Algeria

If you like sand, Algeria is the place for you. In pre-human times, it was part of a vast sea and now sand can be found on the temperate Mediterranean beaches and in the ergs (sand dunes), some reaching 180 meters (590 feet) in height, covering much of the country. In the Grand Erg Oriental, changing wind directions produce large, pyramid-shaped star dunes. Click the link to see an image of star dunes from space.

In the southeast, there are rock arches, sandstone formations, Saharan cypress trees, and Saharan myrtle trees near the highest point in Algeria, Mount Tahat. Prehistoric cave art dating 7,000 or more years back can be viewed at Tassili n’Ajjer. And in the northern central part of the country, there is a 10^th century fortified city in limestone in the M’Zab Valley. See the list of geologic and historic sites below and follow the links for more information. 

Although 4/5ths of Algeria is desert, there is enough fertile land to produce dates, grapes, olives, and enough grains that it was known as the breadbasket of Rome.

The tenth largest country in the world and the largest in Africa, the majority of its 43.8 million people are clustered along its northern coast. Only 12% of the country is inhabited.

One of the cradles of the first human ancestors, Algeria was the Kingdom of Numidia, before it was ruled by the Romans, the Ottomans, and finally the French, gaining independence on July 5, 1962. 

Women fought beside men during the war for independence, which led to a modern era where women were educated, able to vote, were elected to office, and held professional positions such as judges and lawyers at higher percentages than men. 

Nobel Prize winning author Albert Camus is perhaps the most well-known writer from Algeria. He was born in Mondovi (today Dréan), Algeria from French parents as a French citizen or pied-noir. Camus was an avid football player until tuberculosis changed any atheletic aspirations, ultimately preventing him from serving as a soldier in war efforts. He studied at the University of Algiers and got a degree in Philosophy. In 1935, he joined the French Communist Party and then the Algerian Communist Party and began working for a leftist newspaper, writing his concerns about the rise of fascist regimes in Europe. Ultimately, he spoke out against totalitarian communism in favor libertarian socialism or what his friend Jean-Paul Sartre called his “stubborn humanism.” Camus was 27 when he moved to Paris to be editor-in-chief of the Paris-Soir. He was in the City of Light when the Germans took it over in 1940. During this time, he worked on the novel The Stranger, the essay The Myth of Sisyphus and the play Caligula. Continuing to write in cycles of a novel, an essay, and a play at at time, Camus moved to Lyon, France where he married his second wife, also French-Algierian, and they had two children and travelled between Algeria and France over the next years. In 1957, Camus won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Camus published posthumous works of the French female philosopher Simone Weil, who he called “the only great spirit of our times.” Camus died in a car accident in France at age 46. Select the title for an interesting analysis of Camus’ The Plague, providing some insights about the constancy of human nature during our own time of pandemic. 

Algeria has a rich musical history. Andalusian music, Spanish influenced Arabic music featuring voice, lute, tambourine, drums, and other instruments, is the classical music of the country.  Follow the link to listen.

El Hadj M’Hamed El Anka is considered the father of Chaabi music, which is often sung at weddings. 

Oran, the city of lions on the Mediterranean coast, referred to as the Paris of Algeria, is the home of the popular Raï music that dates back to the 1920s and is a blend of western folk and Bedouin music. In 1999, Sting collaborated with Cheb Mami on “Desert Rose.” Follow the link to hear the song

In 1994, Raï singer Cheb Hasni was murdered by Algerian fundamentalists. His girlfriend Chaba Zahouania moved to France and continued a career as a Raï singer all these years.

In an ironic juxtaposition of lyrics and music, Cheb Khaled, noted as the King of Raï, sang “El Harba Wine” just before the Arab Civil War broke out. Click on his name to find out more about his life and click on the song title to watch a video with English subtitles. Here are its opening lyrics:

The sweetness of time is gone
Gone are goodness and the sense of shame
Prosperity sprouted wings and flew
Even the heart of man
Transformed and returned to tar
The world become a flooded paradise and void

Such days have come upon the world
Honesty and love had left the peoples’ hearts
Even good people lost their heart
All the roads are closing

Oh demon world
Problems and sadness
Where is the answer?

The world is gone, it’s over
There’s no one left who is okay
Like a smashed mirror
There is no balance

The house in which there was gold
That house is now empty
These hearts which held the answers
Are no longer there

To flee but where?

Cycles of rule and protest occur again and again throughout Algeria’s history. Fleeing is one answer, however, the youth today seem to want to make changes within their country rather than leaving it. 

Ruled for decades by a group of unelected civilian and military “décideurs” known as “Le Pouvoir” with a puppet president as its civilian face, the youth of Algeria began a peaceful protest for democracy on February 22, 2019. Known as the Hirak, demonstrations occur weekly and resulted in the ousting of President Bouteflika in April 2019. Although the current president has made overtures to work with the protestors, they remain unsatisfied that democracy is truly in place, repeating that they want “a civil state, not a military state.” Although demonstrations are peaceful, protestors are arrested and jailed on the basis of “undermining national unity.” One such protester is known as the Poet of the Hirak, Mohamed Tadjadir. He wrote:

The military rule will be removed
And the mafia state will fall
The people are proud and will never be broken
They only want to clean their nation

The national anthem of Algeria is called Kassaman and means “we pledge.” The music is by Egyptian composer Mohamed Fawzi and words by Algerian poet Moufdi Zakaria while he was in prison in 1955. The song became Algeria’s national anthem at independence from France in 1962.

Mini Glossary of Interesting Words:
Erg = field of sand dunes
Chott = a shallow saltwater lake
The Maghreb = western part of the Arab world, includes Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, and Western Sahara
Pieds-noirs = people of French and European origin born in Algeria
The Hirak = peaceful protest movement for democracy that began February 22, 2019
Casbah = citadel
Cheb (male) / Chaba (or Cheba) (female) = title for a modern Raï musician, (eg. Cheb Khaled, Cheb Hasni, Chaba Zahouania)
Cheikh (male) / Cheikha (female) = title for a past era Raï musician, indicated “master”

Geologic and Historic Sites to Visit:
Ben Hammad Fort (Al Qal’a of Beni Hammad) fortified palatine city from 11^th century
Djémila (Sétif) – Roman ruins near Algiers with theatre, temples, arches, streets, houses
Casbah of Algiers
Ketchaoua Mosque of Algiers – built in 1613
Raïs Palace in Algiers
Notre Dame d’Afrique – built in 1872, catholic basilica in Algiers
Sidi Ghanem Mosque in Mila – built in 672, oldest mosque in Algeria
Tomb of Massinissa, King of Numidia (202-148 BC) in Constantine
M’Zab Valley – limestone dwellings of Mozabites, a Berber tribe
Timgad (Batna) – Roman ruins showing grid plan, founded 100 AD
Tipaza – ancient city with Numidian mausoleum
Tassili n’Ajjer Park – prehistoric cave art, sandstone rock formations and arches

Algeria’s Deglet Nour (Royal Dates) are considered the queen of dates, among the best in the world. Mint tea, called Etzai, is popular and people drink tea throughout the day. Following are some links to Algerian foods and recipes:

Algeria: Recipes and Cuisine. Whats4eats
The Teal Tadjine
Algerian Recipes. Cookipedia
5 Traditional Dishes from Algeria. WesternUnion
Algerian Cuisine. TravelingEast