The Algerian director Jamal Khalfawi who lives in France won the first prize at Views of Africa Film Festival which has recently been held in the Canadian City of Montreal for his film “Algeria…Memory of Rai”.
Khalfawi told the UAE daily al Bayan, “the time division in the film has not been randomly selected. Those who follow up this documentary film will realize that every era has its own role. The imperialistic era witnessed the emergence of Rai art sheikhs while the revolution era was surrounded by all artists. The era of Hawwari Bou Median rejected this singing style and so it was confined to nightclubs only. In the film I was not satisfied with the chronological narration of the emergence and development of the Rai song as I linked its emergence with the social and political situation of the country and reviewed this type of music which represented an explosion amid sources of poverty, complaints and deprivation.”
The director wanted through his film which took him 10 years to come out to depict a true picture about the Rai and the concerns, hopes and aspiration of the young Algerians. “In 52 minutes the director succeeded in taking the audience to the Rai secret world. This song has been rejected, banned and confined to certain places until only recently. With lots of spontaneity and simplicity, the film helps the audience to discover the names of those who dedicated much of their time and nerves for this art in addition to shedding light on both Cheb Khaled and Mami who took this art to France and the whole world,” added Khalfawi – Albawaba.com
