Idir, whose concerts regularly bring together several generations of music fans, is a singer who believes in transmitting his message of revolt, hope and tolerance in calm, measured tones. His philosophy is that words spoken in peace and confidence have far more impact than war cries clamoured from the rooftops. On 20 September 2002 the Kabylian singing star is due to appear at Le Zénith in Paris, where he will perform a number of his most popular songs with the help of a few well-known guest stars (as he did on his 1999 album Identités ). Meanwhile, a new compilation of Idir's greatest hits includes Pourquoi cette pluie ? , a special bonus track written by French star Jean-Jacques Goldman. RFI finally caught up with the shy, retiring rebel from Kabylia and asked him a few questions about his new compilation, Deux rives, un rêve :

RFI: Why did you decide to bring out a compilation when fans are more likely to be waiting for a new album from you?
Idir: Well, the thing is I've got plenty of new songs in stock but I'm not sure whether they're really ready for an album. Actually, if I'm honest about it, I'm not sure a song's ever ready! But the songs I've got in stock right now are definitely just first drafts.

The compilation's something my record label came up with actually. It wasn't my idea. They convinced me that from a marketing point of view this would be the right thing to do right now and I agreed. I think the compilation's a good way of promoting my music and reaching people who haven't heard of me yet - although this is the umpteenth time that many of my songs have been rehashed. As far as the possibility of a new album's concerned there'll obviously be a follow-up to Identités at some point. There'll have to be, otherwise people might think I've said my last word - and that couldn't be further from the truth!

RFI: The new compilation does feature four new tracks including a song written by Jean-Jacques Goldman which wasn't on Identités …
Idir: Yes, I met Goldman through a friend of mine who works at Sony. She's a friend of Goldman's too. I was very flattered that he wrote a song for me, you know. Goldman's someone I feel has a profound respect for my work - he understands the difference between performers and artists who create their own work! Pourquoi cette pluie ? (Why the rain?) is a song about the devastating flood that hit Bal el-Oued last November. It was a real tragedy that left hundreds dead. The thing is, in Algeria rain can be a sign of saviour (the country sometimes suffers terrible droughts) or destruction (flooding is an equal menace). And then again maybe the rain referred to in the title is actually the tears of thousands of unhappy people.

RFI: Who chose the title of the compilation, Deux rives, un rêve (Two banks, one dream)?
Idir: I did. It's a title which expresses my deepest wishes and inner madness. When it comes down to it, I'm a fool who still likes to dream and believe. That's what we are really, us singers, we're dream-makers, selling people a little bit of fantasy. We may not be able to change things but we can stick our oar in and make cutting remarks every now and then. The problem is things aren't like they were in the old days. The ancient custom was that before two sides went to war they sent their best poets into battle. They organised verbal jousting matches and if a poem was appreciated by both sides the war was called off.

RFI: The CD booklet accompanying your new compilation features a series of dated photos corresponding to different periods of your life. Can you tell us something about them?
Idir: Well, 1974 was the year I was a young and carefree student studying geology and natural science. 1975 was the year I did my army service - the first time in my life I actually touched a combat uniform! 1979 was the year I started playing football. My father had really wanted to stop me playing. His attitude was that studies should come first. I got my degree in the end though, although it's spent most of its life tucked away at the back of a drawer! I never ended up pursuing sport or geology because music chose me instead!

RFI: And what about childhood memories?
Idir: Well, I remember when independence was declared in 1962 and Arabic became Algeria's national and official language. They set up radio and TV stations broadcasting entirely in Arabic and I remember feeling that my own language had been brushed aside. One night I remember seeing my mother watching the television news and she didn't understand a word of what was going on in her country any more. It was outrageous, she'd fought for her homeland - I can still remember the warmth of her body as she lay over us to protect us from the French army shelling our village. Then all of a sudden there she was cut off from her country, her identity completely denied. And that's the paradox and injustice I've been fighting against ever since!

RFI: And you expressed your personal anger and revolt in the name you chose for yourself when you launched your career, of course…
Idir: When I started singing on the radio I decided to go under a pseudonym because I didn't want my parents to know what I was up to. But the pseudonym I chose was no accident! I was angry at an essential paradox I saw happening around me and that was that I was living in a supposedly free and independent country whose leaders made grand speeches about freedom and yet the culture I had grown up with was not recognised in any way. So it was hardly surprising that I was consumed by this vital need to preserve my native culture and express my identity. The name I chose, Idir, means "He'll live!" It was a name given to new-born babies in times of plagues and epidemics to ward off evil - and I chose it to ward off the threat I felt against my culture.

RFI: You're often perceived as a sort of standard-bearer campaigning for the recognition of Berber culture and identity. Don't you ever feel a bit trapped by this image?
Idir: Well, sometimes people attribute you with a mission which goes way beyond your actual human condition, what you can actually do in life. And yes, sometimes I do feel a bit stifled by the role I've been asked to perform. It's strange though, in my own head I'm just a simple acrobat, a performer giving people three minutes of escapism, dreams and sometimes a bit of education. But the thing I'm always primarily concerned with is preserving and expressing my identity which is still oppressed - because, believe me, it really deserves to live and survive!