Officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, Algeria is located in Nort Africa. Algeria is bordered by Tunisia in the northeast, Libya in the east, Niger in the southeast, Mali and Mauritania in the southwest, a few kilometers of the Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara in the southwest, Morocco in the west and northwest, and the Mediterranean Sea in the north.
Population: 34,895,000
Major Exports: wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle
Music.The music of Algeria is synonymous with the 20th century folk song form, Raï. Raï is a song form created for the purpose of both social protest and cultural affirmation. It is a song of celebration but also of a way to express the frustration of the supressed Algerian lower class. Later in the 20th century, Raï became the topic of great scrutiny and even hostility from fundamental religious groups in Algeria. This is pop music influenced by the tones of traditional Bedouin music with the sound of a faint world beat. Tonight's selection comes from Algeria's "king of raï," Bellemou Messamoud. Messamoud became immensly popular in the 1970's and 80s as he pioneered the "pop-Raï" genre. "Lala h'bib" is from the Algerian compilation The
Essential Titles of Raï.
Bellemou Messaoud: "lala h'bib" [Buy]
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