Mohamed Fellag

Biography

Mohand Fellag (in Arabic محمد فلاق; in Berber ⴼⴻⵍⵍⴰⴳ), known as Mohamed Fellag or simply "Fellag" or sometimes Mohamed Saïd Fellag, is an Algerian actor, humorist and writer, born March 31, 1950 in Azeffoun in Algeria. Mohamed Fellag (ⴼⴻⵍⵍⴰⴳ in Tifinagh) was born in Azeffoun in Kabylia. He only spoke Kabyle until the family moved to Algiers when he was eight years old. He then learned Algerian Arabic and French.

His father, an FLN activist during the war, was killed in a car accident in 1965 during a mission (he was 15). He studied theater at the National Institute of Dramatic and Choreographic Art of Algiers, located in Bordj el Kiffan, from 1968 to 1972. He left the National Theater and founded his company with former students. They write texts, go on tour, play in prisons, factories, etc. He emigrated to Quebec in 1978, then to Paris in 1982, living from small jobs. In September 1985, he returned to Algeria and was hired by the Algerian National Theater to perform "The Art of Comedy" by Eduardo De Filippo. He worked as an actor and director, and began writing his texts, including his first show, "Les Aventures de Tchop" in 1986. He became a star thanks to performances mixing Berber, Arabic and French.

In 1991, "Babor Australia" was created in Kabyle, then performed in Algerian Arabic in Paris. At the Théâtre de l'Europe in 1992, it was performed alternately in Kabyle and Algerian Arabic. "Babor Australia", updated to "A boat for Australia" in 2002, is based on a rumor, evoking the imminent arrival in Algiers of an Australian boat supposed to take unemployed people to provide them with employment and accommodation there, which caused a queue in front of the Australian embassy.

He directed the Béjaïa theater for a while in 1992-939.

The Algerian Civil War broke out, Fellag went on tour in 1994 with "Babor Australia", in Algeria then in Tunisia. At the end of the year, he settled in Tunis where he created "Delirium". In 1995, he went into exile in Paris. He writes there "Djurdjurassique Bled", which is represented alternately in Kabyle and Algerian Arabic. Then, he adapted it into French and this first show in French, created in December 1997, earned him the 1997-1998 Critics' Union Prize, theatrical revelation of the year.

Fellag lived with the actress Marianne Épin, who died on December 9, 2017, who staged several of his last shows.