They say that history is very unfair to men. So with women, what should it be like? Worse…
Par Hamid Tahri
Her loyal listeners followed her in large numbers and did not fail to say out loud how much her show “A Coeur Ouvert” captivated them. A huge audience success, because Leila knew how to put them at ease with tact, talent and intelligence. The themes discussed, classified in the “taboo” box, were out of the ordinary and not only that. They pressed on “the hand that hurts”, namely subjects relating to femininity, unhappiness, sexuality, the place of women in society, their supposed inferiority, their relationship with men.
Enough to break down prejudices and shake well-anchored convictions and conformisms. Each broadcast was a beautiful lesson in love, tolerance, truth, comfort and solidarity. In all this intimate and cozy atmosphere, in the middle of the night, all those who spoke live, freely, publicly assumed their words without feeling judged. For so long, Leila has accompanied her listeners with her judgment, her attentive listening, and the singularity of her temperament.
We believe she is a journalist, she is more than that: confidant, giving more advice and less bias, attentive to her time, curious and detached, concerned with elegance. She will undoubtedly have enjoyed her profession a lot because she chose and loved it, without expecting anything in return, not even the honors that she would have undoubtedly deserved, given her rich and fruitful career. Fortunately, Youcef Aït Tahar, the dynamic president of the Circle of Elders of Information and Culture, took care of it, paying today a tribute to this great lady, relegated to oblivion. But our artist, strong in character, who has lost only a little of her splendor, stays the course, always clinging to her healthy and courageous certainties.
CONVICTIONS AND DISILLUSIONS
Asked whether radio is more interesting than TV or, on the contrary, it is erased by the small screen, even more so by social networks, Leila persists in saying that before, it was radio that counted. “Personally, I love the enchantment of sound and I won't change my mind. However, live broadcasting is a sword of Damocles, hanging above our heads, and the worst can happen at any moment. Before the broadcast, I warn the speakers by setting the themes and the rules of the game that are accepted. Know that it is the theme that guides them, so not the slightest excess.
This is why there has never been an incident,” she comments. The possible risk of going out of context, she had her own way of bringing the listener back to her own ground. She directs it however she wants. Nothing can escape him or go in the opposite direction to the spirit of the show by controlling the audience very well. This way of doing things was also part of his strength. People of my generation agreed that Leila was the great voice of Algerian Radio and one of the most beautiful.
Some even compared her to the famous French presenter Masha Béranger (1941-2009) who brought down the house, in terms of ratings, with her confidential broadcasts, full of confessions intended for sleepwalkers, dealing with the same taboo questions. Nothing comparable, and Leila says she has neither affinity nor desire to copy with the one who was called the confidante of French Radio, the one who listened to one and advised the other.
Every night, there were thousands of them venting their bags on his show. She confided, with her hoarse and hoarse voice, that what she did was like a safety valve, to allow everyone to breathe a little. For her part, Leila defends her originality, and she is right, proud of her education, of her modest and educational way of acting, the fruit of her studious years in front of the blackboard, when she imparted knowledge to children at La Casbah. The nocturnal broadcasts are a blessing for insomniacs who will fill the void by tuning into the radio to include themselves in fascinating debates where they finally have their say.
The charming Leila, a journalist and host who has kept the same features and the same fervor, was born in Saint-Eugène (Bologhine) in 1941, where she attended primary school, before going to secondary school at the Lycée Lazerges (Frantz Fanon ) of Bab El Oued, then she taught French at the school on rue du Soudan in Basse-Casbah, not far from the Ketchaoua mosque.
