Warda Mohammed Ftouki (; 22 July 1939 – 17 May 2012), known professionally as Warda Al-Jazairia (, ), was an Algerian singer. She was well known for her Egyptian Arabic songs and music. Her name was sometimes shortened to just Warda in the Arab world.

Early life

Warda Ftouki was born in Paris on July 22, 1939. Her father, Mohammed Ftouki, was an Algerian from Souk Ahras, and her mother was Lebanese. She was the youngest of five children.

Warda began singing in the 1950s. She made her debut at the Tam-Tam, a cabaret owned by her father located on rue Saint-Séverin, in the Latin Quarter; it is home to many famous stars of Arabic music, such as Safia Chamia and Farid El Atrache.

The TAM-TAM: Warda's first stage

Warda's father, Mohammed Ftouki opened the in 1951. The name was derived from an acrostic of "Tunisia - Algeria - Morocco", at a time when several other establishments of the kind appeared such as El Djazaïr, El Koutoubia, and the Baghdad.

The establishment quickly became very successful. Farid al-Atrash performed there. As well as Salim Al Hillali, the other souk-ahrassien, who had sung there every night for years.

Receptacles and laboratories of modern Arab singers, these cabarets were also meeting places for diasporic communities where ideas circulated; genuine places of expression of thought. Thus, during the War of Liberation, the Tam-Tam became a secret address of the French Federation of the FLN, as a cache of weapons. Indeed, "Le Tam-Tam" was linked to the headquarters of the MTLD, the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Freedoms, the political party for Algerian independence. The cabaret adjoined the MTLD headquarters and was under police surveillance.

Following his release, he went into exile in Beirut with his family and devoted himself to the artistic training of his children, in particular Warda and Messaoud, a percussionist and composer. Both Warda and her brother's talents thrived thanks to the devoted efforts of their father.

Mohammed Ftouki died in Cairo in 1961 where he is buried. In 1950, she recorded her first record for Pathé-Marconi.

In 1956, after the outbreak of the Algerian war, weapons intended for the FLN (Algerian National Liberation Front) were discovered by the police in her father's cabaret. The establishment was closed, and their family expelled. They made plans to move to Hamra, a district of Beirut known for its nightlife. In 1959, at a casino in Aley, she met the composer Mohammed Abdel Wahab, who taught her the art of classical singing and adapted the poet Ahmed Shawqi's qasida "Bi-Omri Kullo Habbitak" for her. The Egyptian director of musicals, Helmy Rafla, signed her to a contract, enabling her to pursue a musical and film career in Egypt. She appeared in two of Rafla's films, "Almaz We Abdo El-Hamouly" and "Amirat al-Arab."

Return to singing

In 1972, at the request of Algerian president Houari Boumédiène, Warda took part in the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Algeria's independence by performing in Algiers with an Egyptian orchestra.

Following that performance, Warda and her husband divorced by mutual consent, and she decided to resume her career. Egyptian president Anwar Sadat banned her from performing in Egypt because a song from her repertoire, "Inkan el-Ghala Yenzad", praised the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The ban was lifted thanks to the intervention of his wife Jehan.

In 1999, a Best Of compilation called Nagham El-Hawa was released, which featured her most popular songs. and at the 4th International Festival. In 2009, Warda took part in the opening night of the 2nd Pan-African Festival in Algiers. She also performed in Morocco during the 8th edition of the Mawazine, where she sang in front of 30,000 people. One of her last concerts took place in Lebanon in September 2011. Her body was flown back to her homeland, Algeria, and she was given a state funeral. She was buried on 19 May in the "Martyrs' Square" of the El Alia Cemetery in Algiers, which is reserved for national heroes.

Her death interrupted the filming of the music video for the song "Eyyam", directed by Mounes Khammar. In May 2013, the music video was presented to the press. The sequences featuring the missing singer were digitally inserted using the animation technique, rotoscoping. The song, which was composed by Bilal Zain and written by lyricist Mounir Bou Assaf, was recorded in 2009. Her repertoire includes more than 300 songs. During her career, Warda has sold tens of millions of albums.

On 30 November 2019, a concert in tribute to Warda was organised by the Ensemble Mazzika and the Lebanese singer Ranine Chaar at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris.

On 2021, the Arab World Institute in Paris paid tribute to "The Arab World Divas", among them, Warda. The exhibition displayed the greatest female Arab artists in the 20th century, legendary artists, timeless icons, all the actresses and singers who took part in the evolution of the post-war Arabic societies and who remain references idolized by everyone.

Warda was a gourmet cook, and did not let being a Muslim stand in the way of using wine in cooking. She told the Egyptian newspaper Al-Akhbar, at her home overlooking the Nile, she loved: "Cooking, looking after my beloved cats and listening to old songs." In 2009, she was made Commander of the Moroccan Order of Ouissam Alaouite on the instructions of King Mohammed VI, and the Wali of Rabat gave her the keys to the city. In 2012, she was appointed by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy to the rank of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

In 2021, the singer was included in the list of 318 Heroes of Diversity appointed by the government of President Emmanuel Macron. The singer was one of 251 men and 67 women, representative of "territorial diversity", who may inspire future street names or public buildings in France.

Filmography

Warda has appeared in several film and television productions, including:

Film

  • 1962: Almaz wa Abdou Alhamoli (ألمظ وعبده الحامولي) with Adel Mamoun
  • 1963: Amirat Al Arab (أميرة العرب)
  • 1973: Sout Al Hob (The Voice of Love) with Hassan Yousef
  • 1974 : Hekayti maa al-Zaman (حكايتي مع الزمان) with Rushdie Abaza
  • 1977 : Ah ya leil ya zaman
  • 1993: Lih Ya Donia

Television

  • 1979: Awraq el Ward (أوراق الورد, Rose petals) with Omar al-Hariri
  • 2006: Han al Awan (آن الأوان, Le Temps est venu) by Youssef Maati, directed by Ahmad Sakr

Bibliography

  • Andrew Hammond, Pop Culture Arab World! Media, Arts, and Lifestyle, ABC-CLIO, 2005, 376 p. (, read online [archive].), p. 170-171.

References

  • WardaOnline.com, official site
  • Warda discography and music
  • musicmoz.org page