A new French-language documentary series explores the history of Algerian Ra\u00ef music.<\/p>\n
Released by Arte, the six-part Ra\u00ef is not dead traces the roots of the genre through the record collection of the documentary’s creator, Hadj Sameer. The DJ and musical activist said the series aims to tell the story of Ra\u00ef while also paying tribute to the duality of his French-Algerian heritage.<\/p>\n
“I’ve tried to highlight the underground scenes of Ra\u00ef music, from its early tribal steps up to the most recent modern variations,” he said.<\/p>\n
Ra\u00ef is a form of Algerian folk music that originated in the 1920s. Its lyrics often highlighted social issues such as disease and colonialism. The genre achieved unlikely international success in the ’80s, before all but disappearing by the turn of the century.<\/p>\n
DJ Hadj Sameer, collector and digger, sets off in search of the “lost ark” of the ra\u00ef of his childhood, with the aim of making a mixtape. From the electrifying “Ya Zina” by Raina Rai to the iconic “Didi” by Cheb Khaled, up to 1, 2, 3 soleils (Taha, Faudel, Khaled), iconic hit of the year 1998, a look back at the birth of a musical genre which knows a rapid planetary growth.<\/p>\n