In 1964, she joined Radio Chaîne III at a time when there were neither cassettes nor megaphones. At the same time, she took up the piano at the Music conservatory where her vocation was refined in the footsteps of an amazing mother, also gifted at the piano, which she played superbly. “It was she who gave me a taste for literature and music. I also did theater, I loved this art and it worked,” she confesses, with a smirk. While his father, Boutaleb El Hachemi, was a famous lawyer who traveled a lot, all this artistic flowering is symbolized by my last program “A book open”, notably with Luc Chaulet, director, Zahia Yahi, who perfectly mastered African music , the late Hafid Amalou and Saïd Bouterfa. Everyone was on the same wavelength as me. Leila's husband, the late Abdallah Benyekhlef, head of the sports section of the III, introduced her to the favorite program “Sport and Music”, urging her to go and meet the athletes, alongside the official journalists of the round ball Rachid Graba, Boucebci Tarik, (Pecos) Hachemi Hantaz, Abderrazak Mebarki. It was nice with this show where I really relaxed, because I liked the atmosphere of the stadiums. In another register, a cultural one, Leila admits to having unforgettable memories with Jean Sénac, Jacques Charbi, friend of Algeria, Djamel Amrani.
She remembers having conducted a long interview with Kateb Yacine, a good part of which was censored by the director of the Radio at the time, Rachid Boumediene, who, it seems, was not in phase with his subordinates. Even the soundtrack disappeared from the archives without causing the slightest reaction. On the other hand, Leila says she has good memories of the radio director, Mr. Zitouni, who left a lasting impression on her. In her rich professional record, Leila had the honor in Paris of submitting to the question-and-answer game French thinkers converted to Islam, in this case Vincent Monteil, Roger Garaudy and a publishing director whom she forgot the surname. They all revealed the reasons for their conversion with reasoned responses.
THE STUDIO BUT ALSO THE FIELD
I enjoyed this high-level meeting from which I learned a lot and which was undeniably enriching for me. “That’s why I loved this job.” A profession where rare examples currently stand out, like Badiaa Hadad, who, in my personal opinion, holds the rope well and whose trajectory is appreciated. Any advice to give to young people wanting to pursue the same career? “Possible applicants must have passion and love the profession they have chosen and not commit themselves without conviction to this profession which is also a priesthood, just to make a name for themselves,” she asserts. This is the advice she gave to her son Amine Kaïs and of which she is proud, who established himself as a director and producer of cinema and documentaries who succeeded by choosing a profession close to that of his parents .
To his credit, several quality productions, including the most noted On the Paths of Liberty, Algerian Aviation, Les Immortelles. Does Leila have any regrets? Obviously, she concedes: “The death of my parents, my husband, as well as those of my sister and my brother leaving me an orphan, as well as the departure to the other world of some of my colleagues.” Another annoyance seems to gnaw at her and leave her with a deep taste of ingratitude. “As soon as I reached retirement, I naively thought that I could serve my country and the new generation, particularly in the field of training. But I didn't see it coming. “It still remains a question mark hanging over my head,” she bitterly regrets.
What they said about her Farid Toualbi, former director
My job was to ensure the right conditions to produce an impeccable broadcast. I had an eye on the people who were speaking, to probe the reason for their interest in going on air, to know their goals, to watch out for speech problems. It's also about not boring the listeners, because I was in charge of the general organization. My first contact with radio was in 1977. Leila was the first journalist I met. The late Hafid Senhadri, Djamel Benamara and Leila were undoubtedly the flagship presenters of Channel III. The show “A Coeur Ouvert” has truly won the hearts of Algerians. Much better, it began to compete for viewing in the south of France with an analogous show which had the same profile. Both shows were among the popular programs.
Omar Kermane, Program director
Kind, communicative, always with a smile on her face. Charismatic, her warm and relaxing voice sets her apart from the others. She had nothing to envy of her foreign counterparts, whom she sometimes surpassed with her undeniable qualities. I had the pleasure of working with her. With the shows she hosted, these were surely the most captivating and gripping moments on the radio.
Boudjemaâ Mohamed, technician
We didn't realize she had arrived at the studio, she was so discreet. On a technical level, we outdid ourselves to achieve the best result, to compete with the same type of program broadcast in France, especially since our audience was on an upward curve on the southern coast of France. In the studio, we were on the alert, so that there would be no annoyances or snags that could alter the sound. For us, it was a bet and a challenge to take on.
To do this, we put the host in the best possible conditions, ensuring the quality of the microphone and avoiding possible interference and technical problems. Tension, certainly, but offset by immense pleasure.
