Hamid Ouamara Collection

The Objects

The Objects

The Hamid Ouamara Collection comprises over 1,200 CDs with recordings from North Africa, especially Algeria. One focus of the collection is the musical practice of the Berberindians. In addition, the collection includes recordings of Portuguese fado, Greek rembetiko, Tuareg music from Mali, Basque sounds on the txalaparta and much more. In 2012, Romana Timm, wife of the late collector, donated the collection to the Center for World Music.

The Collector

The Collector

The Kabyle collector Hamid Ouamara from Algeria began studying civil engineering in Germany at the age of 18, then trained as a forwarding agent.
Ouamara acquired a large part of his collection during stays in Paris and Marseille as well as through personal contacts with musicians based there such as Idir, Souad Massi, Akli D., Karim Ziad, Rachid Taha, Takfarinas, Maurice el Medioni, Lili Boniche or the musicians of the Orchestre National de Barbes.
Ouamara was not only active as a collector, but also in artistic and cultural practice: as a curator, he worked on the Masala World Beat Festival in Hanover. He DJed at the one-voice parties after concerts and presented new music at the now defunct Hanover citizens' radio station Radio Flora.

Data

Data

Year of Acquisition

2012

Collector/ Donor

Collector: Hamid Ouamara, Donor: Ramona Timm

Material type and number

 CDs (approx. 1.200); Focus Nordafrika

State of collection

Currently being inventoried, cataloguing since the end of 2013

State of digitalisation

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Location

Center for World Music

Project funds

For indexing: Presidium of the Foundation University of Hildesheim