People
39 entries
Ahmed RENDJA — Mudjahid and Martyr of Blida
Ahmed RENDJA was born into a wealthy family in Blida. Despite his privileged background and excellent education, he abandoned his studies to join the FLN and National Liberation Army in 1958, dying in combat in 1959.
Nov 2025
Farida Saboundji — Actress of Stage and Screen
Farida Saboundji was born in Blida's Douaireat district on 10 August 1930. She began acting at age 13 alongside legends like Mahieddine Bachtarzi and Rouiched, performed at the National Theatre in the 1950s, and continued a rich television career until her passing on 17 September 2022.
Nov 2025
Salah Aougrout — Algeria's Beloved Comedian
Born in France on 22 March 1961 to a Blida family, Salah Aougrout is one of Algeria's most beloved comedians. Known for his expressive physical humor, he rose to fame through Nass Mlah City, Djemai Family, and Sultan Achour 10.
Nov 2025
Baya Mahieddine — Algeria's Most Celebrated Painter
Baya Mahieddine (1931–1998) was an Algerian painter who gained international recognition at just 16 when her work was exhibited in Paris with a preface by André Breton. Born in Blida, her vibrant gouaches are held in prestigious collections worldwide.
Nov 2025
Denis Martinez — Painter and Father of Algerian Contemporary Art
Denis Martinez was born in Oran on 30 November 1941. A professor at the Algiers School of Fine Arts, co-founder of the Aouchem collective, and recipient of the Grand Painting Prize of Algiers in 1975, he is one of the most influential figures in Algerian visual art.
Nov 2025
Souhila Bel Bahar — Self-Taught Painter of Blida
Souhila Bel Bahar was born in Blida in 1934. Entirely self-taught, she held her first exhibition at age 37 and went on to exhibit at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Algiers and the Algerian Cultural Centre in Paris. She was awarded the National Order of Merit in 2018. She passed away on 23 March 2023.
Nov 2025
Abdelkader Yousfi — Political Officer of Wilaya IV
Abdelkader Yousfi was born on 2 September 1926 in El Ammaria, Médéa. A political officer for Wilaya IV, he fought in the Blidean Atlas and was killed on 10 September 1958 during combat in Kaf El Hussein, aged 32.
Nov 2025
Belkacem El Ouazeri — The Youngest Martyr of the Algerian Revolution
Belkacem El Ouazeri was born in 1937 near Blida. He joined the ALN at 17 and was executed by guillotine on 12 August 1956 — the youngest martyr put to death during Algeria's War of Independence. His execution provoked outrage across France and Algeria.
Nov 2025
Braham Brakni — Football Striker and Martyr of USMB
Braham Brakni was born on 19 January 1931 in Blida. A talented football striker for USM Blida, he was martyred in 1957 in Menaceur. The USMB stadium bears the name of the Brakni brothers in his honor.
Nov 2025
Chalmouni Abdelkader — Nurse and Martyr of Blida
Chalmouni Abdelkader was born in Blida on 14 July 1923. A nursing assistant at the Frantz Fanon Psychiatric Hospital, he joined the FLN to supply medicines to wounded fighters and died in 1958 after enduring severe torture in colonial detention.
Nov 2025
Hamoud Daïdi — Olympic Boxer and Martyr of Blida
Hamoud Daïdi was an Algerian boxer born in Blida on 25 May 1933. He competed at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, became French Super Lightweight Amateur Champion in 1953, and later joined the FLN. He died as a martyr on 13 May 1958 in Blida.
Nov 2025
Iskander Bachir — Student Martyr of the Algerian Revolution
Iskander Bachir was born on 12 November 1935 in Algiers and raised in Blida. An outstanding student and activist in the General Union of Algerian Students, he joined the National Liberation Army in 1956 and was killed in combat in 1957 at Sidi Ali Bounab.
Nov 2025
Mkrekeb Abrane Ben Youssef — Fedayee Martyr of Blida
Mkrekeb Abrane Ben Youssef was born in Blida on 9 July 1935. A woodworking laborer who memorized the Quran, he joined the independence struggle as a fedayee and was executed by guillotine on 3 March 1958 in Algiers.
