Algerian Instrument Stamps

This post features the Algerian Instrument Stamps set from 1984. Sets of instruments are very popular features from countries around the world. On this blog, you can see sets from Thailand, Gabon, Norway, El Salvador, Papua New Guinea, among others.

It seems clear that there are multiple purposes for such sets. Firstly, they typically celebrate the culture of a country. Secondly, they can help to create a sense of national unity through pride of this culture. Thirdly, they can highlight the traditions of different, sometimes minority, ethnic groups. Finally, I think that there is also an aesthetic reason. Such sets have a natural cohesion that can be easily identifiable as a part of a set. A good example of this is the set from Algeria, with a consistent design, but different colors for different instruments in the set.

Gembri

The first stamp in the set probably features the North African instrument known as the Gembri. The instrument on this stamp, and the whole set, appears by itself in a square inset on the right of the stamp. Behind the single-instrument inset is a strong single color, in this case a vibrant green. To the left is a white outline of a musician playing the instrument. I rather like this layout, show the instrument by itself as a symbol, then also include this image of it in context with a player.

The instrument on the stamp is a long-necked lute with three strings. The gembri is an instrument of the Gnawa people of Morocco and Algeria. I will say that this stamp confuses me as typically, a gembri would have a skin soundboard rather than wood. This could be me misinterpreting the image, but it feels slightly off to me. Wood soundboard lutes of the region are typically short necks and come from the middle eastern oud.

Drum

The second stamp in the series features a drum with a large resonating chamber and a small waist with a foot at the bottom so that it stands upright. There are many goblet drums through the region, such as the darbuka and the djembe, though most have a waist much higher on the drum body. In the image of the instrument there is a single stick that with a curve in it. Such a stick quite often would imply that the drum would be held under the arm (a strap on the drum would assist with this). Talking drums from Sub-Saharan Africa use sticks like this.

However, the image of the person playing the drum on the left shows no use of the stick and the drum sits on the ground. There are drums from Senegal (which is quite far from Algeria) that use one drum stick and one hand, which might make sense of this drum.

Imzad

The next stamp features the imzad, a one-string fiddle. It is unusual, with a calabash back and a skin head with sound holes. The instrument is from the Tuareg people who live in the Sahara in regions stretching from Libya, through Algeria, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. Traditionally, only women play the imzad to accompany their singing. In the image on the left of the stamp, a woman is shown holding the instrument.

Mizwad

The final stamp in the series has a red background and a value of 2,80 Algerian dinar. It features the mizwad, a type of folk bagpipe. This instrument typically has a bag made from ewe’s leather and a double chanter of cow’s horn. A single reed gives the instrument its sound. The mizwad is often played with the darbouka drum. Like with most bagpipe traditions, it was originally a rural, country instrument. Now, it is often used at weddings and parties and accompanies dancing.

Finally, check out this short video about the revival of the Imzad fiddle in Algeria: