{"id":13253,"date":"2012-02-16T18:48:00","date_gmt":"2012-02-16T17:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=13253"},"modified":"2017-10-20T10:13:40","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T08:13:40","slug":"voyage-back-to-the-roots-a-french-algerian-rhapsody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/voyage-back-to-the-roots-a-french-algerian-rhapsody\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to the Roots: A French-Algerian Rhapsody"},"content":{"rendered":"

How long does it take to go on a roadtrip from Paris all the way to Algeria?\u00a0<\/span>Probably beaucoup trop longtemps <\/em>(way\u00a0too long)!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"But Hamdoullah <\/em>(meaning “Thank God” in Arabic<\/span><\/a>, as French-Algerians would say), the cool Uncle, aka “Tonton du Bled”,\u00a0<\/em>has fully packed his Peugeot 504 car with plenty of cadeaux <\/em>(presents) which he bought from TATI (like a French equivalent of Target or Wall-Mart in the US.)<\/span><\/p>\n

He put all his nephews in the car (all 17 of them), and turned the radio to a pretty catchy tune.<\/span><\/p>\n

— “Fasten up your seatbelts boys, we’re off to le pays de vos racines <\/em>(the country of your roots)!”<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AlNsHGxYRxQ<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Born in Vitry-sur-Seine, today a major “urban art” hot spot right outside of\u00a0Paris, French Rapper of Algerian descent Rim’K, star of the group 113, always wanted to mix French lyrics with traditional Algerian tunes: Voici ce que\u00a0\u00e7a donne<\/em> (here’s the result)!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“Tonton du Bled”\u00a0– by <\/em>113<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em> Eh tonton, les cabas i’ sont trop lourds
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Hey uncle, the shopping bags are too heavy<\/span><\/p>\n

Aaaaah, allez montez dans voiture, j’ai dit<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Aaaaaah, come on get in the car, I said<\/span><\/p>\n

Monte, monte. Monte, Billel, eh Moul’, eh Othmene<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Get in, get in. Get in, Billel, eh Moul’, eh Othman<\/span><\/p>\n

Allez, monte, monte, allez, on y va, on y va
\n<\/em>
\nCome on, get in, get in, here we go, here we go
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Eh, ‘ami Karim, Tonton du bled, les Mismour, Ouled bledi<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Eh, uncle Karim, Uncle of the bled (Bled is Arabic <\/span><\/a>for “country”, i.e. Algeria), the Mismour family, my fellow countrymen
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

J’voulais rester \u00e0 la cit\u00e9, mon p\u00e8re m’a dit “l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I wanted to stay in our neighborhood, my father goes like “no no no” (“le la<\/em>” means “no” in parts of Algeria)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Dans ce cas l\u00e0 j’ram\u00e8ne tous mes amis?—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In this case, I bring all my friends?—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Alors dans une semaine j’rentre \u00e0 Vitry?—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Ok so in one week I go back to Vitry?—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

J’irai finir mes jours l\u00e0-bas?—“oua oua oua!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I’ll go over there to spend the last days of my life?—“yes yes yes!”\u00a0(“Oua<\/em>” means “yes” in Western Algeria)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

504 Break charg\u00e9e, allez montez les neveux<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

504 Break overloaded, come on get in, nephews<\/span><\/p>\n

Juste un instant que je mette sur le toit la grosse malle bleue<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Just a sec, I put on the roof the big blue suitcase<\/span><\/p>\n

Nombreux comme une \u00e9quipe de foot, voitures \u00e0 ras du sol<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

As many as a football team, the car almost touching the ground<\/span><\/p>\n

On est les derniers locataires qui d\u00e9collent\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We’re the last tenants to take off<\/span><\/p>\n

Le plein de gazoil et d’gazouz pour pas flancher<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Fill up the gas and the “gazouz” to make sure we won’t crack up (Algerian slang for soda, which comes from the French word “gaseuse<\/em>“, itself coming from “eau gaseuse<\/em>“, meaning “spring water”)<\/span><\/p>\n

