The Second World War had not yet appeared and no precursor do foreshadowed the imminent danger to the population, it was absorbed by the material difficulties of daily life. A morose existence marked by an abundance of products and low power Buying constantly eroded by chronic unemployment which affected most of the indigenous population first.
Such was the living of a population suffering in silence, without complaining, but never losing hope for better days. From this point of view, my father was no exception. He operated a small craft shop shoe located at the 2nd Street Skirmisher, which assured us a lifestyle just average, and again. But never mind. Notwithstanding our precarious economic situation, my father was not even his PRC - (Studies Certificate Primary) - knew all the same read and write fluently in French and even a little Arabic, which was rare in those days. So he decided to enroll me at age six in 1938 ... College Rene Basset attended almost exclusively by children of wealthy settlers in the region.
At this point, I must say that at the time, the College was covering the primary, middle and high school simultaneously. But the decision of my father was not accidental or reckless and not responding in any case concerns showy or superficial as you might think. For this purpose it should be noted that primary education was taught at the College fee and therefore, wrongly or rightly as better bill than was lavished with free primary schools communal.
It was thus through sacrifices and privations moult the family budget managed to somehow bear the load imposed on it which was the cause in spite of myself.
better now I dread, and not without emotion, hardly contained, the great merit of my poor father did not hesitate to bleed to death to give me a direction out of proportion with the one he had received himself.
Another positive asset to my father about the education he wanted give myself: It does not allow me to stay at home during my free time, or to populate the streets with children in our neighborhood after leaving the College. So it was in father's shop that I learned my lessons and my homework was writing under his supervision. And I must confess that I liked enough to this pace of life when, at the age of six years, I hung around with already impregnated myself, and adults in their early language of wisdom and common sense.
This character so imposing and so erudite to me was none other than Sheikh Belkacem Ould Hadj Said , (Photo cons) undisputed master of the "Aruba", the "Haouzi" and "Medh. No family celebration, wedding or circumcision in Mostaganem were conceivable without his participation. It was in this worthy successor to the Grand Sheikh Mohamed If Bendada (1846 - 1910) Mostaganem.
Meanwhile, the country of Sidi Lakhdar Benkhlouf and Abdelkader Bentobdji, it was not uncommon to find a common point to two own guilds, namely: the barbers and cobblers. Tradition wanted each other and in their stalls détinssent respective musical instrument, most often a mandolin or a banjo preferably if they personally used to furnish their downtime or that they were happy at the disposal of their customers to better attract.
be noted in passing the appeal of advertising in our brave artisans well before the emergence of modern marketing phenomenon in developed societies, but this moves us away from our topic.
Thus one day this pivotal year 1938, someone came to propose to my father an old Italian mandolin Used in very good condition. The offer was tempting though the asking price was less. In fact, the seller demanded eight "Douros. He had to agree that the price was not given. Also, my father was reluctant as it is true that it was not that he lacked the desire to get up to speed so to speak, with his other professional colleagues. But after much wrangling, the die was cast "Alea is jacta" to paraphrase Julius Caesar.
He thus acquired the coveted gem, to the delight of regulars at the shoe shop and the two workmen employed my father, the eldest was none other than Hajj Ghali Ould-El-Bey assigned escort of Sheikh Hajj Belkacem Ould Said the darbuka or very spiritual man and kouitra with incomparable humor.
It was a godsend for the mischievous little boy of six years that I was, because despite the fear and respect I felt for my revered father, I manage to violate the prohibition he forced me to touch the gem because of its fragility and the risks inherent in any mishandled. Additionally I was served by an unprecedented chance of enjoying the presence and providential almost daily in our shop, Sheikh Hajj Belkacem, who, having noticed the interest that I wore to the "thing" is set about me show spontaneous art and how to hold a musical instrument in the hands and the location of keys on the handle to get different sounds. It was enough. This was the starting point of a long journey between the "snitra" and me.
must say that the beginnings were rather hesitant and awkward, and the admonitions of my father even more frequent. But taking into account the opinion and advice of the Sheikh who had found the passion I felt for this discipline, he decided to trust me, while making its authorization to the school than I was required to bring the College .
Progress through my fingers were encouraging, and my class notes no less promising I will always remember the first songs that I managed to run exercising my little fingers on the keys more and more "docile" and it was a slight melody very popular in all schools and whose first words were "A flower in the hat, mouth, a song"
My father could not believe his eyes, or rather his ears while I felt a huge sense of pride that I could hide, and for good reason. But obviously, it was far from enough. My ambition always pushed me to want to play something else buried in my mind that I could externalize my will. I am ambitious to play a more measured and certainly less chaotic, a bit like the musicians he had been given to admire in our shoe.
Thus very significant progress made, the urge took me to try my skills on all fresh ... "istikhbâr. And here I must say that the difficulties were taking other dimensions that I had not suspected. So I had to mark time for a long period after which I had the immense happiness more or less correctly interpret all the "Istikhbarat" that I used to listen. So I noticed that little by little, I mastered better and better "my" instrument that had finally decided to indulge all his secrets or ... almost.
But the history of this mandolin does not stop there. It will be called to accompany me in all the travels undertaken in my entire life and until now, it continues to occupy a prominent place in a closet ... and in my heart especially.
Moreover we meet again much later when it will serve as a starting point for my eldest son for his Fodil learning music, and after him, his younger brother Faisal.
Thus, its presence is seen as having helped trigger the birth of vocations in grass, without it, would perhaps have remained untapped.
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