Music and Islam in the Saharawi refugee camps of the Hamada desert, Algeria: the practice of medej as a syncretic musical evolution

Abstract

This article examines the popularisation of medej in the Saharawi refugee camps of Tindouf, Algeria. Traditionally, medej is a religious musical style performed on Thursday evenings in a familiar environment. Medej also serves as an announcement to al jummah (Friday), the day of the week that Muslims are meant to meet at the mosque to listen to the imam’s sermon. However, the youth have popularized medej as a form of singing at weddings or national events in the camps, providing a new social dimension to the religious musical style. As a result, medej is sung in a familiar context and, on the other hand, the youngsters use traditional medej songs for live performances or even to compose new songs in such musical style. This article aims to argue the dichotomy between tradition and the popularisation of medej among the youth. In other words, this article is based on the study of medej as a syncretic and non-static musical genre, popularised in the 1980s during non-religious events in the refugee camps.

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