Algeria

Happy Birthday to the countries!

Happy Birthday to Algeria!

2018-07-05

Algerian school children. *Photo from Wikipedia July 5 is Independence Day, celebrating the independence of Algeria from France in 1962. North Africa served as a transit region for people moving towards Europe or the Middle East, thus, the region’s inhabitants have been influenced by populations from other areas, including the Carthaginians, Romans, and Vandals. The region was conquered by the Muslims in the early 8th century, but broke off from the Umayyad Caliphate after the Berber Revolt of 740. Later, various Berbers, Arabs, Persian Muslim states, Sunni, Shia or Ibadi communities were established that ruled parts of modern-day of Algeria.

INTERVIEWS

I needed to bottle up my emotions in order to get one step ahead. Otherwise a foreigner couldn’t have run a noodle shop here.

2008-08-12

Interviewed & written by Isao Tokuhashi Mail to: itokuhashi@myeyestokyo.com   Belouazani Lakhdar (Algeria) Shopkeeper of a buckwheat noodle shop (He’s been in Japan since ’88) Belouazani Lakhdar is an Algerian buckwheat (soba) noodle chef. He’s been making soba noodles for 16 years in the area called Musashi-kosugi, a town which has been changing dramatically. It’s striking that his shop, Kabura-an, is located in a local shopping area that’s kind of closed, not opened to foreigners. How has a foreigner been taking pride in working as a soba chef in a closed community? How has he integrated in the local society? *Interview