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The multi-talented, multilingual model, actress and singer is making a name for herself beyond her homeland.
Baraka Merzaia is a true force of nature. Beautiful, intelligent and multi-talented, the young Algerian rising star is attracting praise and attention from across the world for a wide variety of reasons. If you don’t yet know her name, you soon will.
Merzaia was born in Adrar, in the south of Algeria, but is now based in Algiers. Her talent was first noticed aged 16, when she joined a choir to learn to improve her already impressive vocal skills.
Like many young people of her generation in Algeria, Merzaia is a polyglot, which has helped her gain fans across borders. In India, four years ago, when the country celebrated the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gandhi, Merzaia was praised by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for her “memorable” rendition of “Vaishnava Jana To,” a hugely popular Hindu hymn “whose lyrics are imbued with empathy” that Merzaia hopes is contagious.
In 2019, Merzaia was named Miss Talent in her homeland, and has since landed several modelling contracts, and aspires to hit the international catwalks soon, inspired particularly by the career of Somali-American model Halima Aden — who famously sported the hijab on a Vogue cover and was the first model to wear a burkini in Sports Illustrated magazine. Like Aden, Merzaia aims to remain true to her faith and smash stereotypes in the fashion industry.
She tells Arab News France that she has already turned down offers of partnerships with brands who have asked her to remove her headscarf for photo shoots.
“Many consider my (headscarf) to be a fashion accessory,” she says. “That is far from the case, and I am convinced that I can carry out my projects without compromising my integrity.”
Another major inspiration, she tells Arab News, is her mother — a PhD holder whose thirst for knowledge has inspired Merzaia to pursue higher education, in addition to her artistic projects.
The singer, model, and actress has built up a following of more than half a million over various social-media platforms, on which she documents her daily life and her artistic projects, with a strong emphasis on Algerian culture and heritage.
One example is a video shot during a visit to her hometown of Ain Salah. “When I posted a video showing how we make kesra — a semolina pancake baked in sand — I was inundated with messages from curious people across the country asking me to share this type of content more frequently,” she says.
Her kesra video was widely shared online — including by NWE, a media that highlights African culture in all its diversity — and helped to highlight a little-known facet of Algerian culture.
Merzaia explains that she sees social media as an opportunity to introduce people to the south of Algeria, which is under-represented across mainstream media, and, at the same time, to disabuse people of stereotypes concerning Saharan inhabitants.
In 2006, a census estimated that the Black community in Algeria represented around 5 percent of the population, the lowest ratio in the Maghreb.
While Baraka is not overtly political, her claiming of — and ability to reconcile — her Algerian and African heritage, and her faith, demonstrates that these aspects of Algerian identity complement each other, when popular wisdom might suggest that they are incompatible.
At a time when many young people in North Africa tend to look to the West for cultural inspiration, Merzaia demonstrates that Algerian culture, in addition to being plural and rich, “has a lot to offer and deserves to be discovered,” as she puts it.
“I don’t consider myself to be an influencer,” she says. “Nevertheless, I do want to shed light on my culture, by sharing with my followers my faith and culture, (and this balance) between modernism and tradition.”
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Baraka Merzaia, young student, model, singer and actress becomes an essential artist of the Algerian cultural scene (Photo, Instagram @Barakamerzaia). /arabnews.fr
One doesn’t have to be a Muslim to visit the mosque or see the tallest minaret in the world.
Many people who think of a vacation to Africa make plans with Morocco in mind, South Africa at times, maybe Kenya, and definitely Egypt—to see the famous pyramids—or the 4,100-mile-long river that gave birth to that momentous civilization. Yet, as a continent, Africa has 54 countries, almost as many as the number of states in the U.S. Though it may come as a surprise, almost all of these countries are safe and have nearly the same conveniences as those found in many First World countries. Take Algeria, for instance, the biggest country in Africa and more than three times the size of Texas. This northern African country has pyramids, just like Egypt, and several fascinating ruins that would interest any history buff or anyone who’s out for some real adventure.
