#065 Algeria...Thanks Hocine!

These stamps are from Fairy Tales issued in 2009.

This series (designed by Ali Kerbouche) which evoke 4 folktales part of intangible cultural heritage of Algeria and the Maghreb but also warn about the fragility of the oral cultural heritage.

"The red rose" is a tale published in 1982 by writer Rabah Belamri (1946-1995) tells the story of Gezira, killed by the jealousy of her 5 sisters in the absence of their father on a pilgrimage to Mecca . The 5 sisters, father and another character in the story, the troubadour Boussaadia are represented on the stamp, top left.

"Loundja the daughter of the Ogre" is a tale of Berber Kabylie, also known as the "Loundja daughter of the ogress" or "The King and the 3 girls.

Loundja is a character very known in the fairy tales of North Africa, especially in the Kabyle culture of Algeria. She was known for her beauty, her courage, her intelligence, but more than ever for being the Ogress' daughter. In the tales, Loundja was the obsession of all the young people of the country, more particularly the sons of Kings. All wanted Loundja for their wife, for the reasons that I have quoted above. Unfortunately, all those who have tried to capture her have paid with their lives, which made the obsession to capture Loundja even stronger. Beware to whomever tried to capture Loundja, not only did Loundja have a ferocious mother, but she also had a father and seven brothers even more ferocious. They knew all about Loundja's popularity and protected her by all means, even killing any of the young men who dared to approach Loundja.