The culture of the Maghrebi diaspora celebrates its richness at the Arab-Amazigh World Fair

This weekend of May 11th and 12th the first edition of the Arab-Amzigh World Fair in Montrouge, in the Paris region.

These two days of extraordinarily rich programming will be punctuated by masterclasses, meetings, round tables, exhibitions, workshops and shows that will range from dance to music to stand-up. Enough to strengthen the bridge of meetings and inspirations between generations and talents, be they on one side of the Mediterranean or the other. This show is also the best way to question and overcome the obstacles faced by women, youth and people not white in the corporate environment, at school or even in medical environments.

Médine, Féris Barkat, Nayra and Nesrine Slaoui were present

The watchword of the show? Make evident inspiring models from the Maghreb, Amazigh and the Arab diaspora under the prism of culture and economy. Literature, gastronomy, ecology, photography, craftsmanship, work, physical and mental health, feminism: it is difficult not to find what you are looking for among the many themes highlighted in these two days.

Likewise, it is certain that among the forty guests present, most of them will be very familiar to you. We will find, for example, the rapper Médine, the artist Nayra, the influencers Just Riadh (4.9 million subscribers on Instagram) and The Doll Beauty (which has 3.3 million) or even the Arabengers collective.

The entrepreneur who started the event, Rajâa Moussadik opened up behind the scenes and answered our questions.

Meeting with Rajaa Moussadik

To miss. Can you explain what the term “Arab-Amazigh” means? »

Rajaa Mouassadik. It’s true that we don’t often see these two terms side by side. The Amazigh (or Berbers) are the indigenous peoples of North Africa. The term means “free man”. There are Amazigh in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia… It’s true a very rich language and culture in its own right.

The living room is Arab and Amazigh because Maghrebi diasporas in France they are made up of people Arabs, but also Amazigh. It seemed important to me to celebrate this cultural diversity.

Why did you create this show?

I started from scratch. I wanted to create an unprecedented event that met all our needs. memory, celebrations and meetings. I also realized that there was no event bring together the Arab and Amazigh diaspora under the prism of culture and economy.

I especially wanted to celebrate the cultural heritage passed down from our parents and grandparents, who mostly arrived in France between the 1960s and 1990s. Some are disappearing little by little and it is important to honor their memory, journey and the legacy they have passed on to us. Additionally, many of our speakers will be accompanied by their parents or grandparents!

I also wanted to highlight their legacy and the achievements of the children of these diasporas in many sectors. Because I wanted it to be as unifying as possible, I tried to touch on all the topics. We will talk about entrepreneurship but also gastronomy, history, audiovisual, languages, finance, etc.

It is important that there is this type of apolitical, non-religious initiative, which has as its sole ambition that of to entertain visitors, whether they are initiated or simply curious. We have placed emphasis on workshops because it is very important to start with us concrete knowledge. For example, we can learn from a single course the entire Arabic alphabet or to present quick reading by world champion Mohamed Koussa !

In your opinion, is the show aimed at immigrants, the diaspora or rather the Amazigh and Arabs living in these countries?

This is an interesting question. I think first of all the people affected by this event will be people from the diaspora. But I want it to be open to all, whatever their origin, nationality or place of residence. Whether curious or expert, the visitor is welcome. The show’s sole ambition is to bring together and unite.

How did you choose your guests?

The first criteria to select our guests were people with positive and impactful backgrounds on a daily basis. Then everyone, in their own way, is connected to the Arab-Amazigh world and expresses it in their own way. For some it is a central topic. For example, we have chef Nora Sadki, an Amazigh Algerian, who promotes this cultural heritage through the cuisine of the Majouja restaurant.

We also got together a group of doctors and lawyers. The former will carry out prevention and screening activities, the latter will provide free legal advice to give advice on legal, work or family matters. We will also have a round table on Mediterranean syndrome. The goal is specifically that isolated or precarious people get closer to a path of good health, to talk about the problems encountered by women, but also to tell young people who wish to enter these fields that they are legitimate.

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