How Algerian kabyle youth spends its free time
Yes, a subject not so easy to deal with! Young Kabyles manage to find leisure time after school or work, if they attend any! They wander around and looking for what to do, in fact, the days are felt too long.
When you ask someone how he/she is, he/she responds with a Kabylised French 'Oh it's dégoutage' (boredom). They come out of a coffee shop to go to another, just to change place and walk a little to circulate the blood.
In the town of Azazga for example, cars are mixed with pedestrians in the middle of the main street, no traffic lights, no real traffic police, and no organization, and yet things are moving fine with the power of God, as we have always been told by everyone!
So, young people of all ages (In the Kabylia region, men always feel young, they never get old!) Spend their time as follows:
They visit the animal market (Souk) on Saturdays, not really to buy but maybe to see if there is any connection with the animal kingdom.
In Azeffoun, they hand make fishing boats in the hope of catching some nice fish to sell to make some money. Everything is negotiable though.
They spend long hours in public parks discussing their future.
They play football in an attempt to unwind a little bit to forget their real life situations. It is the youth of the village of Ighil Bouzel playing. They all have Brazilian and European nicknames; at least the imagination is free and is within the reach of everyone.
They visit the new cultural centre of Azazga to do research on the internet and in the labs. Oh, I see no one in this picture; I don’t know where they’ve gone???!!
The girls make their own business by sewing. They carry beautiful clothes like the famous Kabyle dresses (Please see their models). But also, they can reproduce almost any design they only see on pictures. When you visit the place to make an order, they are so nice and so welcoming. Every business should take this as a good example to follow.
Other people prefer to have a beer at the edge of the Mediterranean.
Written by Hacène Baleh for berberosaharan.com November 26, 2011