Arts & Events

It’s almost hard for me to write objectively about Algerian-Berber singer and songwriter Souad Massi. Her voice moves me at a very deep, instinctual level. I can’t find words to describe why this is so. All I can say is that I find her voice deeply moving. So it was with great pleasure that I finally encountered Souad Massi in person on the day of her April 20 performance at Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason. We had already spoken by phone while she was on tour in Boston, and we had arranged to meet at Fort Mason between 3:30 and 4:00 on the day of her performance there. Arriving a bit early on Friday, April 20, I walked out to the end of the Fort Mason pier, hoping to spot a seal or two. At the end of the pier, I found Souad Massi and her tour manager, Manu Kirinek, sitting with their backs against the wall enjoying the view of the Golden Gate Bridge while eating a pizza. I introduced myself and was invited to share their pizza, which I gratefully declined, and sat down beside them. “This view is the gift of our tour in America,” Manu exclaimed. I mentioned to them that seals are occasionally seen swimming along these piers. And, sure enough, in the course of our conversation, a seal suddenly appeared in the waters below us; and Souad, leaping to her feet, squealed with delight and proceeded to throw bits of pizza to the seal, who remained indifferent and soon dove out of sight. Thus was the auspicious beginning of my personal encounter with Souad Massi. 

Later, after a sound check, Souad invited me backstage for a fairly lengthy interview. I began by asking her about the musical heritage of her Berber people and how she placed herself in relation to that tradition. “Well, I credit that tradition and pay homage to it, but I do so in my own modern way.” When I asked about the troubles she had with death threats she received in Algeria around the year 2000, she said it was a crazy time full of civil war. She was happy to get out and move to Paris. However, she still has family in Algeria and visits them every year, and she has even given concerts in Algiers in recent years, so things are improving. Nonetheless, Souad says she considers herself a citizen of the world, not of this nation or that. Music, she hopes, bridges all nations and all peoples. We talked a bit about politics; and I told her that though I’m an American I’m very anti-American in our global and even internal politics. Souad expressed concern over the poverty and homelessness she and her troupe had just experienced during their tour of North America. Over the course of our long conversation, I came to know Souad Massi as a deeply caring, very intelligent human being who also happens to be a supremely gifted songwriter and singer. 

Friday evening, Souad Massi’s set was a combination of songs from her early albums, Raoui and Deb, and more recent music. Her acoustic troupe on tour consisted of a brilliant oud player and an equally brilliant percussionist. Without any program, I obtained only the first names of her accompanists – Mehdi on oud, and Ibrahim on percussion. Ibrahim, who performed an amazing solo on tabla in one piece, also joined in occasionally on vocals. Many of this group’s songs were greeted by an adoring audience with North African ullulations. Souad Massi is in my humble opinion a beautiful ambassador from the healing, peace-loving realm of global music. May we all take heart, as I surely do, from Souad Massi’s loving inspiration.