Warda Al-Jazairia

Template:Short description Template:Weasel Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Warda Mohammed Ftouki (Template:Langx; 22 July 1939 – 17 May 2012), known professionally as Warda Al-Jazairia (Template:Langx, Template:IPA), was an Algerian singer. She was well known for her Egyptian Arabic songs and music. Her name was sometimes shortened to just Warda in the Arab world.

Early life

Warda Ftouki was born in Paris on July 22, 1939. Her father, Mohammed Ftouki, was an Algerian from Souk Ahras, and her mother was Lebanese.<ref name="Alger Chaine 3">« La diva de la chanson arabe, Warda El Djazaïria, n'est plus... » [archive] , Alger Chaine 3, 18 mai 2012</ref> She was the youngest of five children.<ref name="Le Temps d'Algérie B R">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Le Monde Mortaigne">Template:Cite news</ref>

Warda began singing in the 1950s. She made her debut at the Tam-Tam, a cabaret owned by her father located on rue Saint-Séverin, in the Latin Quarter; it is home to many famous stars of Arabic music, such as Safia Chamia and Farid El Atrache.<ref name="Libération Ayad">Template:Cite news</ref>

The TAM-TAM: Warda's first stage

Warda's father, Mohammed Ftouki opened the Template:Ill in 1951. The name was derived from an acrostic of "Tunisia - Algeria - Morocco", at a time when several other establishments of the kind appeared such as El Djazaïr, El Koutoubia, and the Baghdad. The establishment quickly became very successful. Farid al-Atrash performed there. As well as Salim Al Hillali, the other souk-ahrassien, who had sung there every night for years. Receptacles and laboratories of modern Arab singers, these cabarets were also meeting places for diasporic communities where ideas circulated; genuine places of expression of thought. Thus, during the War of Liberation, the Tam-Tam became a secret address of the French Federation of the FLN, as a cache of weapons.<ref name="France Culture Warda">Template:Cite web</ref> Indeed, "Le Tam-Tam" was linked to the headquarters of the MTLD, the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Freedoms, the political party for Algerian independence. The cabaret adjoined the MTLD headquarters and was under police surveillance.<ref name="France Culture Warda" /> Mohammed Ftouki was subsequently denounced and imprisoned.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following his release, he went into exile in Beirut with his family and devoted himself to the artistic training of his children, in particular Warda and Messaoud, a percussionist and composer. Both Warda and her brother's talents thrived thanks to the devoted efforts of their father. Mohammed Ftouki died in Cairo in 1961 where he is buried.<ref name="Libération Ayad" />

Career

Career beginnings

At the age of 11, Warda sang in a show hosted by Ahmed Hachlaf, which was broadcast on Paris Inter.<ref name="Guardian Mostyn">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Independent Sweeney">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1950, she recorded her first record for Pathé-Marconi.

In 1956, after the outbreak of the Algerian war, weapons intended for the FLN (Algerian National Liberation Front) were discovered by the police in her father's cabaret. The establishment was closed, and their family expelled. They made plans to move to Hamra, a district of Beirut known for its nightlife.<ref name="Libération Ayad" /> However, her mother died before they could arrive.

Warda sang in Beirut's cabarets.<ref name="L'Orient-Le Jour Ghandour Hert">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1959, at a casino in Aley, she met the composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab, who taught her the art of classical singing and adapted the poet Ahmed Shawqi's qasida "Bi-Omri Kullo Habbitak" for her.<ref name="L'Orient-Le Jour Ghandour Hert" /> This led to her introduction to the Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, who suggested that she be cast in a pan-Arab opera and perform the song "Al Watan Al Akbar" by Mohammed Abdel Wahab.Template:Citation needed Warda recorded it, as did other singers such as Abdel Halim Hafez and Fayza Ahmed.<ref name="Guardian Mostyn" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Egyptian director of musicals, Helmy Rafla, signed her to a contract, enabling her to pursue a musical and film career in Egypt.<ref name="Libération Ayad" /><ref name="Libération Chahine">Template:Cite news</ref> She appeared in two of Rafla's films, "Almaz We Abdo El-Hamouly" and "Amirat al-Arab."<ref name="Libération Ayad" /><ref name="L'Orient-Le Jour Ghandour Hert" />

Career interruption

Warda's father died in 1961.<ref name="Libération Ayad" /> After independence, she went to Algeria for the first time and married an officer who forbade her to sing. She took a ten-year hiatus from music, instead choosing to raise her children. She had a daughter named Widad and a son named Riad, who was named after the composer Riad Al Sunbati.<ref name="Ahram Metwaly">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Akhbar Hayek">Template:Cite news</ref>

