Algerians greet each other in many different ways and it changes depending on the age and gender of the person you encounter. In this week’s podcast you can hear the most common greetings. Algerians say that when greeted by someone you should always say something even nicer than what they said to you. In the podcast you will hear:

-Salam Alakieum

Peace be upon you

-Wa alakeium salam wa rahma-too allahee tana wa barkatooh

And may peace be upon you as well as the charity and bounty of

When I taught a theatre workshop for young actors last year I discovered that a few of the participants had formed a rap group called SOS (Some One Street).

They are Yahia (18), Youcef (24), Amar (16), Bilal (17) and Sid Ali (18). They used to rehearse in the abandoned cinema in their neighborhood but that space has since been closed off. When they are lucky they find space to write and sing together in their local youth center. A few days ago I invited them to come to my garage and record

Happy New Year!

Aam Saïda! (Arabic)

Bonne Année (French)

Esgwess M'gez! (Berber)

The Regional Theatre of Oran’s next production is called “The Window” or in Arabic “Nafeetha.” I will be performing in this production! In Arabic! I don’t speak Arabic so I have to write my script in my own language in order to pronounce the words correctly. Arabic is written from right to left whereas English and French are written from left to right. In Arabic there are many sounds that are difficult for