Algeria
Oran’s Bawdy Rai Music
Bawdy and subversive, with a history and lyrics that speak to Algeria’s pluralist past, Rai music flourishes in the Mediterranean port city of Oran while its superstars have built international reputations.
Le Pen in Algiers
In the first three months of 1957, Jean-Marie Le Pen, later the founder and president of France’s far-right National Front party, participated in the battle of Algiers as a paratrooper. Witnessing France’s dying empire in Algeria inspired his unlikely — and precipitous — political rise.
Algerians Are Ho-Hum About Upcoming Election
But now, as Algeria approaches its Sept. 7 presidential election, a widespread indifference permeates the nation’s politics. The outcome seems predetermined, with incumbent President Abdelmadjid Tebboune heavily favored to win. This widespread apathy contrasts sharply with the turbulence surrounding the 2019 presidential election.
Imane Khelif’s Punch and the Culture Wars
In her home country of Algeria, the controversy around Imane Khelif’s gender has managed to rally the entirety of a nation whose multiethnic nature and sprawling and varied geography have long defied easy categorization.
The Algerian Natural Gas Heating Italian Homes — And Causing Social Unrest in Tunisia
Three countries — Algeria, Tunisia and Italy — rely heavily on the TransMed natural gas pipeline, albeit for very different reasons. Political and economic instability along the pipeline’s route, particularly through depressed regions of Tunisia, could put all three nations in jeopardy.
The Algerians of New Caledonia
Over 2,000 insurgents, among them leaders of the revolt, faced trial in Constantine, Algeria, where they were presented not as anti-colonial leaders but as petty criminals. Because most of the men hailed from noble families, however, the French were wary of sentencing them to death. Instead, they decided to exile the men to the farthest place imaginable: New Caledonia.
The Long and Troubled History of the French Republic and Islam
Ever since Napoleon disembarked at Alexandria, France has had a complicated relationship with North Africa and Islam. Over the centuries it has been marked by politics, power, betrayal and misunderstandings.