Return to singing

In 1972, at the request of Algerian president Houari Boumédiène, Warda took part in the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Algeria's independence by performing in Algiers with an Egyptian orchestra.<ref name="L'Orient-Le Jour Ghandour Hert" /><ref name="Point Warda">Template:Cite news</ref>

Following that performance, Warda and her husband divorced by mutual consent, and she decided to resume her career.<ref name="Akhbar Hayek" /> She returned permanently to Egypt, where she married the composer Baligh Hamdi. She enjoyed great popularity and had the opportunity to work with the greatest Arab composers, such as Helmi Bakr, Riad Al Sunbati, Sadok Thraya, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Mohammed Al-Mougi, and Sayed Mekawy.<ref name="Le Temps d'Algérie B R" /><ref name="Libération Chahine" /><ref>Andrew Hammond, p. 170-171</ref> Egyptian president Anwar Sadat banned her from performing in Egypt because a song from her repertoire, "Inkan el-Ghala Yenzad", praised the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The ban was lifted thanks to the intervention of his wife Jehan.<ref name="Libération Chahine" />

In 1979, Warda returned to France to give a recital at the Olympia.<ref name="Le Temps d'Algérie B R" />

1990s–2000s

In 1990, Warda divorced her second husband, who died in Paris three years later.<ref name="Libération Ayad" /> Her career went into eclipse as new musical styles emerged. However, she was able to return to the forefront due to her popular performances of songs by the composer Salah El-Sharnoubi, such as "Harramt Ahebak", "Batwanes Beek", and "Ya Khsara".<ref name="Libération Ayad" />

She began to develop health problems, which kept her away from the stage. In 1996, she underwent heart surgery, which was followed by a liver transplant in the early 2000s.<ref name="Libération Ayad" /><ref name="L'Orient-Le Jour Ghandour Hert" /><ref>Daïkha Dridi, « Les sept vies de Warda l'Algérienne » [archive] , El Watan, 11 octobre 2006</ref>

In 1999, a Best Of compilation called Nagham El-Hawa was released, which featured her most popular songs.<ref name="Libération Ayad" /> Her last studio album was recorded in 2001.<ref name="Independent Sweeney" />

Warda visited Lebanon in the 2000s to perform at the Baalbeck International Festival. She sang there in 2005 and again in 2008, attracting nearly 3,000 spectators.<ref name="L'Orient-Le Jour Ghandour Hert" /><ref name="Independent Sweeney" /> That same year, she travelled to Algeria and gave various concerts in Djemila, at the Casif Theatre in Sidi Fredj,<ref name="Le Temps d'Algérie B R" /><ref>Tassadit Lazili, « Warda illumine le Casif de ses vocalises » [archive] , La Tribune, 4 août 2008</ref> and at the 4th International Festival. In 2009, Warda took part in the opening night of the 2nd Pan-African Festival in Algiers.<ref>Cherif Ouazani, « Alger à l'heure africaine » [archive] , Jeune Afrique, 30 juin 2009</ref> She also performed in Morocco during the 8th edition of the Mawazine, where she sang in front of 30,000 people. One of her last concerts took place in Lebanon in September 2011.<ref name="L'Orient-Le Jour Ghandour Hert" />

Political engagement

The first song Warda recorded in the 1950s was a patriotic Algerian song.<ref name="Libération Ayad" /> She later sang songs celebrating the struggle and independence of Algeria, such as Saïdouna Ila El Djibal, Min baide (From afar), Aid El Karama (The Festival of Dignity), Soummam and Biladi Ouhibouki. Before her death, the singer made a video-clip entitled Mazal wakfin (We are still standing), celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of independence.<ref name="Alger Chaine 3" /><ref name="Le Temps d'Algérie B R" /><ref name="Point Warda" />

Death and aftermath

Warda died on 17 May 2012 at her home in Cairo following a cardiac arrest that occurred during her sleep. She was 72 years old.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her body was flown back to her homeland, Algeria, and she was given a state funeral. She was buried on 19 May in the "Martyrs' Square" of the El Alia Cemetery in Algiers, which is reserved for national heroes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Her death interrupted the filming of the music video for the song "Eyyam", directed by Mounes Khammar. In May 2013, the music video was presented to the press. The sequences featuring the missing singer were digitally inserted using the animation technique, rotoscoping.<ref name="ReferenceA">Sara Kharfi, « Eyyam, dernier clip de Warda El-Djazaïria » [archive] , Liberté, 12 mai 2013</ref> The song, which was composed by Bilal Zain and written by lyricist Mounir Bou Assaf, was recorded in 2009.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Legacy