Billel va pisser le temps qu’j’fasse mon petit march\u00e9<\/em><\/span>
\n
\n<\/em>Billel go pee, I’ll go in the meantime buy a thing or two \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Direction l’port, deux jours pied sur l’plancher<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Off to the port, two days with the feet on the floorboard\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jusqu’\u00e0 Marseille<\/span><\/a> avec la voiture un peu pench\u00e9e<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

All the way to Marseille with the car a bit tilted<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus de 24 heures de bateau—je sais, c’est pas un cadeau<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

More than 24 hours on a boat—I know, it ain’t a piece of cake<\/span><\/p>\n

Mais qu’est-ce que je vais kiffer sur la place Guido<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But man am I gonna have a great time on Guido Place<\/span><\/p>\n

A Beja\u00efa City du haut de ma montagne\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

At Bejaia City on top of my mountain (Bejaia, North East of Algeria, on the Mediterranean coast)<\/span><\/p>\n

Avant d’rentrer fe dar, j’fais un p’tit tour par Oran<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Before going back home\u00a0I make a quick run to Oran\u00a0(“fe\u00a0dar<\/em>” in Arabic <\/span><\/a>means “at home”)<\/span><\/p>\n

Vu qu’\u00e0 Paris j’ai d\u00e9valis\u00e9 tout Tati<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Since back in Paris I pretty much emptied the whole\u00a0Tati<\/span><\/a>\u00a0store<\/span><\/p>\n

J’vais rassasier tout le village, m\u00eame les plus petits<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I’ll satiate the whole village’s delight, even the youngest ones\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Du tissu et des bijoux pour les jeunes mari\u00e9s<\/em><\/span>
\n
\n<\/em>Cloth and jewells for the young married couples<\/span><\/p>\n

Et des jouets en pagaille pour les nouveaux-n\u00e9s<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And toys in shambles for the newborn<\/span><\/p>\n

J’voulais rester \u00e0 la cit\u00e9 mon p\u00e8re m’a dit “l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I wanted to stay in the neighborhood
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Dans c’cas l\u00e0 j’ram\u00e8ne tous mes amis—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In that case I bring all of my friends?—“no no no!”
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Alors dans une semaine j’rentre \u00e0 Vitry?—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So in one week I go back to Vitry?—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

J’irai finir mes jours l\u00e0-bas?—“oua oua oua!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I’ll go over there to spend the last days of my life?—“yes yes yes!”<\/span><\/p>\n

J’suis sur la plage \u00e0 Boulimat avec mon zinc et son derbouka<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I stayed on the beach at Boulimat (near Bejaia) with my coz’ and his goblet drum<\/span><\/p>\n

Dans la main un verre de Selecto, imitation Coca\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Holding a Selecto soda, an imitation of Coke<\/span><\/p>\n

Une couche de zit-zitoun sur le corps et sur les bras<\/em><\/span>
\n
\n<\/em>A layer of olive oil on the body and on the arms<\/span><\/p>\n

Avec mon poste sur un fond de Zahouania<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

With my radio blasting Zahouania (an Algerian Rai singer)<\/span><\/p>\n

On parle de tout et de rien, des Nike Air aux visas,<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We shoot the breeze, talking about Nike Air and Visas<\/span><\/p>\n

De la travers\u00e9e du d\u00e9sert au bon couscous de Y\u00e9ma\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

About crossing the desert and the tasty couscous of Mom<\/span><\/p>\n

Avec 2, 3 bl\u00e9dards on tape la discussion<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

With 2, 3 “Algerian rednecks” we kickstart a discussion<\/span><\/p>\n

Mahmoud n’peut pas s’emp\u00eacher de dire que j’suis dans la chanson<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Mahmoud couldn’t help it, he had to say that I’m into singing<\/span><\/p>\n

L’un d’eux me dit : Moi j’t’ai pas vu “fi tilivision”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

One of them told me: Well, I never saw you on TV<\/span><\/p>\n

Et l’autre me demande: Saha, taaref Micka\u00ebl Jackson?<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And the other one goes like: Yo wassup, you know Michael Jackson?<\/span><\/p>\n

Ils m’parlent trop vite et en argot d’bl\u00e9dard<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They talk to me way too fast in “Algerian rednecky” slang<\/span><\/p>\n

