MARSEILLE // From the former footballer Zinédine Zidane, film stars and leading businessmen to the charismatic politician Rachida Dati, success stories among French people of Algerian descent are not difficult to find.
Fifty years after the country unlocked the chains of colonialism, there is even a collective nickname for those who make something of their lives: la Beurgeoisie, derived from the colloquial term "Beur" for someone with north African Arab roots.
But as Algeria quietly marks the important symbolic anniversary of its independence, relations between the two countries, and especially between French and Maghrebin communities in France itself, remain troubled and complex.
When Algerian settlers in France began their "March of the Beurs" from Marseille to Paris in 1983, the cry was for equality and an end to racism.
Few would claim almost 30 years later that any such thing has been achieved. Among many Algerians, as well as Moroccans and Tunisians, systematic discrimination has bred alienation to the extent that coexistence often means people live parallel lives rather than integrate. And a few are drawn to radical politics on which the West, and France in particular, is seen as the enemy.
In Olivier Baroux's 2010 film L'Italien, a young man named Mourad, born in Algeria but brought up in France, finds prejudice standing in the way of a good job or decent home. So he reinvents himself as Dino, an Italian, flourishes in car sales and rents a luxury flat.
The reality may be somewhat different but the film captured a familiar theme. Mr Baroux conducted research among young Maghrebins beforehand and said at the time: "All told the same story. They have to show remarkable pragmatism. Employers do not want to read a CV from Mohammed if they also have ones from Gilles and Jean-Luc."
Dr Jim House, a British academic who became fascinated with Algeria while studying in Saint-Etienne, a city near Lyon with a large Maghrebin population, says it is easy for discontent among French Muslims to boil over.
He believes official refusal to re-examine not only the Algerian war of independence but colonialism history more broadly, coupled with feelings of ostracism from mainstream society, means France "somehow manages to struggle along but can occasionally bubble over and, with tensions so high, only a small spark is needed".
Some, denied the prospect of advancement in France, just leave. "France needs a range of measures to stop a brain drain," said Dr House, director of the centre for French and francophone cultural studies at Leeds University in northern England. "Very gifted people find they can get work in London, Montreal or Brussels and are lost to France. There is no real social mobility, just that great sense of desperation and marginalisation that cannot be healthy in any society."
The election row over the extent of halal meat production in France, launched by the far right but hijacked by the centre-right president, Nicolas Sarkozy, is a classic example of an issue widely seen by Muslims as being used to demonise their community.
The ban on the face-covering niqab in public was also interpreted as an attack on Islam, despite - but to some extent because of - the fact that so few Muslim women in France actually wore them.
And France took 37 years to acknowledge that a police attack on Algerian demonstrators in Paris in 1961 - five months before the signing of the Evian accord signalled Algerian independence 50 years ago yesterday - caused multiple fatalities. First official reports had spoken of two dead; estimates now reach 200 or more.
Some French politicians counter that Algerian factions have continued, despite independence, to regard France as a sworn enemy. In 1994, as the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) carried the Algerian civil war to French territory, an Air France passenger flight was hijacked with the alleged aim of crashing it on Paris.
French commandos stormed the plane on the ground at Marseille airport, killing all four hijackers. The GIA killed four Roman Catholic priests, three of them French, in revenge at Tizi-Ouzou, east of Algiers.
As recently as 2005, a militant group that has subsequently become known as Al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb called for violence against France as "our enemy number one, the enemy of our religion, the enemy of our community".
Rational French opinion sees such sentiments as restricted to a tiny minority. Many politicians, academics, trade unionists and writers actively combat the discrimination on which resentment feeds.
Zidane's rise to football's highest levels from an unpromising start in a Marseille suburb, where he grew up one of five children of Algerian immigrant parents, brought him national adulation that easily survived the disgrace of being sent off for violent conduct in the 2006 World Cup final.
He is clearly an exception and no one suggests the achievements of a few footballers, actors and politicians will overcome decades of prejudice. But with intense media interest in the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence has come the hope of more measured debate on Franco-Algerian relations and the shared history.
Referring to the absence of official commemoration of this weekend's anniversary, Benjamin Stora, a respected historian from an Algerian Jewish family background, told Agence France-Presse: "There is on the other hand big demand for historical memory on the part of society, from young generations who want to know what happened.
"While it was France that lost the war in Algeria, paradoxically it is in France where it is much talked about, while in Algeria it is little talked about. Maybe that will come."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
