BLM wave skirts North Africa despite everyday racismAFP, ALGIERSThe global wave of anti-racism protests sparked by the US police killing of George Floyd has barely touched North Africa, despite everyday discrimination in a region with a long slave-trading history. Black citizens in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, as well as migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who come to work, study or try to reach Europe, say they suffer endemic day-to-day racism. Photo: AFPHowever, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, most observers agree, has not triggered a major debate on racism or police violence against black Africans within the Maghreb region itself. “Some Algerians forget that they themselves are Africans.”Interracial marriages are rare in North Africa, and “very few TV stars, civil servants or political leaders are dark-skinned,” he said. Musette said the priority must be to “decondition” children and teach them to avoid derogatory terms for black North Africans, such as abid or oussif (“slave”).

Source: The North Africa Journal July 20, 2020 15:56 UTC