The Great Mosque Of Algiers And Its Record-Breaking Minaret
Also known as Djamaa el Djazaïr, the Great Mosque of Algiers is itself a monumental structure and an architectural marvel in its own right. However, what really puts it in the Guinness Book of World Records is its minaret. The reason is that the Great Mosque of Algiers is noted for having the tallest minaret in the world. For those who may be scratching their heads, a minaret is a tower—or a tower-like structure—built into mosques primarily to project the “Adhan,” the Muslim call to prayer. Of course, today, minarets serve other purposes as well. For instance, they are important landmarks of Islamic presence. Coming to the minaret of the Great Mosque of Algiers, we would not be remiss to expect a structure described as the world’s tallest to answer to that exceptional description. Well, the minaret of the Great Mosque of Algiers is 265 meters tall and hence, by all accounts, impressive.
For perspective, that’s the same height as Truist Plaza, the 60-story skyscraper in downtown Atlanta or the Panorama Tower in Miami, Florida. It’s also about half the height of the One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the United States. Minarets, however, have never been this tall. Before the Great Mosque of Algiers secured a page in the Guinness Book of World Records for its minaret, the tallest minaret was the 670-feet tower of the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. The Algiers minaret, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is now not just the tallest minaret in the world but the tallest building in Africa as well. This minaret is designed to withstand a magnitude nine earthquake, the highest earthquake magnitude. This type of earthquake can cause major damage over a region more than 1,000 km across.
Here’s A Brief History Of The Great Mosque Of Algiers And Its Minaret
The government of Algeria launched the construction of the Great Mosque and its record-breaking minaret in 2012. However, according to an adviser to the minister of housing responsible for the construction, the idea of constructing a mega-mosque had been in the cards from way back in 1962 when Algeria got its independence after 132 years of French occupation and after a 7-year brutal war that would send seismic revolutionary waves across the continent. For some reason, the efforts to put up a mega-mosque in Algiers had failed and foundered. However, with the election of Abdelaziz Bouteflika as President of Algeria in 1999, the building efforts would soon receive significant impetus.
Famous for his religious zeal and devotion to Muslim art and culture, Bouteflika would, unsurprisingly, actualize the mega-mosque dream even though his tenure as president would dramatically come to a premature end before the completion of his pet project. The mosque, however, including its record-breaking minaret, was an outstanding architectural masterpiece. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Great Mosque of Algiers sits on an expansive area of around 400,000 square meters (about 50 acres). For perspective, the building itself, plus the outside courtyard, can seat up to 120,000 worshipers.
Other Reasons Why The Great Mosque of Algiers Is Worth Visiting (& How To Visit)
The mosque looks towards the scenic Bay of Algiers, which features dazzling white buildings and panoramic views as far as the eye can see. Part of the mosque is a library that can stock more than a million volumes. In addition, the mosque has a Koranic school and a museum of Islamic art and history.
Where Is The Great Mosque of Algiers Located? This mosque is located on the Rue de la Marine in Algeria’s capital city, Algiers.
A crucial travel tip is to get in as a worshiper, probably during worship. Some visitors even carry a prayer mat or wear a scarf, especially women. Of course, one doesn’t have to be a Muslim to visit the mosque or see the tallest minaret in the world.
Just when every single one of his supporters thought he would always be remembered as a cult hero and nothing else, Karim Benzema has reached the pinnacle of the sport 14 years after signing for Real Madrid labeled as the next Ronaldo Nazario. Overcoming ferocious criticism from his own fanbase and from some of his coaches during this time, Benzema carried Real Madrid to an improbable Champions League & LaLiga double all while scoring 44 goals in 46 appearances in the 2021-2022 season.
Karim Benzema has won the 2022 Ballon D’Or no less than 13 years after signing for Real Madrid. It has not been an easy path for Benzema as he had to change his style of play and prove many of his doubters wrong along the way. In those 13 years, he went from being a young, misfit player who struggled in his early days in Madrid to becoming a captain and a true leader for the biggest club in world football.
Here’s how he did it.
I. Struggles: From “The Next Ronaldo Nazario” to “The Next Anelka”
Saying that Benzema never was one of the world’s greatest strikers would be wrong. From 2009 to 2022, the French attacker went through struggles on and off the field but always showed that the talent to be one of the best was there. Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez saw that promise and raw potential and decided to visit Benzema’s home in Lyon to secure his signing in the summer of 2009.
