In Bab El Oued City (Merzak Allouache, 1994), Ouardya (Nadia Samir) takes sips of her drink as she romanticizes the Algeria of 1962, a country that had just ripened, whose people were finally tasting its forbidden fruits. Tears fall down on her face as she laments about the civil war that has taken over thirty... Continue Reading →

While Winds of the Aures (Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, 1966) focuses on Wilaya I (Province I, the Aures region of Algeria), The Opium and The Stick (Ahmed Rachedi, 1971) takes place in Wilaya III (Province 3, the Kabylia region of Algeria). Rachedi’s film also attends to the independence war much more directly, showcasing guerrilla war techniques. What... Continue Reading →

The Winds of the Aures / ريح الاوراس (Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, 1966) works as a great prequel to the famous production Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966). It takes place in the Aures, a region in north-eastern Algeria where the first gunshot of the independence war was sounded. Because of its strategic geography bordering Tunisia, guerrilla... Continue Reading →

Decentralization and federalism are terms usually described as twin concepts but the semantic lining is important to consider (evidently the first can come without the latter and the latter supposes the former) albeit the blending that does occur in the real world. Democracy and accountability are ‘promised’ when empowering regional and local levels of government.... Continue Reading →

In Blida, a province that rubs shoulders with the Algerian capital Algiers, residents under mandatory quarantine cry from their apartment balconies, protest semolina shortages, and wait impatiently for help to arrive. Nadia Sahli moved to Meftah, Blida from Tizi Ouzou four months ago. The last thing she expected was being confined to her house, not... Continue Reading →

In Abalak, central Niger, Mdou Moctar, born in 1989, began stringing his makeshift guitar cobbled out of wood.  In 2008, he travels to Sokoto, Nigeria to record his debut album influenced by Haussa music. It proves to be a smash hit on MP3 networks across West Africa. In 2013, he releases a compilation of songs... Continue Reading →

Following protests in Ouargla and Laghouat, Algerian authorities aimed to promote the economic integration of unemployed youth living in the Southern region (defined by the European Training Foundation as covering 10 provinces: Adrar, Laghouat, Tamanrasset, Biskra, Bechar, Ouargla, Illizi, Tindouf, Oued Souf, and Ghardaia). In common parlance, the idea of “north” and “south” in Algeria... Continue Reading →

Kenza B. was born in France, but her family is from Tizi Ghenif, Tizi Wezzu, Algeria, who moved in 1997. Kenza was born in 1998 and grew up in the suburbs of southern Paris. She studies computer science, and has transformed her side henna hobby into an admirable business. "I've always loved drawing and painting,... Continue Reading →

Mohammed Sultan Tajouri is of Benghazi origin in Libya. He was born and lives in Manchester, England, home to 10,000 Libyans– the largest population outside Libya. Tajouri is deeply interested in Libyan culture, history, and tradition. Much of these components have been buried beneath the soil in the past 100 years. His passions expand to... Continue Reading →