Cheikha Remitti

The unrivaled queen of Algerian rai music, Cheikha Rimitti was one of the most beloved and controversial singers of the Islamic world, challenging deeply ingrained notions of sex, politics, and femininity with such candor and ferocity that she was ultimately forced into exile. Born May 8, 1923, in the western Algerian countryside of Tessaa, she was orphaned as an infant and given the name Saadia, spending her adolescence working as a domestic. At age 15, she joined a troupe of traveling musicians known as the Hamadachis and became an accomplished dancer. In time Saadia became ...