Teldja

Saadia Bakhouch known as Teldja ثلجة is an Algerian singer born in Aïn Beïda on June 12, 1953. The main merit of this great singer is in contributing to renew and divulge a musical style known as Chaoui belonging to the culture of the Berber people with the same name. The Chaouis (Amazigh: Icawiyen) are an ethnic group inhabiting the Aurès (Amazigh: ⴰⵡⵔⴰⵙ / Awras), a region located in the north east of Algeria, characterized by a rich history and by the mountain that gives the name to the region. Teldja proposes a revision of the musical heritage of this region, sometimes reinterpreting it using a classically Arabic orchestration, which still arouses various criticisms by various members of the Algerian Berber community who have always considered arabization as absolute evil. Very little is known about the biography of this artist whose art has been gradually forgotten. It seems she have begun to sing at parties and weddings in the early '70s. In 1976 she performed in the city of Ouenza in the company of the folkloric band, generating great appreciation and starting a brilliant but brief career. She has never left her region of origin and has lived between the cities of Annaba and Tebessa, recording several songs among which the best known are: "Ya Salah", "Talaa netsawar" and "Tiri tiri ya teyyara ". During her career she has collaborated with some of the best Algerian composers including: Rabah Driassa and Mohamed Boulifa. In 1984 she was invited for an official performance in the city of Constantine, since then the news about her disappears.