“I was hanging out with my friends and my family called me and said: “You need to come home, Florentino is here.” I opened the door, I saw him there and I just didn’t say anything,” revealed Benzema a decade later.
Still, Benzema failed to establish himself as a regular starter for Madrid until Gonzalo Higuaín suffered a back injury in 2011. José Mourinho, who was the team’s coach back in the day, signed Emmanuel Adebayor on loan because he didn’t feel the 24-year-old Benzema could lead his offense. Mourinho even said that he would rather go hunting “with a hound” [Higuaín] but that he would have to go “with a cat.”
Thing is, Mourinho was right. Benzema was struggling on the pitch and appeared to be careless and apathetic during his first few seasons in the Spanish capital.
“My first season in Madrid, my first six months or so were very tough. I was by myself; I didn’t speak Spanish and that made it all more difficult. Furthermore, I just got to a new world, another team, another style of football. Luckily, I didn’t give up,” he said when asked about that time in an interview published this past summer.
That’s the main reason why most fans and members of the media often compared him to former Real Madrid attacker Nicolas Anelka, who signed for the club in 1999 when he was 20 years old. Anelka left Madrid after just one season having displayed some of the symptoms which kept Benzema out of the team’s starting lineup a decade later. Anelka went on to have a very solid career, but Madrid didn’t reap the benefits.
With Benzema, Florentino Pérez remained patient –perhaps the fact that he was his personal gamble gave the Frenchman a longer leash– and decided to keep trusting his potential knowing that Real Madrid had another historically great player who could lead the team towards the most successful period in the history of the club.
II. Stability without stardom: Cristiano’s Sidekick and the BBC years
While Benzema showed real moments of brilliance during Mourinho’s tenure in the Spanish capital (2010-2013), even scoring 28 goals across all competitions during the 2011-12 season, he always was behind Gonzalo Higuaín in the depth chart.
When Mourinho left the club in 2013, Real Madrid decided to sell the Argentinian striker to Napoli and gave Benzema the chance to be an undisputed starter under new coach Carlo Ancelotti and alongside two great scorers like Cristiano Ronaldo and new signing Gareth Bale. The ‘BBC’ was born.
Ancelotti then created a new role for Benzema, the role he played for most of his career: The 9.5. the French striker wasn’t playing as a false nine, but he was a playmaker through the center-forward position. There, Benzema would often receive the ball and assist to either Ronaldo or Bale while drifting to both flanks to create space for them to finish plays in the center of the attacking line. Ronaldo and Bale were ruthless finishers during these years, but Benzema deserves credit for making their jobs way easier.
“When Cristiano Ronaldo played for Real Madrid, he scored 50 to 60 goals a year. So, my moves were to give him an advantage on the field, generate spaces, because I passed the ball well in the opponent’s area. He was much more effective than I was,” said Benzema earlier this year.
The team won La Décima (their tenth Champions League trophy) and the Copa del Rey during that first season. Ancelotti left the club a year later, but his successor Zinedine Zidane kept the same offensive system going and conquered a historic three-peat with Benzema being the facilitator for Ronaldo and Bale.
Even if Benzema wasn’t focusing on scoring goals, he still found the back of the net 28 times in just 34 appearances back in 2015-16. He was delivering. Zidane being his childhood hero and one of football’s greatest players of all time, the French attacker spent time after every training session working and polishing his game with his coach, with his idol.
Everything changed in 2017-18. Real Madrid struggled immensely throughout the season and didn’t even compete for LaLiga against Barcelona. Benzema had one of his worst campaigns as a Real Madrid player and scored only 12 goals. Somehow, the team managed to win the third consecutive Champions League title and completing the aforementioned three-peat, but both Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane felt like it was the end of an era and decided to leave the club.
“Every year is the same. I play football to make history. Sometimes people don’t get what I do on the field but I’m here to help my teammates. Of course, I always want to score goals, but sometimes that’s not possible,” said Benzema in 2018, the first campaign without Cristiano Ronaldo and the first time he scored 30 goals in his career. After years of being a playmaker for Ronaldo, Real Madrid needed Benzema to score. He delivered.
