Lounes Matoub

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Lounès Matoub (January 24, 1956 – June 25, 1998), a well-known Algerian-Berber musician, writer, philosopher, and defender who was a vocal promoter of the Berber cause, human rights, and secularism throughout his lifetime. Matoub was chastised by the majority of Algeria's Muslim community for his Laoc political and atheist views, as well as his militant defense of Berber rights, making him unpopular among both combat sides during the Algerian Civil War.

His assassination, under circumstances that remain unclear, sparked violent protests in Kabylie.

Berber Algerians suspect the Algerian government of killing Matoub Lounès, but some of Algeria's statistics suspect the Islamist militants of this crime.

Early life

Lounes Matoub was born in Taourirt Moussa, Algerian Kabylia, on January 24th. He started a new guitar from an empty car oil can and composed his first songs as a child. In 1963–1964, armed conflicts between Kabylians and government forces reignited his political and cultural identity. Algeria's government introduced a policy of Arabization in the education sector in 1968. Matoub responded by skipping school; his memoirs recalled: "We had to give up Berber and refuse French."

I said no!

In all my Arabic classes, I played hooky. Every class that I missed was an act of resistance, a piece of liberty that had been abridged. "My denial was voluntary and deliberate." He had dropped formal education by 1975. In search of work, he went to France.

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Musical career

Matoub began his singing career under the tute of the late singer Idir. In 1978, he released his first album, Ay Izem (The Lion), which was a huge success. He went on to produce 36 albums as well as writing songs for other artists. He appeared in April 1980 at the time of the "Berber Spring" demonstrations in Kabylia.

His music blends Algerian Andalucian Chaabi orchestration with partisan Kabyle (Berber) lyrics, and covers a variety of topics including the Berber cause, democracy, Islamism, love, exile, and human rights. Matoub's style was more direct and confrontational than the Berber poet/musicians who came before him. Mohamed Alileche, a fellow performer, recalls:

Matoub was once barred from Algerian radio and television during his lifetime, and he's now a well-known Kabylian singer.

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