Moh Alileche: Tarwa N'Tamazgha: North Africa's Destiny?

MOH ALILECHE Tarwa N'Tamazgha: North Africa's Destiny? Flag of Freedom 004

I first heard Alileche's music in 2003 when we were working on the feature introducing the music of the Berbers of North Africa (more correctly called the Imazighen). Unlike the more pop-influenced dance musics from the region (rai), the music of the Berbers is far more rooted in tradition ... even as many Berber musicians have been driven into political exile into Europe as well as the U.S. as a result of the long standing struggle for basic cultural and language rights in their home region.

Moh Alileche was born in the mountains of Algeria, where he lived and immersed himself in his culture until moving to Berkeley, California in 1990. While he is well-versed in the playing of several traditional instruments--including the mondol, a 10-string mandolin like instrument, and a handmade, single-string instrument made from an oil can Alileche sticks with vocals for this recording, accompanied by a strong ensemble of fellow exiles living in the Bay Area. The songs are all original (excepting the opening track that sets Moh's lyric to a traditional melody), but this is hardly a contemporary outing, as Alileche's writing is steeped in both the tradition and the politics of his people. Following a course architected by the late Lounes Matoub (the legendary Berber artist who was assassinated for his outspoken politics), Alileche mostly alternates his message between scathing political indictments of the plight of the Amazigh culture and paens of longing for his homeland. The Tamzight language lyrics are well annotated and translated in the CD booklet. Instrumentally, this is an acoustic ensemble combining western instruments (guitars, banjo, piano, violin) with mondol, ud, tazzemart (an Amazigh oboe) and various percussion.

This is beautiful, deeply moving music from, as Alileche writes in the CD's opener, a "culture on the brink of extinction." Highly recommended.

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