Musical style and posterity

The musicologist Daniel Caux considered Warda to have possessed all the qualities necessary for a singer from the Arab world. He emphasized the accuracy of her intonation, her sense of rhythm and her mastery of nuances, in particular, which he thought enriched her singing. According to Caux, Warda succeeds in combining power and delicacy.<ref name="Ahram Metwaly" />

Warda was one of the few singers renowned throughout the Arab world, from the Maghreb to the Mashriq.<ref name="Point Warda" /> She is considered a "diva" of Arab song, in the same way as Umm Kulthum, Sabah, and Fairuz.<ref name="Libération Chahine" /><ref>« Warda, giant of Arab song, dies » [archive] , Associated Press, 17 mai 2012</ref> Her repertoire includes more than 300 songs. During her career, Warda has sold tens of millions of albums.<ref name="Libération Chahine" />

Tributes

On 10 March 2018, the Ensemble Mazzika in Paris paid tribute to Warda in a concert at the Cabaret Sauvage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 30 November 2019, a concert in tribute to Warda was organised by the Ensemble Mazzika and the Lebanese singer Ranine Chaar at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 2021, the Arab World Institute in Paris paid tribute to "The Arab World Divas", among them, Warda. The exhibition displayed the greatest female Arab artists in the 20th century, legendary artists, timeless icons, all the actresses and singers who took part in the evolution of the post-war Arabic societies and who remain references idolized by everyone.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Warda was a gourmet cook, and did not let being a Muslim stand in the way of using wine in cooking. She told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Akhbar, at her home overlooking the Nile, she loved: "Cooking, looking after my beloved cats and listening to old songs."<ref name="Guardian Mostyn" />

Distinctions

In November 2004, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Algerian Revolution, Warda was awarded the El-Athir Medal of the Order of National Merit.<ref>« Bouteflika décore Warda El-Djazaïria » [archive] , L'Expression, 2 novembre 2004</ref> In 2009, she was made Commander of the Moroccan Order of Ouissam Alaouite on the instructions of King Mohammed VI, and the Wali of Rabat gave her the keys to the city.<ref>Amine Harmach, « Warda décorée d'un Ouissam alaouite » [archive] , Aujourd'hui le Maroc, 18 mai 2009</ref> In 2012, she was appointed by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the rank of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.<ref>« Nomination ou promotion dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres janvier 2012 » [archive] , Ministère de la Culture, 26 janvier 2012</ref>

In 2021, the singer was included in the list of 318 Heroes of Diversity appointed by the government of President Emmanuel Macron.<ref name="ReferenceB">« Diversité culturelle dans les établissements », L'enseignement à la loupe, 3 octobre 2019 (ISSN 2409-4242, DOI 10.1787/623dcbb7-fr, lire en ligne [archive], consulté le 25 mars 2021)</ref> The singer was one of 251 men and 67 women, representative of "territorial diversity", who may inspire future street names or public buildings in France.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Among the nominees are great names from literature, art, politics and science, including Emile Zola, Guillaume Apollinaire, Dalida, Serge Gainsbourg, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Emir Abdel Kader.<ref>« Senghor, Zola, Piaf... Qui sont les 318 "héros de la diversité" que Macron veut honorer ? » [archive], sur LExpress.fr, 11 mars 2021 (consulté le 25 mars 2021)</ref><ref>Connexion France, « Macron lists "diverse heroes" for use in new street names » [archive], sur www.connexionfrance.com (consulté le 25 mars 2021)</ref>

Filmography

Warda has appeared in several film and television productions, including:<ref>Rana Hayeck, « Warda al-Jazairia: The Lives and Loves » [archive] , Al-Akhbar, 18 mai 2012</ref><ref>Tahar Melligi, « Le dernier astre d'Orient s'est éteint » [archive] , La Presse de Tunisie, 5 juin 2012</ref>

Film

• 1962: Almaz wa Abdou Alhamoli (ألمظ وعبده الحامولي) with Adel Mamoun
• 1963: Amirat Al Arab (أميرة العرب)
• 1973: Sout Al Hob (The Voice of Love) with Hassan Yousef
• 1974 : Hekayti maa al-Zaman (حكايتي مع الزمان) with Rushdie Abaza
• 1977 : Ah ya leil ya zaman
• 1993: Lih Ya Donia

Television

• 1979: Awraq el Ward (أوراق الورد, Rose petals) with Omar al-Hariri
• 2006: Han al Awan (آن الأوان, Le Temps est venu) by Youssef Maati, directed by Ahmad Sakr

Bibliography

Andrew Hammond, Pop Culture Arab World! Media, Arts, and Lifestyle, ABC-CLIO, 2005, 376 p. (Template:ISBN, read online [archive].), p. 170-171.

External links

• WardaOnline.com, official site
• Warda discography and music Template:Webarchive
• musicmoz.org page
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if:

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