Djamila Hamitou © MEDiaKitab
Associative activist and marine science teacher, Djamila Hamitou is primarily a storyteller at heart. This art of speaking softly proved by captivated listening to her students and her three children. A native of Tiaret, adopted by Oran, she carries a double culture, Arab and Berber, a richness that fuels her passion for words and stories. Today, she remembers that this passion accompanied her since her childhood during her escapades with Gouëls, souk public tellers and even evenings rocked by tales and Kabyle songs from his father weaver. “That’s how I became a storyteller without knowing it.” During adolescence, many French professors encourage me to continue to search in libraries, in literature, philosophy and history.
In 2005, she launched with Zoubida Kouti the annual tales festival, activated lighthouse of the Petit Lecteur, since she is the project manager. She participated from the first edition in training with Jorus. Since then, she continues to tell stories in schools and libraries, before daring to declaim on more open stages. Her repertory draws much in the rich soil of Algerian tales and from Sub-Saharan Africa or life stories (fishermen, women, etc).
Today she is involved in the resource center project around the tale, launched by the Petit Lecteur in 2013. This project called “the house of the tale” aims to promote the arts of speech by training young storytellers, collection, transcription and the formation of a documentary background.
