Algiers: Baraka Merzia is a true force of nature. The beautiful, intelligent and multi-talented young Algerian rising star has been garnering praise and attention from around the world for several reasons. If you don’t know his name yet, you will soon.
Merzia was born in Adrar, in the south of Algeria, but is now based in Algiers. Her talent was first noticed at the age of 16, when she joined a choir to learn how to hone her already impressive vocal skills.
Like many young people of her generation in Algeria, Merzia is a polyglot, which has helped her gain fans across borders. In India, four years earlier, as the country celebrated the 150th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, Merzia was praised by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her “memorable” rendition of “Vaishnava Jana To,” a hugely popular Hindu hymn whose lyrics was praised. overflowing with empathy” that Merzia hopes is contagious.
In 2019, Merzia was named Miss Talent in her homeland, and has since garnered several modeling contracts, and aspires to hit international catwalks soon, notably following the career of Somali-American model Halima Aden. Inspired – who made the hijab famous on a Vogue cover and was the first model to wear a burkini in Sports Illustrated magazine. Like Aden, Merzia aims to stay true to her beliefs and break stereotypes in the fashion industry.
She tells Arab News France that she has already turned down partnership offers from brands that have asked her to remove her headscarf for photo shoots.
“Many people consider my[headscarf]a fashion accessory,” she says. “This is far from the case, and I am confident that I can complete my projects without compromising my integrity.”
Another major inspiration, she tells Arab News, is her mother – a PhD holder whose thirst for knowledge has led Merzia to pursue higher education in addition to her artistic projects.
The singer, model and actress has amassed over half a million following on various social-media platforms, on which she documents her daily life and her artistic projects, with an emphasis on Algerian culture and heritage.
One example is a video shot during a visit to her hometown Ain Salah. “When I posted a video showing how we make kesara – a semolina pancake baked in sand – I was inundated with messages from curious people across the country, urging me to share this type of content more often. were asking for,” she says.
His kesara video was shared widely online – including in NWE, a media that highlights African culture in all its diversity – and helped to highlight a little known aspect of Algerian culture.
Merzia explains that she sees social media as an opportunity to introduce people to the south of Algeria, which has little representation in mainstream media, and at the same time, to dispel stereotypes about Saharan residents.
In 2006, a census estimated that the black community in Algeria represented about 5 percent of the population, the lowest proportion in the Maghreb.
While Baraka is not overtly political, his claim to – and ability to reconcile – his Algerian and African heritage, and his belief that these aspects of Algerian identity complement each other, reflect when popular wisdom might suggest that they are are incompatible.
At a time when many young people in North Africa look to the West for cultural inspiration, Merzia shows that Algerian culture, in addition to being plural and rich, “has much to discover and is worth discovering,” as she puts it. are this.
“I don’t consider myself an influencer,” she says. “Nevertheless, I want to shed light on my culture, by sharing with my followers my faith and culture, (and this balance) between modernity and tradition.”