Whether it is resisting colonization, the Israeli occupation, Arab dominance, or the remnants of divide and rule, love often takes on a political dimension when artists assert their patriotism, or their mere existence, in songs. By focusing on the love between people that have so long been at war with each other, Keila made brave political statements in dangerous times. Elmiene’s For the Deported EP is a love letter to the country of his parents and the people that became refugees. Renowned Tuareg guitarist and singer-songwriter Bombino’s “Imajghane (The Tuareg People)” warns of the threat of Tuareg culture disappearing in our fast-changing world and calls on his people’s pride in their identity and spirit. Kabyle music is the traditional and modern popular music of the Kabyle people of northern Algeria, primarily sung in Tamazight and telling poetic stories of love, nostalgia, exile, social life, and identity.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 17, 2026 15:21 UTC