Haja El Hamdaouia ( ar, الحاجة الحمداوية; 28 October 1930 – 5 April 2021) was a Moroccan singer and songwriter, known for singing Moroccan
Chaabi
Chaabi ( in Arabic), also known as Chaâbi, Sha-bii, or Sha'bii meaning "folk", refers to different music genres in North Africa and the Middle East such as Algerian chaabi, Moroccan chaabi and Egyptian Shaabi.
Chaabi music just means 'music ...
and
Aita
Aita (also spelled ''Eita'' in Etruscan inscriptions) is the name of the Etruscan equivalent to the Greek Hades, the god of the underworld.
Images
Aita is a relatively late addition to the Etruscan pantheon, appearing in iconography and in Et ...
.
Biography
El Hamdaouia was born in 28 October 1930 and grew up in
Derb Sultan
Derb Sultan (Arabic: درب السلطان) is one of the largest and oldest neighborhoods in Casablanca. It is part of the prefecture of district Al Fida-Mers Sultan. It is known for being one of the cradles of colonial resistance against the F ...
in Casablanca where she started singing from a young age. She sang in front of the "patchwork" Orchestra.
She started her career in the 1950s, performing the genre "El Aita al Marsaouia". This is one of the most popular styles of Moroccan traditional music. "El Aita" can be translated into "the call" or "the cry" in which performers sing about a particular cause. During the French protectorate, singers El Aita to beratee colonizers with the lyrics, calling on them to leave the country.
She performed at
Salim Halali's cabaret in
Maarif, .
El Hamdaouia was also known for her unique appearances on stage, inseparable from her "bendir," a big hand frame drum and membranophone. The artist was famous for her classic hairstyles and colorful caftans on stage.
She created her own style of pop music with traditional Moroccan
kaftan
A kaftan or caftan (; fa, خفتان, ) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, ''kaftan'' instead refers to a style of men's l ...
. Her songs are considered pop classics which were adapted by many current Moroccan pop musicians. She performed together with famous artists such as
Cheb Khaled and
Hamid Bouchnak
Hamid Bouchnak ( ar, حميد بوشناق; born 13 May 1969) is a Moroccan raï singer.
See also
*Saida Fikri
Saida Fikri ( ar, سعيدة فكري; born 28 November 1971 in Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ...
.
After a week of suffering health complications that required her to be transferred to the hospital for medical supervision, El Hamdaouia died on 5 April 2021 at Cheikh Zaid hospital in
Rabat
Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...
, aged 90
.
Songs
El Hamdaouia is famous for several songs such as:
* "Ha lkass Hlou" (duo with Hamid Bouchnak).
* "Daba Yji"
* "Jiti majiti"
* "Dada ou hiyani"
* "Mal hbibi’liya"
* "Hna mada bina"
References
20th-century Moroccan women singers
People from Casablanca
1930 births
2021 deaths
21st-century Moroccan women singers
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