Mohamed Tadjadit : the Young Poet with Fiery Words
Mohamed Tadjadit was born on January 9, 1994, in Bab El Oued, Algiers. Like many Algerians, Mohamed is deeply imbued with the values of freedom that inspired the activists of the national movement and freedom fighters of the liberation war. He grew up in the Casbah of Algiers, where he attended El Salam Primary School before moving to Zine El Abidine Middle School in 2008. He left middle school of his own accord to join the Ourida Medad vocational training center in Soustara, where he earned a Cook certificate.
During his youth, Mohamed was involved with the Algerian scouts. He was also a member of the Al Chihab troupe in Bab El Oued and practised judo and capoeira. Passionate about the history of the Algerian Revolution, Mohamed enjoyed discussing it with the “elders” of his family’s village of Ihnouchene in Azeffoun. He developed a passion for folk poetry. He earned a Certificate in Poetry Studies from the Ain Taya Cultural Center, and some of his texts are registered with the National Office of Copyrights (ONDA).
Like thousands of young people affected by unemployment, Mohamed Tadjadit attempted to illegally immigrate to Turkey in 2016, where he worked in a factory for 19 months before setting sail for Europe via Ukraine. He and his North African “Harraga” comrades remained stranded on the boat for three months due to the authorities’ refusal to welcome them until the International Organization for Migration (IOM) intervened to repatriate them to their respective countries. With the advent of the Hirak movement in February 2019, Mohamed Tadjadit’s life changed radically.
The movement gave him hope to live with dignity in his country and to fulfil himself. Mohamed fully embraced the movement. His poems in Darija echo a return to history with a peaceful commitment to change. He has become the “poet of the Hirak”, distinguished by his style and eloquence. Highly followed on social media, Mohamed, the peaceful young man from the working-class neighborhoods, is closely monitored by the security services.
He is a victim of the worst judicial and security harassment suffered by the young figures of the Hirak. Arrested before every public event he attended, Mohamed was detained four times between 2019 and 2024. He is currently awaiting trial in El Harrach prison (Algiers). Mohamed Tadjadit has accumulated more than 30 months’ imprisonment over the past five years.
