27^e année, 8 janvier 2026.

Prison Songs of the Mediterranean

1-5 June 2026, Izmir

University of the Aegean, Izmir, Türkiye

In 2025, in collaboration with the Mediterranean Music Studies group of the ICTMD and the Higher Institute for Music at the University of Sousse, I organised a conference in Sousse, Tunisia, which explored the topic of “*Sea Songs of the Mediterranean*”. We are now publishing the proceedings of that conference.

See

For June 2026 I have agreed to organise a couple of panels for the next MMS colloquium, which will be held at the Ege University Turkish Music State Conservatory in Izmir.These panels will be on the subject of “*Prison Songs of the Mediterranean”

Papers are invited from colleagues who are involved in this field of research. The conference prospectus is appended below, together with an illustrative list of prison songs posted to YouTube.

If you could be interested to present a paper, please send your outline proposal

This is a preliminary mailing, to gauge interest. It will be followed soon by a formal CfP for wider diffusion.

Prospectus

By definition, prison is a place of confinement and constriction. It is also a place that is concealed from the public gaze. It is, furthermore, a place that is inhabited by song. And sometimes that song breaks out of the confines and wins residence rights in society as a whole.

Each of the countries of the Mediterranean basin has its own prison specificities. But because of the endlessly changing nature of empires and governing regimes there are also shared commonalities that are of historic interest. It would be interesting to study these in relation to song.

When Alan Lomax did his musical recording tour in the Mediterranean in the 1950s, he could have addressed this repertoire – after all, he and his father had made the foundational sound recordings of prison work songs in the USA. However, prison songs are not addressed in his Mediterranean recordings. So this is a field where work needs to be done.

From work that we have done already, it is clear that there are a number of specific subject areas that could usefully be examined within the overall concept. For instance:

In Sicily and Southern Italy there is a large repertoire of songs related to prisons and the Mafia.

In Tunisia there is a popular culture of prison songs (/zindali/) associated with figures such as Salah Farzeit.

In Egypt we have the notable prison-song contributions of Sheikh Imam and Ahmed Fuad Negm, who sang about prison and who were also in and out of prison themselves.

In Greece, it is documented that the core repertoires of Rebetiko developed in and around prisons, and many songs speak about prison.

In the nature of things, Ottoman and Turkish culture developed a culture of prison songs that have come down to the present day.

And, as we know, there is a trans-Mediterranean bridging of hip-hop / rap, which integrally links the countries of North Africa with Europe (most notably France); in this repertoire of songs prison occupies a central place..

Additionally there will be work songs associated with the forced labour regimes of colonialism, and the songs associated with prison labour on board rowing galleys.

This list is just illustrative. Obviously there are many other possible areas where research needs to be conducted.

APPENDIX: Video clips of songs

Zindali music in Tunisiaù

Greek Rebetiko song: “I went into prison”, Michalis Gennitsaris

Sheikh Imam – “Build your palaces in our fields

Anis Dziri – The best-known North African prison song

Saïda Menebhi – Poème en détention – Morocco

Algerian /harraga /film

Kery James – “Racailles” – French hip-hop

Cosimo Monteleone – “Oh Nero Nero”

Hama**Jaza – “Sedara” – Kurdistan

Pino Masi / Alfredo Bandelli – “Liberare tutti”