Mustapha El Anka

Biography

Mustapha El Anka (real name Mustapha Aït Ouarab), born April 6, 1926, is an Algerian singer and actor. He is also credited under the name Mustapha Halo. He is the oldest child of the famous musician and master of Chaâbi El Hadj M'hamed El Anka.

He obtained his school certificate at the age of 13 and subsequently joined the musical troupe led by his father to become the drabki (darbouka player) of the orchestra. In 1947, he moved to Paris and learned to play the guitar, banjo and mandolin. he plays on stage and sings songs about exile in Arabic and Kabyle, for an audience of Algerian emigrants.

Twelve years later, French radio and television recruited him as technical advisor and section head. In this capacity, he attended the recording of records in Arabic and Kabyle and met great artists such as Mohamed Abdelwahab and Farid El Atrache. Touched by the exile of his son, Hadj M’Hamed El Anka appealed to him to return through a song in Kabyle “Izrin Yeghlev Lehmali”. Mustapha will respond to his father with the song in Arabic “Ya Abi Ya Abi” which will be a great success. During his exile, Mustapha married a Spanish woman, but, discreetly, little is known about his private life and his escapade outside Algeria. At one point he joined the FLN troupe and recorded “El Qvayel”. After independence, he returned to Algeria and joined the newly nationalized Algerian National Theater. he became a singer in Haddad El-Djileli’s orchestra. at the same time, he played in several plays, encouraged by Mustapha Kateb. confirming his acting gifts, the son of the great “El Anka” tried cinema in 1968 and launched a new career with success.

At the beginning of 1970, he joined the Algerian Popular Theater troupe (TTP) directed by Hassan El Hassani, who had played a major role in bringing theater to the most remote areas. he plays alongside Tayeb Abou El Hassan, Kaci Ksentini and Hamid Nemri, notably as a country guard in “Ti Goule ou Ti Goule Pas”.

Mustapha El Anka ends up abandoning singing to devote himself fully to comedy on the small and big screen. the greatest directors will call on him and will play in the cults “Le Charbonnier” by Mohamed Bouamari, “Prends Dix Mille Balles et Casse-Toi”, “Les Folles Années Du Twist” by Mahmoud Zemmouri, “La Dernier Image” by Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina and many others, in all, he will play in around sixty films. His last role will be in “El Ouelf Saïb” by Mohamed Hilmi, released in 1993, and which he will not have time to see.

Mustapha El Anka died on November 3, 1993 and was buried in the El-Kettar cemetery.