About

Reggae and Raï – Resistance Music from Jamaica and Algeria

An afternoon of film, discussion and music. Part of CINECITY 2023

Reggae from Jamaica and raï from Algeria are two musical forms that emerged from the global south in the 1970s and 1980s and carried the same message: resistance to authority.

Through a mixture of rare screenings, conversations and DJ sets, this event will connect these two musical rebel cultures, exploring their roots and impact.

A key part of the evening will be a screening of the 1972 classic The Harder They Come whose killer soundtrack introduced reggae to the world.

Organised by Professor Martin Evans for the Resistance Studies Network at the University of Sussex as part of CINECITY

Timings for the day

4pm – 4.30pm Music in cafe (DJ)

4.30pm Introducing the event with Martin Evans, Martin Meissonnier, Sarah El Hamed, Mykaell Riley

4.40pm Rai is Not Dead (19 minutes)

5pm – 5.15pm Break with music in café (DJ)

5.15pm – 5.25pm Martin Evans with Martin Meissonnier and Sara El Hamed

5.25pm – 6.25pm Cheb Hasni Documentary (60 mins)

6.25pm – 6.45pm Break with music in the café (DJ)

6.45pm – 7.30pm Round table with Martin Evans, Martin Meissonnier, Sarah El Hamed, Mykaell Riley

7.35pm – 9.15pm The Harder They Come

9.15pm – 9.30pm Music in café (DJ)

9.30pm – 11pm DJ set with John Pandit from Asian Dub Foundation

About CINECITY

For two weeks every November, CINECITY brings the best in world cinema to Brighton and the South Coast with a festival programme of premieres and previews, artists’ cinema and installations, treasures from the archive, live soundtracks, talks and special events. Described by The Guardian as ‘eclectic and imaginative’, CINECITY also explores ideas around the ‘cinematic’, the space where different practices including music, visual arts, photography, storytelling, literature, design and digital culture, can converge.

Image: still from The Harder they Come