Ferhat Mehenni ( Kabyle: Ferḥat Mhenni; born March 5, 1951) is a Kabyle politician, writer, protest singer, musician and songwriter, founder and first President in June 5, 2001 of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia (MAK) renamed in October 4, 2013 to Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia. He has been President of the Kabyle Provisional Government since June 1, 2010. In 2012, Mehenni was subjected to controversy after visiting

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, where he voiced his support and

solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

for Israel, comparing it to Kabylia. In 2021, Mehenni's organization, MAK, has been classified as a terrorist organisation in Algeria after claims from the Algerian authorities saying that MAK members were planning car bombs. Mehenni was arrested by the French authorities and placed in police custody in 2021 as part of an investigation into organised money laundering in relation to sports betting.

Career and Politics

Early life

Mehenni was born on March 5, 1951, in Illoula Oumalou,

Tizi Ouzou Province Tizi Ouzou ( Kabyle: Tawilayt n Tizi Wezzu, ) is a province (''wilayah'') of Algeria in the Kabylia region. Its capital is Tizi Ouzou, with a popoluation of 1.198.561 inhabitants in 2019, with a density of 405/square kilometers. History In 1 ...

Kabylia Kabylia or Kabylie (; in Kabyle: Tamurt n leqbayel; in Tifinagh: ⵜⴰⵎⵓⵔⵜ ⵏ ⵍⴻⵇⴱⴰⵢⴻⵍ; ), meaning "Land of the Tribes" is a mountainous coastal region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is ...

. He graduated from the

University of Algiers The University of Algiers 1 (), commonly called Benyoucef Benkhedda, is a public research university based in Algiers, Algeria. Founded in 1909 from the amalgamation of different French colonial educational institutions, it has become the oldes ...

with a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

. Soon after, he began his career as a protest singer and political activist.

Activism

Due to his hostility towards the

Algerian government Politics of Algeria takes place in a framework of a constitutional semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Algeria is head of state while the Prime Minister of Algeria is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the go ...

and extremists, Mehenni was arrested 13 times, imprisoned for 3 years, and tortured repeatedly by government forces. In response to the Black Spring massacre in Kabylia, Mehenni established the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia. The MAK was later reformed into the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia. Mehenni's eldest son, Améziane Mehenni, was assassinated in 2004.

Discography

* ''Chants révolutionnaires de Kabylie'' (1979) * ''Chants berbères de lutte et d'espoir'' (1981) * ''L'Algérie a 20 ans'' (1983) * ''Chants d'acier...d'amour et de liberté'' (1994) * ''Chants de feu et de l'eau'' (1996) * ''Hymne à la Kabylie'' (2002) * ''Requiem et Espoir'' (2008) * ''Liberté pour la Kabylie'' (2015)

Publications

* * * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehenni, Ferhat 1951 births Living people University of Algiers alumni Berber musicians Algerian Berber politicians Berber activists Kabyle independence activists 21st-century Algerian people English-language singers from Algeria French-language singers of Algeria