Mohamed Belaid (1873 – 1945), widely known as Rays Lhaj Belaid, was a Moroccan singer-poet (''ṛṛays'') and

rebab The ''rebab'' ( ar, ربابة, ''rabāba'', variously spelled ''rebap'', ''rubob'', ''rebeb'', ''rababa'', ''rabeba'', ''robab'', ''rubab'', ''rebob'', etc) is the name of several related string instruments that independently spread via I ...

player. He sang in Tachelhit. He is considered to be one of the first essential figures of ''rways'' (plural of rays), poetry and

players in the musical tradition of

Shilha people The Shilha people (, ), or Ishelhien, or Chleuh are a Berber subgroup primarily inhabiting the Anti Atlas, High Atlas, Sous Valley, and Soussi coastal regions of Morocco. Overview The Shilha people traditionally call themselves ''ishelhien''. T ...

(also known as chleuh).

Biography

Lhaj Belaid was born around 1873 in a small village near

Ouijjane Ouijjane is a small town and rural commune in Tiznit Province of the Souss-Massa-Drâa region of Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks t ...

, but he lived most of his life travelling in the region of

Sous The Sous region (also spelt Sus, Suss, Souss or Sousse) ( ar, سوس, sūs, shi, ⵙⵓⵙ, sus) is an area in mid-southern Morocco. Geologically, it is the alluvial basin of the Sous River (''Asif n Sus''), separated from the Sahara desert ...

s. His father died when he was child and student in the local madrasa. He quit study and started to work as a

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

in his village. Lhaj Belaid started playing

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

when he was a shepherd. He continued singing and playing with his

until he left for the

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

town of

Tazerwalt Tazerwalt ( ar, تزروالت, shi, ⵜⴰⵥⵔⵡⴰⵍⵜ; also spelled Tazeroualt) is a historical region located in the south of Morocco, from which an independent state arose in the 17th century. Governed from its capital of Iligh in the A ...

to learn more about poetry. Later, he joined a musical group where he played rebab and became increasing popular. In 1937, he was one of the first Moroccan artists to be invited to record his music for the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

Pathé-Marconi in Paris.

Legacy

Lhaj Belaid was a prolific poet and singer treating several social, cultural and political topics. Some of his famous poems and songs are: * ''Mqqar tlla tuga / Taliwin'' *Aṭbib (the doctor) * ''Lḥassani'' * Ljuhr (the jewelry) *Ṣṣbeṛ (Patience) *Lhna (Peace) *Lmakina (the Machine) *Lḥijj (the pilgrimage) *Iɣ istara uḍar inu * ''Atbir umlil (the white Pigeon)'' * ''Isa ukan txmmamɣ''

Death

In the early 1940s, Lhaj Belaid suddenly disappeared from the musical scene and is believed to have died between 1943 and 1948 (most likely 1945) in a small village in the region of Souss.

References

1873 births 1945 deaths 19th-century Moroccan poets 19th-century Moroccan singers 20th-century Moroccan poets 20th-century Moroccan male singers Moroccan songwriters Berber musicians Berber poets Shilha people {{Morocco-writer-stub

Biography

Legacy

Death

See also

References