“Macron, Macron!“. Shirt and tie and walkabout in the city center of Oran for the President. On the last day of his visit to Algeria, before returning to officially seal the relaunch of the bilateral relationship in Algiers, Emmanuel Macron was able to visit a Christian sanctuary, before having tea in the “temple of raï” in the city in western Algeria.
Walkabout improvised by Emmanuel #Macron in the streets of Oran. “One two three, long live the#Algeria » chant the inhabitants @franceinfo pic.twitter.com/Hl3KLQB7sx
— Guillaume Daret (@GuillaumeDaret) August 27, 2022
It is when leaving the mini-shop of the Disco Maghreb label, emblematic of raï, a very popular musical trend in the 1980s, brought up to date by the latest track by DJ Snake, Disco Maghreb, thaten shirt sleeves, the French head of state took a few steps in the street. An impromptu walkabout that gave the security services a few sweats. Unexpectedly, Emmanuel Macron took a few minutes to shake hands, take a few photos in the crowd, with bodyguards on his teeth.
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“One, two, three, long live Algeria!“, “How is Bridget?” can we hear in this image “à la Chirac”. But, unlike its predecessor, the reception is more mixed, with sometimes hostile slogans heard: “Kiss my ass !“, “France eats our country“, “We are at home“…”We are against France, because it hurts us a lot“, loose a passerby. “The economy: it must help us!“, asks another.
A little earlier, during his visit to the emblematic Disco Maghreb shop where Cheb Khaled, Cheb Mami passed, Emmanuel Macron discussed with the boss of the label, Boualem Benhaoua, 68, whose face is now known worldwide thanks to the clip from the French DJ to hundreds of millions of views on Youtube and where young people now flock for selfies.
Emmanuel Macron at Disco Maghreb in Oran. Emblematic label of raï recently repopularized by #DJSnake @djsnake pic.twitter.com/sZ8g1Ijqxm
— Guillaume Daret (@GuillaumeDaret) August 27, 2022
Emmanuel Macron, he is a fan of raï. “I am part of the generation that saw and knew the Cheb Khaled, etc., emerging. Then yes ! We even made a selfie and a video for Dj Snake”, smiles the Head of State, before rejoicing that the city and the shop are “still the epicenter of raï, of a popular culture, of immense artists“.
A few hours from leaving Algerian soil, Emmanuel Macron therefore ended up giving a nod to the youth, which was nevertheless the primary objective of his trip.