Nov 2025
Mohamed Touri — Chansonnier, Actor, and Martyr of Algerian Theatre
Mohamed Touri was born in Blida (Douirette) on 9 November 1914. A celebrated chansonnier and theatre actor who performed with Mahieddine Bachtarzi, he was arrested by French authorities in 1956 for his nationalist convictions and died in Serkadji Prison on 29 April 1959. The Blida theatre bears his name.
Nov 2025
Mustapha Tchaker — Officer of the National Liberation Army
Mustapha Tchaker was born on 10 March 1936 in Blida. He joined the National Liberation Army in 1955 at age 19, served as an officer in Wilaya IV, and was martyred in 1959. The Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida bears his name.
Nov 2025
Omar Khderi — Among the First Martyrs of the Algerian Revolution
Omar Khderi, also known as Omar El Ghoul, was born in Blida on 23 March 1928. He led operations against colonial forces from the first days of the revolution and died in combat on 24 November 1954, aged 26 — among the earliest martyrs of Algeria's liberation struggle.
Nov 2025
Suleiman Stafi — FLN Freedom Fighter of Blida
Suleiman Stafi was born in Blida on 11 April 1911. He joined the National Liberation Front at its founding in 1954, endured imprisonment and torture by colonial forces, and died on 14 November 1962 following years of suffering from his injuries.
Nov 2025
Taleb Mohamed Abdelrahmane — Barber and Martyr of Blida
Taleb Mohamed Abdelrahmane was born in Blida on 14 March 1914. A barber who supported six children, he joined the FLN in 1955 to manage financial operations and later served in the ALN. He died in combat in 1959 during a military confrontation.
Nov 2025
Djamila Bouazza — Nationalist Fighter for Algerian Independence
Djamila Bouazza (1938–2015) was an Algerian nationalist who joined the FLN through Djamila Bouhired. She carried out operations in Algiers in 1957 and was sentenced to death before being released following Algerian independence in 1962.
Nov 2025
Zoulikha Boukhalfa — Resistance Fighter of Algeria's War of Independence
Zoulikha Boukhalfa was an Algerian independence fighter from Blida who concealed weapons, fed and guided moudjahidine fighters, and deliberately misled French soldiers. Her husband Boualem endured severe torture but never betrayed his comrades.
Nov 2025
Abdelkader Gessoum — The Nightingale of Chaâbi Music
Abdelkader Gessoum was born in Blida on 12 April 1946. A child prodigy who played multiple instruments by age eight, he became a celebrated Chaâbi musician and founded his own label El Alhan. He passed away on 12 July 2010.
Nov 2025
Abderrahmane Aziz — Star of the 1940s and Children's Music Pioneer
Abderrahmane Aziz was born on 5 July 1920 in Algiers and died in Blida on 6 February 1992. A celebrated singer who rose to fame in the 1940s, he later redirected his talents toward children's music at cultural centers in Blida.
Nov 2025
Abderrahmane Setofe — Musician of Blida
Abderrahmane Setofe is a musician connected to Blida, part of the city's rich tradition of musical performance and cultural expression.
Nov 2025
Dahmane Ben Achour — Master of Arab-Andalusian Music from Blida
Dahmane Ben Achour was born in 1912 in Ouled Yaïch, Blida region. A self-taught barber-turned-musician, he joined El-Adabia in 1931 and became a master of Arab-Andalusian and Hadri music. He died in Blida on 15 September 1976.
Nov 2025
El Hadj Mahfoud Mahieddine — Pillar of Algerian Classical Music
El Hadj Mahfoud Mahieddine was born in Blida on 3 March 1903. He joined El Ouidadia ensemble in 1936 and performed live on Radio Algiers from 1944. He was also the husband of internationally recognized painter Baya. He died on 22 July 1979.
Nov 2025
Cheikh Mohamed El-Basri — Guardian of Blida's Andalusian Music
Cheikh Mohamed El-Basri was born in Blida on 30 April 1933. He entered the musical world in 1964 and trained dozens of students in Andalusian and Chaâbi traditions after enrolling at the Municipal Conservatory. He passed away on 13 April 2001.
