Raï Music: The Cultural Bridge Uniting Morocco and Algeria Despite Closed Borders

The closure of the border between Morocco and Algeria has apparently not ruined the relations between the two peoples. In the cultural sector, there are still common points that keep these two countries together.

In an op-ed published on Marianne, writer Tawfiq Belfadel speaks about the subject without ambiguity. According to him, "Moroccans and Algerians are two peoples who love each other tremendously because it is enough to state your Algerian identity in Morocco to see the hugs and sweet words that Moroccans offer you." This love had also manifested itself at the last Africa Cup of Nations where Moroccans supported and defended the Algerian team by chanting the slogan "khawa khawa" (we are brothers).

But raï music remains the unifying element of the two peoples. The writer noted that the International Raï Festival has been held for years in Oujda. And in Saidia and Oujda, two Moroccan cities, Algerian raï is accepted by all, sanctified to the point where the visitor would think he was in Oran. Moreover, this music is played in the nightclubs of Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech or Tangier, etc. in stores, in cars, in the alleys of the souks, on smartphones...

For Tawfiq Belfadel, raï is a bridge of love and brotherhood between Moroccans and Algerians, which erases the border and its bad consequences on the consciences of the two peoples. The writer believes that the border is an illusion, a product of geopolitics.