Algeria
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Mufdi Zakariah
Beni Isguen (Ghardaïa), Algeria
Archival Overview
Algerian Mozabite Amazigh poet acclaimed as the 'Poet of the Algerian Revolution', who penned the words of the Algerian national anthem 'Kassaman' with his own blood on the walls of Barberousse Prison in 1955.
Biographical Record
Mufdi Zakariah (1908–1977) was born into an Ibadi Berber family in the M'zab valley. Educated at the prestigious Al-Zaytouna in Tunis, he joined Messali Hadj's ENA and PPA in the 1930s, repeatedly arrested and imprisoned by French colonial authorities for his searing patriotic Arabic poetry.
In April 1955, while interned in Cell 69 of the notorious Barberousse Prison in Algiers, Zakariah was requested by the FLN to compose a national anthem. Using a rusted nail and writing in his own blood on the cell wall, he composed Kassaman (We Pledge), which was later set to music by Egyptian maestro Mohamed Fawzi. He also authored the epic poem The Sacred Iliad of Algeria (Ilyadhat al-Jaza'ir).
Key Life Milestones
Writing the National Anthem (Kassaman)
Composed the immortal verses of Kassaman on his cell wall in Barberousse Prison under colonial guard.
The Sacred Iliad of Algeria (Ilyadhat al-Jaza'ir)
Recited his monumental 1,001-verse poetic masterpiece chronicling five thousand years of Algerian history.
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialGhardaïa, Algeria