read, Watch: Algeria

While on our much-needed winter break, we posted a series of curated #ListenReadWatch over on our Instagram. Each post offered one album to listen to, a book to read, and a film to watch from somewhere in the Arab world. We envisioned this series as a way to celebrate some of the best creative minds from across the region and times.

Listen: The Very Best of Dahmane El Harrachi Vol 2

Dahmane El Harrachi is one of the most loved and celebrated Algerian Chaâbi singers. He was born in 1926 in El-Biar, Algeria, before emigrating to France in 1949.

One of his most famous songs is “Ya Rayah” — a ballad of a traveler or an exile that expresses a deep longing to return. Rachid Taha famously covered the song and revived its popularity in the 90s. You can enjoy a selection of El Harrachi’s best music in this album.

Read: The Savage Night, Mohammed Dib

The Savage Night or La Nuit Sauvage is a collection of 13 of Mohammed Dib’s stories. The collection spans a number of different settings and contexts including modern-day Algeria, the war of independence and war-torn Sarajevo.

Considered one of the pioneers of North African literature, Dib was born in 1920 in Tlemcen, Algeria. In his lifetime, he wrote over 30 novels, in addition to short stories, poems and children’s books. His work explores the realities of Algerian life and society. He was interested, in particular, with the question of Algerian national identity and the struggle for independence.

Watch: Papicha, Mounia Meddour

Set in 1997 Algiers during the country’s civil-war between the government and Islamist militants, Papicha is Mounia Meddour’s bold and energetic debut feature film.

The story follows Nedjma, a brazen 18-year old who is passionate about fashion and refuses to allow the Algerian Civil War to get in the way of her living life. Standing strong against the new conservative social norms she decides to put on a fashion show.