In class when we visit Northa Africa we enjoy “Arsomo Baba,” a kids’ song from Morocco about drawing a picture of Dad using all the colors. When we sing it we put colorful scarves on our kids’ heads. Hilarity ensues.
Tag Archives | North Africa
We Really Love Rai
Cheb Khaled is at its heart of remarkable Algerian rai.
Spending our class week in North Africa gives us the chance to enjoy rai, an electrifying, socially-engaged form of modern North African music. The genre originated in, and is most influential, in Algeria, where the expressive genre –“rai” means “opinion”– has been a thorn in the political side of successive Algerian governments since the ’70s. In this video we meet one of rai’s most dynamic performers, Cheb Khaled.
Next in class: North Africa
In our online class this week we’re all about the music and cultures of North Africa. First we focus on Algeria, embracing this historic home of Berbers and Barbary pirates, a land of vast Saharan deserts and lush, green oases. Then we take a jaunt out to Morocco, where the vast percentage of its native citizens are of mixed Berber-Arab descent, to attend a Berber marriage festival. If we play our cards right, we’ll fall in love.
