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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tamazight (Berber) Vocals & Rhythms, NOT Arabic, October 10, 2001
Lee Samelson's earlier review is mostly on the mark, and I appreciate his tip to hear the music. But as an Arabic speaker and reader I noticed from the Anglicized songtitles that this was no Arabic language record. Sure enough it is from the indigenous majority population of Morocco, the Amazigh (Berber) people, whose music and arts reign supreme throughout North Africa. The album's closer "Ait 36" is both poignant and clever play on the reaching for one's roots when those roots are suppressed. The band rocks creatively, and on the closer they show that while the King of Morocco can blacklist Amazigh (Berber) names from the registry of newborns in Morocco and Moroccan-Occupied Western Sahara, not the King, nor the official Ministry of Arabization, nor the Arab League can snuff out the Amazighity of sub rosa North Africa, known as TAMAZGHA in the native language, and El Maghreb in the Arabic of the conquerors. This band Argan may use contemporary musical instruments and textures, even avant gard sounds and harmonics, but as songs such as "Tamazighite" reflect, they are revealing the Amazighity, or traditional and ancient essence of North African soul, that no invader, whether Greek, Roman, Vandal, Arab, Turk, French or Pan-Arab can ever co-opt. For other exciting rockin' Amazigh artists, check out poetess and jazz composer Iness Mezel. Though she records in a slightly different Amazigh dialect from Algeria's Kabylia region, the sophisticated polyrhythms and melodies, along with Tamazight (Berber) poetry translated into English in the CD booklet opens a parallel universe to that of the dominant imposed Arab culture. Also hot from Algeria's Amazigh recording studios, Akli D., Takfarinas, Umalu, and the Amazigh-Breton-Celtic political rockers (who also provide English translations in the CD booklet, though the Tamazight language is so beautiful in the sounds no other language can make) TAYFA, a band in exile and fronted by the Amazigh Bruce Springsteen, aka Farid Ait Siameur. Stylistically diverse compilations of north African Amazigh artists include: La Kabylie Au Coeur, Planete Kabylie, and the recent KABYLIE MOUV (though sadly, no Moroccan, Libyan, Tunisian or Malian Amazigh artists are included).
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