“We have a long way to go” in treating boys and girls equally, says the 44-year-old Koubi, speaking in French. Though he now includes a few female dancers, Koubi started his troupe 20 years ago with Algerian men — hip-hop dancers, experts in capoeira and other martial arts, gymnasts and self-taught movers — whom Koubi brought to Cannes. With time, Koubi has been able to look past the shock of the revelation and view it philosophically. “They thought they’d be welcomed as heroes, because though they were Algerian, they had defended French interests,” Koubi says. AD“They had this will to be more French than the French,” Koubi says.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 21, 2020 13:07 UTC