III. Mentoring the new generation during Real Madrid’s rebuild
Benzema faced ferocious criticism from his own fanbase during the first few months of the 2018-19 season. The fans at the Santiago Bernabéu appeared to think that he was to blame for the team’s struggles last year. He was never a fan favorite. In 2016, the crowd whistled when he was about to take a penalty-kick, singing Álvaro Morata’s name as they wanted the homegrown attacker to take it instead.
When Ronaldo left the club, Benzema accepted the challenge and realized the fact that he had to score more goals. He rose to the occasion while other attackers like Marco Asensio or even Gareth Bale appeared unwilling to embrace more responsibilities in the offense.
That first season was terrible for the club, even if Benzema scored 30 goals and delivered 9 assists. Zidane’s successor Julen Lopetegui was sacked after just a couple of months and former Real Madrid player and current Castilla coach Santiago Solari was appointed as an interim coach for the remainder of the season, until Zidane made his return to the club just a year after his resignation.
Benzema kept doing his thing and scoring at a solid rate during those seasons but now he was also a mentor for two talented prospects signed from Brazilian football: Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes.
It wasn’t a very successful era for Madrid, but they did conquer the 2019-20 LaLiga title with brilliant performances from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Benzema himself in the condensed schedule after the Covid pandemic.
In the summer of 2021, Zidane left the club for good and a familiar face returned to the Bernabéu. Ancelotti was back. What followed during the next few months will be remembered as one of the most memorable seasons in the history of the club.
IV. Benzema unchained: Carrying Madrid towards a historic double
44 goals in 46 appearances. 15 goals in the Champions League. A hat-trick to rescue his team and advance to the next round in the return leg against Paris Saint-Germain. A hat-trick against Chelsea in the first leg of the Quarterfinals at Stamford Bridge. 10 goals in the 7 do-or-die knockout games in the biggest club competition in the world. Greatness.
Benzema overperformed his xG (expected goals) in 12 goals last season. Courtois and Vinicius were also instrumental in the team’s success and performed better than the French striker in the Champions League Final, but Benzema was historically great all season long with his scoring but also with his playmaking, which helped Vinicius become the player he is today.
It took Benzema a while to get where he stands today, and it would be fair to say that nobody saw this kind of greatness coming from him. In fact, Florentino Perez would have likely replaced him with other strikers had he not been his protégé, his personal signing. None of that matters now. Benzema stayed and he delivered big time in a season where his team needed him the most.
He was hands down the best player in the world of football during the 2021-22 season. He earned every bit of this Ballon D’Or and every single madridista should be proud of him and proud of having him wearing the captain’s armband. They saw Benzema grow into the player, the leader, the captain, the mentor and the man he is today.
“I play for the ones who like and understand football.” Benzema transcended that quote last season and played for every single football viewer around the world, casual or not. He finally earned global recognition.
Karim Benzema is now a Ballon D’Or winner. The world’s greatest
source/content: managingmadrid.com / Lucas Navarrete (headline edited)
Algeria won the 2022 U-17 Arab Cup after beating Morocco on penalties in the final at Abdelkrim Kerroum Stadium in Sig on Thursday night, September 08th..
The match had ended 1-1 in front of 20,000 people, and extra time brought no further goals, before the host nation won 4-2 in the deciding shootout.
Morocco took the lead on 51 minutes through Mohammed Rachidi and were within seconds of winning the trophy, but Ismael Chehima scored a 90th minute equalizer.
In the shootout, Morocco missed twice to Algeria’s one, much to the delight of the large home crowd in attendance.
Algeria had reached the final by beating Saudi Arabia 5-4 on penalties after their semifinal clash had finished 0-0, while Morocco overcame Yemen 2-0.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Hosts Algeria have won the 2022 Arab Cup U-17. (Twitter: @UAFAAC)
Project shines a light on the cultural exchange between Algeria, France and Italy during the 1960s.
