Bachtarzi ensemble (named after Mahieddine Bachtarzi), he persevered in singing. Slimane finally recorded his first album with the song A muh muh has. For all those Kabyles dealing with homesickness, his records were highly sought after at Madame Sauviat, the only record store that sold at that time albums of Maghrebi and Oriental artists. This woman, of Auvergne origin, whose heirs now keep the shop on Boulevard de la Chapelle, presented Slimane to the record company Pathé-Marconi. During the '70s, he made comic duets with the famous Cheikh Nouredine and sang Algérie, mon beau pays (Algeria, my beautiful country) and Carte de Résidence (Residence Card) in French. Over the recordings, Slimane Azem conquered a wide community audience through his lyrics parables where he staged animals and arises as a singer politically engaged. Then his inspiration declined. He would later write a song in tribute to the Berber Spring, Ɣef Teqbaylit yuli was (On Kabylia rises the day). He never denied his peasant roots and spent much of his earnings in buying a farm in Moissac (Tarn-et-Garonne), where he spent six months a year cultivating his nostalgia in his fig and olive tree plantations. Slimane feared death in exile. It finally occurred a January 28, 1983 on his farm. Since 2008, the city of Moissac decided to honor the old Berber singer giving a town square that bears his name. In December 2013, the city of Paris decided to honor him too with a square in the 14th arrondissement. The plate was not visible however until 2014. He was the brother of Ouali Azem, Member of Parliament from 1958 to 1962 under the French Fifth Republic. Discography Awine yelane dhel fahem (1970) Songs 173 songs recorded (see: catalog of published works at SACEM) A Muh A Muh Awine yelane dhel fahem Effɤ ay ajrad tamurt-iw (Grasshoppers leave my country), covered in 1997 by Lounès Matoub. Ɣef Teqbaylit yuli was La carte de résidence Algérie mon beau pays Bibliography References External links slimane-azem.com Écoutez la discographie complète de Slimane Azem 1918 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Algerian poets 20th-century Algerian male singers Algerian male poets Algerian songwriters Berber poets Kabyle people People from Agouni Gueghrane Berber musicians 20th-century male writers French World War II forced labourers