Tag Archive | Algeria

The German Mujahid, by Boualem Sansal – A Review

The German Mujahid Boualem Sansal, pg 227 Boualem Sansal’s The German Mujahid tries to link Islamist violence, the Holocaust, and the Algerian police state into a larger statement about totalitarian regimes and intolerance. In one way it is an ambitious idea: link seemingly disparate historical events like the Holocaust and Islamist violence in Paris suburbs, [...]

Inland – A Review

The mistake I made in selecting this film was not paying attention to the last line of the review which said the film ” compared to Antonioni.” Oh, the tedium for this loose (which is kind) and boring film. When you read the description below you might think it has potential but only when you [...]

100% Arabica – A Review

If you want an insightful film that will explain the problems of Algerian immigrants in France, this is not the film. Yet it does have its moments and is a Raï fan’s attack on those problems, which gives it a certain weight. At the same time the film is a was a young persons film, [...]

Cheb Mami – Bledi

This isn’t about books, but it is such a great song and since I finally found a live version it is worth promoting. I believe it is about the Bled, the country side of Algeria. I don’t speak Arabic, though, so it is only a guess, but Raï transcends language.