How North African Songs Become Vehicles of Resistance

Across North Africa, protest music has long carried the memory of uprisings even after revolutions fade or descend into renewed repression. In Sudan, Sammany’s “Matalib” (Demands) became associated with the 2019 revolution that toppled Omar al-Bashir after three decades in power. The song endures today despite the country’s descent into civil war. In Tunisia, Emel Mathlouthi’s “Kelmti Horra” became the unofficial soundtrack of the 2011 Arab Spring after she returned from exile to perform it before massive crowds. In Morocco, Rachid Taha’s rendition of the anti-colonial exile song “Ya Rayeh” speaks to generations of migrants leaving home for political or economic survival, while Morocco’s Nass El Ghiwane gave voice to working-class frustration under King Hassan II. Their songs are still used today in football stadium chants. Even Algeria’s beloved “Zina” by Babylone, often read simply as a love song, doubles as a lament for a homeland many feel has slipped out of reach. These songs illustrate how music can preserve political memories and communicate dissent even when public political expression becomes difficult.