Culture of Algeria

The culture of Algeria encompasses the development of literature, music, religion and cuisine.

Literature

Main article: Literature of Algeria

Moufdi Zakaria 1908-1977 poet of the Algerian Revolution

Modern Algerian literature, split between Arabic and French,and has been strongly influenced by the country's recent history. Known poets in modern Algeria are Mufdi Zakaria, Mohammed al Aid in middle of the twentieth century, and Achour Fenni and Azrag Omar in the late eighties. Famous novelists of the twentieth century include Mohammed Dib, Albert Camus, Kateb Yacine, Ahlam Mosteghanemi, while Assia Djebar is widely translated. Among the important novelists of the 1980s were Rachid Mimouni, later vice-president of Amnesty International, and Tahar Djaout, murdered by an Islamist group in 1993 for his secularist views.^[1] In philosophy and the humanities, Jacques Derrida, the father of deconstruction, was born in El Biar in Algiers; Malek Bennabi and Frantz Fanon are noted for their thoughts on decolonization; Augustine of Hippo was born in Tagaste (modern-day Souk Ahras); and Ibn Khaldun, though born in Tunis, wrote the Muqaddima while staying in Algeria. Algerian culture has been strongly influenced by Islam, the main religion. The works of the Sanusi family in pre-colonial times, and of Emir Abdelkader and Sheikh Ben Badis in colonial times, are widely noted. The Latin author Apuleius was born in Madaurus (Mdaourouch), in what later became Algeria.

Music

Main article: Music of Algeria

The Algerian musical genre best known abroad is raï, a pop-flavored, opinionated take on folk music, featuring international stars such as Khaled and Cheb Mami. In Algeria itself, raï remains the most popular,but the older generation still prefer shaabi, as performed by for instance Dahmane El Harrachi. while the tuneful melodies of Kabyle music, exemplified by Idir, Ait Menguellet, or Lounès Matoub, have a wide audience. For more classical tastes, Andalusi music, brought from Al-Andalus by Morisco refugees, is preserved in many older coastal towns. For a more modern style, the English born and of Algerian descent, Potent C is gradually becoming a success for younger generations. Encompassing a mixture of folk, raï, and British hip hop it is a highly collective and universal genre.

Although "“raï". http://algeria-raï.com/.  is welcomed and praised as a glowing cultural emblem for Algeria, there was time when raï’s come across critical cultural and political conflictions with Islamic and government policies and practices, post-independency. Thus the distribution and expression of raï music became very difficult. However, “then the government abruptly reversed its position in mid-1985. In part this was due to the lobbying of a former liberation army officer turned pop music impresario, Colonel Snoussi, who hoped to profit from raï if it could be mainstreamed.”^[2] In addition, given both nations’ relations, Algerian government was pleased with the music’s growing popularity in France. Although the music is more widely accepted on the political level, it still faces severe conflictions with the populace of Islamic faith in Algeria.

Visual arts

In painting, Mohammed Khadda^[3] and M'hamed Issiakhem have been notable in recent years.

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of Algeria

See also: List of Algerian films

Religion

Mosque in Algiers.

Algeria is a Muslim country, with Christian and Jewish minorities.

Main article: Religion in Algeria

Sports

See also: Football in Algeria and Rugby union in Algeria

Cuisine

See also: Algerian cuisine, Arab cuisine, and French cuisine

(Couscous - كسكس) with vegetables and chickpeas, the national dish of Algeria.

Algerian cuisine features cooking styles and dishes derived from traditional Arab, Amazigh, Turkish, and French cuisines. Additional influences of Jewish, Spanish, Berber and Italian cuisines are also found.^[4] The cuisine is flavorful, often featuring a blend of traditional Mediterranean spices and chili peppers.^[4] Couscous is a staple of the diet, often served with stews and other fare.

See also

• Outline of culture
  • Outline of Algeria#Culture of Algeria

References

1. ^ Tahar Djaout French Publishers' Agency and France Edition, Inc. (accessed 4 April 2006)
2. ^ Gross, Joan, David McMurray, and Ted Swedenburg. "Arab Noise and Ramadan Nights: Raï, Rap, and Franco-Maghrebi Identities." Diaspora 3:1 (1994): 3- 39. [Reprinted in The Anthropology of Globalization: A Reader, ed. by Jonathan Xavier and Renato Rosaldo.
3. ^ Mohammed Khadda official site (accessed 4 April 2006)
4. ^ ^{a b} Farid Zadi. "Algerian cuisine". http://www.chefzadi.com/2007/10/algerian-soul-f.html. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 

External links

• Tourisme information
• Algerie Information