CHEIKH SIDI BÉMOL

In L’odyssée de Fulay, Cheikh Sidi Bemol is transformed into a true modern-day Berber storyteller. In a show midway between theatre and concert, between song and storytelling, he explores the ancient history of the Berber space and takes us on a journey into the heart of the myths and legends found among all the peoples of the Mediterranean. The storytelling in French is interspersed with songs in the Kabyle language that put to music the fantastic adventures of Fulay, an extraordinary artist celebrated by kings, adopted by gods, thrown into the netherworld and then brought back to his people. The songs roam through various Mediterranean mythologies incarnated by figures such as Gaia, mother of the Earth, Hephaestus master of the afterlife, Amon, the supreme power of the Egyptian pantheon, and Anzar, the Berber god of rain and fertility. They highlight the historic depth of Algeria and of North Africa as a whole by delving, without taboos, into its pagan period. Freely inspired by the work of Apuleius, a famous Berber author of ancient times, L’Odyssée de Fulay spans centuries and millennia to revive little known musical traditions and to dive into the fantastic world of myths and legends of yesteryear.
An odyssey, a story, 12 melodies and a sensational tale to open the 19th season of the FMA, offering the public an unprecedented opportunity to discover and savour the vastness, antiquity and creativity of Berber culture.