Dean of Song Hafez Theverdgas in an interview with “The Amazigh World”
He is Hafez the name of an inscription in the artistic memory of the rural people in particular and the Amazighs in general. He sang for love, for emigration and for the mother. With simple capabilities, he was already able to be called the dean of the rural song. Riva, Hanina and Jodia, carefully selected words that speak to the soul, and question the queen of thinking.
Hafez, who was carried by the winds of emigration to settle in Belgium, without forgetting its pulsating countryside in his heart, is the swallow, this beautiful bird, a symbol of attachment and loyalty.
Theverdgas is the artistic name he chose for his singing group at the suggestion of the late poet Hakim Al-Masoudi.
In this dialogue, he tells us about his musical beginnings, the difficulties that permeated them, and the reality of rural music. He is the Amazigh artist, Hafez Theverdjas.
Rural music, with its modest capabilities, was able to touch the taste of the masses, despite marginalization and constraints
We welcome you to the pages of the Amazigh World newspaper. How would you like to introduce yourself to the newspaper's readers?
Hafez al-Kutumi was born in Izfezafen, in the districts of Al-Hoceima. The winds of migration carried me, like all other rural people, to settle in Belgium, the city of Brussels.
How did you begin your journey in the midst of Amazigh music?
The beginning was self-made, a tendency towards love of music and rhythms in general, making primitive instruments from the remains of car oil cans, in addition to traditional instruments found in every rural house, such as the tambourine, for example. As for singing, like all beginnings in the field, it was an attempt to imitate some popular artistic voices in the local and national artistic arena, with the encouragement of comrades with their committed choices, and we especially mention the late Hakim Al-Masoudi, who played a pioneering role in my humble artistic career. It was our warm sun and the ringing of warm winter rain. Theverdgas was the name he suggested to the group after we were called “Dawa Narif.” The group was named by this beautiful bird for several considerations that we cannot mention, the most important of which is the depth of connection and loyalty.
I also do not miss the occasion without mentioning the arrival of the country artists “Gusmit” as a stand-alone music school and through which we learn the first rules of music.
What are the difficulties you faced in your artistic beginnings, and how did you overcome them?
The absence of music institutes and schools, the inferior view of music on the part of an extremist mentality, the failure to include art and music as an artistic genre in educational curricula, the besieging of committed art by the authorities and police censorship. But despite all these difficulties, we were able to contribute, along with other artists, to enriching the rural musical repertoire with the encouragements of the audience, who adopted the committed rural song as a cry emanating from the depths of the lived social reality, as it is a true message with its meanings and implications.
?What are the themes and lyrical styles that you work on
A mixture of western rhythms, especially the Mediterranean basin. And local linked to the authentic rural heritage.
What is your assessment of the reality of rural and Amazigh music in general?
Rural music, with its modest capabilities, was able to touch the taste of the masses, despite the marginalization and constraints that we mentioned earlier, but the phenomenon of migration contributed to the dispersal of several musical groups, and thus the fading of collective creativity and its cohesion. And the lack of cultural spaces that embrace these artistic energies.
The committed song is a cry emanating from the depths of the lived social reality and a sincere message with the meanings and implications it contains.
What are the conditions and foundations that must be met by any musical group in order to succeed, shine and achieve fame and spread, according to your opinion?
There are a number of factors that can ensure the continuity and success of creativity, including what is material in terms of supporting and constructing spaces and institutes and organizing artistic forums, and what is subjective, i.e. presenting an artistic product that touches the taste of the artistic masses and is linked to the social environment and the rural artistic heritage. As for the issue of brilliance and fame, it is not self-desire, but rather Several factors contribute to crystallizing a creative image, whether on the musical level or other artistic genres.
?In your opinion, which is considered more influential on the audience, the words or the melody
Melody and words are main, integrated pillars linked to each other in an inseparable dialectical relationship.
With the exception of the late poet Hakim Masoudi, the author of the masterpiece “Amdoker Iogir”, who are the poets and writers of ?words that you deal with
Khaled Al-Yahawi, Hakim Al-Masoudi, Ahmed Al-Sadiqi, Muhammad Azraqan and My Personal Poems.
?What are your future projectsIn your opinion, which is considered more influential on the audience, the words or the melody
Melody and words are main, integrated pillars linked to each other in an inseparable dialectical relationship.
With the exception of the late poet Hakim Masoudi, the author of the masterpiece “Amdoker Iogir”, who are the poets and writers of words that you deal with?
Khaled Al-Yahawi, Hakim Al-Masoudi, Ahmed Al-Sadiqi, Muhammad Azraqan and My Personal Poems.
?What are your future projects
We hope that there will be auxiliary conditions that stimulate the continuation of the creativity process, so that we can strengthen the communication links between the fans of the committed song.
?word free
We thank the staff of “Al-Alam Al-Amazigh” newspaper for this valuable attention, and we wish you success and perseverance, especially when we recall the difficulties faced by the written press in general. In light of the wave of informational development and the accompanying phenomena that led to the bankruptcy of a group of written media platforms, a message to your esteemed readers, we hope that this passage of ours will be light-hearted. Let's get creative.
Interviewer: Khair Al-Din Al-Jami
Source: websites