Zineb Sedira has outlined plans for her presentation at the French pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale (23 April-27 November), revealing that the project will focus on Algerian cinema of the 1960s and 1970s and its links to the Italian and French film industries. The subject matter is timely as 2022 is the 60th anniversary of Algeria achieving independence from France. On 5 July 1962, Algeria became a sovereign state after an eight-year war which resulted in the deaths of at least 400,000 Algerians.
Sedira is the first artist of Algerian descent to be selected as the country’s representative. Sedira, who was born in Paris to Algerian parents, attended college in London, completing her undergraduate studies at Central Saint Martins school of art. She is now based in South London.
Sedira revealed her ideas for the cinematographic installation Dreams have no titles in an online press briefing held 18 February, outlining how she initially researched the history of Algerian film for an exhibition at the Jeu de Paume in Paris in 2019. Her passion for cinema was sparked by childhood trips to the local cinema in the 1960s in her home town of Gennevilliers outside Paris (these film outings were made with her father every Thursday when school was closed).
This interest developed further during her time as a student in London. “As part of postcolonial studies, I came across [the philosopher] Frantz Fanon and [the 1966 film] The Battle of Algiers. In France, I never came across those people because The Battle of Algiers was still censored in France [in the late 1970s and early 1980s],” she said. “There were no intellectual role models to me of Algerian origin; in England, I discovered there was a wealth of [Algerian] men, women and filmmakers.”
For the pavilion piece, Sedira carried out research at the Cinémathèque in Algiers, discovering that many films financed by the state of Algeria at the time were also co-produced with Italian and French filmmakers. “So when I was asked to propose an idea for the French pavilion, I thought of the Mostra [Venice Film Festival]. I thought it was interesting to do something around the three countries,” she said. Sedira wants to focus on the cooperation between France, Italy and Algeria— and the solidarity between the trio of nations—though her Venice “project goes beyond that”, the artist stresses.
Sedira visited numerous film archives in Algeria, France and Italy as part of the research process. “In Italy, [we visited] Venice, Turin and Bologna. We discovered a film that had disappeared,” says Yasmina Reggad, the co-curator of the French pavilion, referring to Les Mains Libres made by the Italian director Ennio Lorenzini in 1964.
“It was the first international film collaboration between Algeria and another country [Italy],” said Sedira, but after 1966 Les Mains Libres was lost. She eventually found the forgotten work in a small archive in Rome. “It is an important film for anyone interested in post-1962 Algerian history,” she adds.
The French pavilion project aims to be a starting point for discussions on other topics such as colonialism, collective and individual histories, national identity and the fight against racism. “The notion of a nation begs to be critiqued and challenged. What is a nation at the end of the day? It is a big fiction to believe that when you draw a certain line, everyone who happens to be behind this line is of the same mentality and culture,” said Sam Bardaouil, the co-director of the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin along with Till Fellrath (the duo have also co-curated the French pavilion).
“In a sense, a pavilion is an attempt to give a physical form to a fiction, so to use fiction in the language of cinema as a way to critique nation and belonging is such an intelligent and timely way to discuss these issues,” Bardaouil said.
The three pavilion curators will participate in a film to be shown in the pavilion. “We’ll be turned into actors and actresses,” said Reggad. Bringing together an artistic community was paramount, added Sedira, who relished the opportunity “to work with friends, to be surrounded by friends”. The film production will also include members of the crew and her son. “I was playing on the aesthetic and structure in cinema in the 1960s in low-budget films when one would play many roles,” she said
The pavilion project will also include a “conversation” with the UK pavilion artist, Sonia Boyce, and the Swiss representative, Latifa Echakhch. “Sonia was my neighbour for many years and she taught me at one point when I was studying art in London,” said Sedira.
At the briefing, the curators also discussed the three accompanying journals linked to the pavilion project. Each issue refers to a city—Algiers, Venice, and Paris—that has played an integral part in Sedira’s practice. “The journal is an extension of what the project entails inside the pavilion. The cities mark the phases of Zineb’s life, they become entry points to questions that are related to the themes that will be discovered in the film and installation in the pavilion,” said Bardaouil. Contributors include the French artist Laure Prouvost and the actor Nabil Djedouani.“The journal has allowed for a diversity and plurality of voices,” Bardaouil added.
