MOHAMED ROUICHA’S SONGS: LISTENERS AND PERCEPTIONS MOHAMED ROUICHA’S SONGS: LISTENERS AND PERCEPTIONS

This paper examines Mohamed Rouicha's song lyrics to uncover recurring themes and the significance of transmitted messages through music, revealing the multiple layers of the Amazigh identity by analyzing some of Mohamed Rouicha's music pieces and how his songs evoke emotions and perceptions among native speakers of various ages and contexts. A collection of oral Amazigh songs from the Middle Atlas region, performed by the highly acclaimed singer Mohamed Rouicha, shall constitute the basis of the present study. In this study, we conducted fieldwork in Khemisset province for three months. The data was collected through archives and semi-structured interviews. Participants were carefully chosen based on specific criteria, which included being between the ages of 45 and 70, being native speakers of the Middle Atlas variant of Tamazight, and regularly listening to Mohamed Rouicha's songs. This study focuses on five specific music pieces, examining their intricate themes and underlying messages. It reflects on how we have interpreted oral sources and their contributions to the various dynamics that affect Berber languages and societies. Journal des Sciences de l'Information et de la Communication, Vol. 1 No 2 (2024): de l'Information et de Communication