Zakia Bent Haj Boubaker Marrakchi, better known by her stage names Chafia Rochdi and Nana (November 7, 1910 – July 21, 1989) was a Tunisian singer and actress.

Biography

Born November 7, 1910, in

Sfax Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterran ...

as Zakia Bent Haj Boubaker Marrakchi, Rochdi's mother was of Turkish origin who spent her childhood in

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in t ...

. Orphaned as a child, she took her primary education in her hometown. At the age of 14, Rochdi learned to play the piano under the guidance of Prof. Hedi Chennoufi. She made her stage debut in 1920 under the leadership of Mohamed Chabchoub. Aspiring to gain public recognition, she travel to the capital of

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

in 1929 where she joined the famous Tunisian artist Fadhila Khetmi in her first performances.

Legacy

Named by her admirers as the "Diva of the Public" and "Nana", she was one of the few Tunisian artists to start her own theater company and the only woman to participate in the creation of The Rachidia alongside Mustapha Sfar. She also participated in various orchestras in the company of great musicians of the era and created her own band called the "Nana Orchestra." la Foundation Femmes et memorié paid tribute to her and other pioneers of Tunisian theaters by celebrating 'Pioneers of Tunisia' day.

Death

Towards the end of her life, Rochdi dedicated herself solely to acting in the theater. She died on July 21, 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rochdi, Chafia 1910 births 1989 deaths Tunisian people of Turkish descent 20th-century Tunisian women singers Tunisian stage actresses People from Sfax Tunisian people of Moroccan descent 20th-century Tunisian actresses