Under the Influence
Alcohol was part of daily life in the colonial Maghreb. In 1913 the French banned alcohol in Tunisia, revealing a deep distrust of local drinks and their Jewish and Muslim makers.
North Africa
Turning Point: the End of the French Empire
Eighty years ago, the Atlantic Charter set out the terms for the decolonisation of French North Africa.
The Life and Death of North Africa’s First Superstar
The career of Tunisian singer Habiba Messika was cut tragically short in 1930. Her murder devastated her fans, but in its aftermath her records spread across the French-occupied Maghreb, fanning the flames of insurgent nationalism.
Disaster at Djerba
During a period of European peace, Spain sought to establish control of the Mediterranean. Yet a disastrous attempt to oust the Ottomans from North Africa threatened to accelerate the westward advance of Islam.
Camus: Out of North Africa
On the centenary of his birth, Martin Evans looks at the evolving legacy of the Algerian-born French writer Albert Camus
Operation Torch: The North Africa Landings, 70 Years On
Colin Smith recounts the Allied invasion of French North Africa, which commenced on November 8th, 1942.
Arab Invasions: The First Islamic Empire
During the seventh century the Arabs invaded North Africa three times, bringing not just a new religion but a language and customs that were alien to the native Berber tribes of the Sahara and Mediterranean hinterland. Eamonn Gearon looks at the rise of the first Islamic empire.