Menguellet and Allam party in Paris

Kabyle music stars Lounis Ait Menguellet and Djamel Allam are set to perform in numerous Paris concerts to mark the Amazigh New Year known as ‘Yennayer,’ which is celebrated on January 12. Menguellet’s musical coordinator, Farid Ahmed, said the Kabyle musical legends will perform in concerts in Soissons (Aisne) and Massy on January 12 and 20. Along with the Menguellet’s performance, the concertgoers will also be treated to a dance show by the Tilleli troupe as well as an exhibition of traditional craft and Berber cuisine The Amazigh Cultural Association is also organising a concert on January 13 with performances by singers Djamel Allam, Nasredine Dalil and his accompanying orchestra, Saeid Akhelfi’s Idebbalen choir and the dance troupe ACB. Yennayer refers to the New Year according to the Amazigh solar and agricultural calendar which has been used by Berber communities for centuries. In 950 BCE the Amazigh, led by King Shoshenq I, defeated the Ancient Egyptians in a battle that took place on the banks of the Nile. The king then took control of Tamazgha (the Amazigh word for the Maghreb region) where Shoshenq laid the foundations for the Amazigh civilisation.