For May, the country I’m going to be learning more about is Algeria! So before I dive in, what do I already know about Algeria?

• I know that not only was it colonized by France, but for a period it was considered an actual internal part of France, which ended with a notoriously destructive war in the 60s, though I don’t know much deeper than that, and almost everything I’ve ever read has been from European sources.
• French seems to still be widely used in Algeria (as well as Arabic and Berber) – so that means a much lower language barrier for me this month.
• I’ve heard the food is exceptional – there’s a good Algerian restaurant here in Ottawa, and the recipes I’ve skimmed online look great. There are some really wicked looking desserts in particular!
• With good timing, we’re currently in Ramadan, so there may be some good opportunities to see how Ramadan / Eid is celebrated in Algeria. (Again, thinking with my stomach – I wonder what’s popular for iftar?)
• The only Algerian literature I’ve read is Camus, and while he is a really interesting product of French Algeria, I’m thinking I want to lean more towards post-independence post-colonial writers this month.