Je sais ce qu’ils feraient pour une poign\u00e9e de dinars, “counard”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I know what they’d do for a fist of dinars—you stupid or what?<\/span><\/p>\n

Le soleil se couche et tout l’monde rentre chez soi<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Sunset time, everyone goes home<\/span><\/p>\n

C’est l’heure du repas et de “lateille”, pour d’autres la chicha\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It’s time for food and tea, for others it’s hookah time\u00a0
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

J’ai pass\u00e9 un bon mois dans c’qu’on appelle le tiers-monde<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I spent a great month in the so-called “Third World”<\/span><\/p>\n

Et si j’avais assez d’oseille j’ram\u00e8nerais tout le monde<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And if I had plenty of money I’d bring everybody<\/span><\/p>\n

Mais j’peux pas fermer les yeux sur c’qui s’passe vraiment<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But I can’t turn a blind eye on what’s really happening\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Je d\u00e9die ce morceau aux disparus, aux enfants et aux mamans<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I dedicate this tune to the ones who disappeared, the kids and the moms (in reference to the so-called “Red Decade” in Algeria, 1990-2000)<\/span><\/p>\n

Et je suis rentr\u00e9 \u00e0 la cit\u00e9 “en ‘Abaia”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

And I went back to the neighborhood dressed in ‘Abaya (an Algerian traditional garment)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Content de revoir mes potots et ma chebba<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Happy to see again my buddies and my cutey\u00a0\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Pendant deux semaines, j’ai mang\u00e9 que d’la chorba<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

For two weeks I ate nothing but Shorba<\/span><\/p>\n

J’irai finir mes jours l\u00e0-bas inch’Allah<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I’ll go spend the end of my days over there, Inshallah<\/span><\/p>\n

S’te plait, vas-y, laisses-moi ramener mon scooter—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Please, go ahead, let me bring my scooter—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Bon, dans c’cas l\u00e0 j’ram\u00e8ne mon trois-quart, alors?—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Ok, in this case I bring my light jacket then?—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Bon alors, j’prends tous mes CD, toutes mes K7?—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Ok then, I’ll take all my CDs, all my cassettes?—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, bon, ben j’prends rien alors?—“oua oua oua!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, well, I take nothing then?—“yes yes yes!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Bon, j’me fais la boule au moins, avant d’partir?—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Well, I get a buzzcut at least, before I take off?—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Je ram\u00e8ne la play-station, euh?—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

I bring the Play Station, eh?—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

La t\u00e9l\u00e9 du salon au moins?—“l\u00e9 l\u00e9 la!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The TV in the living room at least?—“no no no!”<\/span><\/p>\n

Tu crois que j’vais aller l\u00e0-bas pour m’marier ou quoi?—“oua oua oua!”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

You think I go there to get married or what?—“yes yes yes!” \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How long does it take to go on a roadtrip from Paris all the way to Algeria?\u00a0Probably beaucoup trop longtemps (way\u00a0too long)! But Hamdoullah (meaning “Thank God” in Arabic, as French-Algerians would say), the cool Uncle, aka “Tonton du Bled”,\u00a0has fully packed his Peugeot 504 car with plenty of cadeaux (presents) which he bought from…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,108,13],"tags":[168587,9553,9554,3531,168592,168588,168589,168596,168600,168598,168595,2149,168590,168580,168602,11558,6092,168593,8122,168585,66071,168594,168599,168586,168591,168601,168583,168582,168581,168579,168584,168597,9555],"class_list":["post-13253","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-culture","category-music","category-vocabulary","tag-168587","tag-algeria","tag-algerie","tag-arabic","tag-bejaia","tag-bled","tag-bledard","tag-boulimat","tag-chebba","tag-couscous","tag-derbouka","tag-france","tag-gazouz","tag-hamdoullah","tag-maghreb-united","tag-marseille","tag-michael-jackson","tag-oran","tag-paris","tag-pays-des-racines","tag-peugeot-504","tag-place-guido","tag-red-decade","tag-rimk","tag-selecto","tag-shorba","tag-target","tag-tati","tag-tonton-du-bled","tag-vitry-sur-seine","tag-wall-mart","tag-zahouania","tag-zidane"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t