Si Mohand

[6] Born into an important wealthy family and educated in traditional religious teaching (hence the title Si, "Doctor", which is added to his name), his life was marked by the strong repression which followed the Mokrani Revolt against French colonial rule in 1871.

His father was sentenced to death, his paternal uncle was sent into exile in New Caledonia, and his family's possessions were forfeited.

Unlike his mother and his brothers, who emigrated to Tunis, he preferred to stay and live in Algeria as one of the dispossessed, working as a day laborer or practicing other poorly paid jobs.

The tradition remembers a visit he paid to the pious Cheikh Mohand ou-Lhocine, with whom he fought an epic poetic duel, as well as a journey on foot to Tunis, where he met his brothers but was not well received.

He also chronicled in Younes Adli's 2000 Les Éditions de Minuit-published book Mohand et un révolte.