Exploring the proximity between two musical styles from two different continents, the Algerian Amazigh singer Amel Zen and acclaimed percussionist Hajar Zahawy from Kurdistan - Iraq set to work on a joint production, bringing their expertise and passion together in one joint song. Having met online for the first time during the Mirath:Music Project, Amel Zen found warmth and familiarity in the percussive rhythms of her Kurdish collaborator.
“Old Roots New Leaf” or “Mirage” is a spontaneous encounter between the two artists’ worlds, that builds on improvisation to bring together the best of both musical cultures. The vocal improvisation is inspired by different North African, Maghrebi, and more specifically Algerian modes. The melodies travel through the Algerian mountains of Dahra, and Tipaza, to Djurdjura in Kabylia, passing by the Sahara where the famous Tindi style can be heard. The melodies blend effortlessly with the multiple Kurdish rhythms played by Hajar Zahawy.
The track was produced through online collaboration and exchange. The Kurdish percussionist sent a recording of his percussive work to Amel, who in turn did an intuitive, spontaneous vocal improvisation on the received rhythms in one single take, without the need for breaks or retakes.
“This coming together shows a familiarity between us that is not only found in our music, but in the struggles of our people. Amazigh and Kurdish people have been fighting to preserve their cultures, identities and existence for a long time, and the repression and colonial histories experienced are audible in the music of our people. "Mirage" breaks the illusion of false histories and stands as a testimony to musical cultural heritage, a living witness to the history of peoples and their identities.”
Duration: 4’54
Composition: Hajar Zahawy (rhythm), Amel Zen (melody)
Vocals: Amel Zen
Instruments: Daf, various percussion instruments, synths,
Recording: 2021
The Why Behind the Music
A Strong Witness of the History of People and Identities – Amel ZenSince the dawn of humanity, humans felt the need to express themselves, communicate, and leave a trace of their existence. From rock drawings to building resilient empires, humans followed this need for expression to build their history and civilisation. Today, these material monuments are labelled “material cultural heritage”. Alongside the static and visible empires, there is another type of heritage: A stronger and living heritage that survives with life and humanity through its vital bond to the senses and sensations. This is called intangible heritage.
Our fascination with the power and impact of sound and music on life since the dawn of time and the question of intangible cultural heritage are at the core of what I do. Through my work I explore the intimate relation between heritage and social, cultural, historical and political life in an attempt to better understand my local community and the wider global community.
Drawing on my North African, Maghrebi and Amazigh heritage, my music reflects my learnings and impressions over a decade of musical production. My work is aimed at building bridges between humans and cultures while at the same time respecting our differences from the perspectives of ethnicity, religion, culture and gender as an Algerian, Amazigh, North African and a citizen of the world.
In North Africa, the different colonisations and nihilistic political projects such as Pan Arabism attempted to erase the Amazigh identity and culture. Spawning confusion between ethnicity and religious or linguistic belonging, Pan Arabism included North African countries in a general, single cultural entity: the Arab world. Consequently, diversity was banished and the native Amazigh populations repressed. Despite these adverse conditions that the Amazigh population has been through, our musical heritage in North Africa persisted through oral transmission. After years of protest and struggle, and in respect for the memory and demands of those martyred in the 1980 Berber Spring and the Black Spring of 2001 in Kabylia in Algeria, and adhering to the demands of fighters and activists in Morocco as well, we managed to make Tamazight an official recognised language. Yet there is still more to be done to highlight our culture.
My activity within the sphere of musical cultural heritage is a continuation of the struggle for Amazigh culture and identity in the region, as I believe that there is an urgent need to rehabilitate the history of peoples and their identities. It is more than an act of preservation; it is an act of resistance and survival, a duty to remember.
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November 2021