Renowned Moroccan Singer Naïma Samih Dies at 72

Her hospitalization last December in a Rabat clinic was due to the worsening of the cancer she had been fighting for several years.

Renowned for her distinctive voice and inspired interpretation of the Amazigh musical style of southern Morocco, Naïma Samih began her career in the 1970s. Her songs, notably the title "Yak a Jari", were hugely successful in Morocco and other Arab countries.

The artist collaborated with renowned Moroccan composers and lyricists, such as Abdallah Issami, Ali Haddani, Abdelkader Rachdi, Abdelwahab Doukkali, as well as the Kuwaiti Youssef Al Muhanna.

Her last public appearance dates back to 2016, during a tribute at the "Aswat Nissaa" festival in Tétouan.

Naïma Samih had withdrawn from the artistic scene in 2007. Close sources had then indicated that she had performed the Umrah and decided to wear the hijab.

She was married to the former cycling champion Mustapha Belkaid, with whom she had a son, Shams Eddine.