Nov 2025
Mohamed Mazouni — Dandy in Exile, Voice of Algerian Nostalgia
Mohamed Mazouni was born in Blida on 4 May 1940. He began his career in 1958 with nationalist songs, moved to France in 1969, and became a singular voice of the Algerian immigrant experience. His career was revived in the 2000s and celebrated with the 2019 compilation 'Un dandy en exil.'
Nov 2025
Nacerdine El Blidi — Musician of Blida
Nacerdine El Blidi is a musician from Blida, connected to the city's rich tradition of Andalusian, Hawzi, and Chaâbi musical performance.
Nov 2025
Rabah Driassa — Painter, Composer, and Voice of the People
Rabah Driassa was born in Blida on 19 August 1934. A painter who won the Jules Ferry Prize in Paris, he became equally celebrated as a singer and composer of popular, Hawzi, and Sahraoui music. His son Abdou later became his performing partner.
Nov 2025
Rachid Nouni — Velvety Voice of Blida's Chaâbi Tradition
Rachid Nouni was born in Blida on 5 May 1943. A beloved Chaâbi performer known for his velvety voice and mastery of the mandole, he worked as a bank employee by day and a musician by passion. He died on 2 March 1999.
Nov 2025
Saloua — Singer and Radio Voice of Blida
Saloua, born Fettouma Lemitti in Blida in 1941, began her career as a radio host for children's programming in 1952. After relocating to Paris and meeting revolutionary singer Missoum, she pursued music professionally, releasing commercially successful recordings through Pathé-Marconi.
Nov 2025
Abdelkader Mazouz (Mazouza) — Football Player, FLN Team Member, and Coach
Abdelkader Mazouz, known as Mazouza, was born in Blida on 4 August 1932. He played for Nîmes Olympique, scored in the 1958 French Cup final, and then joined the historic FLN football team. He later coached USM Blida and the Algerian military national team.
Nov 2025
Aïcha Adjouri (Keltoum) — First Lady of Algerian Theatre
Aïcha Adjouri, known by her stage name Keltoum, was an Algerian actress born in Blida. Often described as the 'first lady of Algerian theater art,' she blazed a trail for women in Algerian performing arts.
Nov 2025
Allami Ratiba — Fedayee Fighter and Martyr of Blida
Allami Ratiba was born in Blida on 19 April 1938. She joined the National Liberation Army in 1956 under the name 'Najiya' and was martyred in 1959 during a battle near Médéa at just twenty years old.
Nov 2025
Soufiane Djilali — Algerian Politician and Founder of Jil Jadid
Soufiane Djilali was born in Blida on 16 September 1958. A veterinary doctor turned political leader, he founded the Jil Jadid movement in 2012 and ran for president in 2014. He was also Algeria's show jumping champion in 1975.
Nov 2025
Bahia Yountrane — Young Liaison Fighter of the ALN
Bahia Yountrane was born on 28 January 1940 in Douiret, Blida. An academically gifted young woman, she became a liaison agent for the ALN at just 16, delivering weapons and documents under the noses of colonial authorities before being martyred in 1958.
Nov 2025
Fadéla Boumendjel Chitour — Physician and Human Rights Advocate
Born in 1942 in Larbaa, Fadéla Boumendjel Chitour is a physician, human rights activist, and co-founder of the Wassila Network. The daughter of an FLN lawyer and niece of a national hero, she became a prominent voice in Algeria's 2019 Hirak movement.
Nov 2025
Mohamed Tobal — Master of Hawzi Music from Blida
Mohamed Tobal was born in Blida on 9 September 1945. A celebrated performer of Hawzi music, he made his radio debut in 1972 and died on 31 July 1993 from cardiac arrest during a live performance alongside fellow artist Rachid Nouni.
Nov 2025
Lotfi Rebouh — Maestro of Algerian Orchestral Music
Lotfi Rebouh is one of Algeria's most respected conductors and composers, born in Blida and internationally recognised for his work bridging classical Western orchestration with North African musical traditions.
Sept 2024