The journal design is based on film magazines of the 1960s and 1970s, added Reggad, and also borrows from militant leaflets of the era. The journals are “doors to an intellectual horizon [with] texts, images and playlists”, said Eva Nguyen Binh, the president of L’Institut Français which is supporting the pavilion. Other sponsors include Arts Council England and the dealer Kamel Mennour who represents Sedira
Noureddine Morceli is an Algerian middle-distance runner and a gold medalist in the 1500 metres at the Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympic Games. He won three straight gold medals at that distance at the World Championships. He also set world records in the 1500m, mile and the 3000 metres in the 1990s.
Morceli was twice the gold medalist in the mile at the 1994 and 1998 Goodwill Games, the Arab champion in the 1500m in 1988, the Millrose Games champion in the mile in 1992 and 1993, the 1500m winner at the 1994 IAAF World Cup, and the overall champion in the 1994 IAAF Grand Prix series. Besides, he was Algerian national champion in the 1500m in 1989.
In international competitions, middle-distance events include the 800 metres, the 1500 metres and the 3000 metres. In English-speaking countries, until the second half of the 20th century, the 880 yards and the mile were run as the equivalents of the 800 metres and the 1500 metres.
An early favourite among middle-distance races was the mile, which in the first half of the 20th century was run in times exceeding four minutes. Breaking the “four-minute barrier” was considered unlikely.
On May 6, 1954, however, the 25-year Roger Bannister of Great Britain set a record of 3:59.4 in a dual meet at Oxford. With increasingly controlled climatic and surface conditions and increasingly accurate timing devices, however, the record was lowered many times thereafter.
Birth and Career
Born on February 28, 1970 in Tenes, Noureddine Morceli attended Riverside Community College in Riverside, California, throughout his career, in winter, he would return there to enjoy the mild climate and train.
At the age of seven Morceli was inspired by his brother Abderrahmane, a world-class runner who finished fourth in the 1500 metres in the 1977 World Cup and represented Algeria at Moscow 1980 and at Los Angeles 1984Summer Olympic Games. Later, his brother would become Morceli’s coach.
In the early 1980s, Morceli came to idolize Said Aouita, a Moroccan who won the gold in the 5000 metres in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. By age 17, Morceli had taken second place in the 1500 metres in the World Junior Championships.
Morceli rose to athletic prominence after winning the silver medal in the 1500m at the 1988 World Junior Championships in Sudbury, Canada, clocking 3:46.93. A year later, he enrolled at Riverside Community College in California, renowned for its coaching and track facilities. He spent two years there, at the end of which he had run the world’s fastest 1500 metres for 1990.
At the age of 20, he was ranked first in the world in the 1500 metres. In 1990, he moved up to senior class and set the season’s best mark of 3:37.87 in 1500m. He continued this dominance into 1991, when he broke the world indoor record for 1500m at Seville, Spain on February 28, setting a new mark of 3:34.16. Only nine days later, on the same track, he won the 1500m title at the 1991 World Indoor Championships with a time of 3:41.57.
Throughout the outdoor season 1991, Morceli remained undefeated over 1500m. At several Grand Prix meetings, he ran times around 3:31. At the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, Morceli was already a clear favourite for the 1500m and he won the gold easily setting a new World Championships record of 3:32.84.
In the beginning of 1992, Morceli ran a new 1000m indoor world record of 2:15.26. There seemed to be no greater certainty for a gold medal at the Olympic Games in Barcelona later that year than Morceli. But prior to the Olympic Games Morceli lost unexpectedly to Gennaro di Napoli in Rome and David Kibet in Oslo. There were signs that he was not in the same shape as the year before.
However, in the Olympic semi-final he looked strong. The Olympic final was run at a woefully slow pace, with the field passing through the 800m mark in a slower time than in the women’s final. That was not the sort of pace to which Morceli had become accustomed, or that he was comfortable with, and when the frantic sprint for home began, he found himself unable to respond, eventually finishing a disappointing seventh clocking 3:41.70.
However, after just three days Morceli set a world season’s best in Monaco and a week later he broke his personal best to win in Zurich in 3:30.76. In September 1992, Morceli set a new 1500m world record of 3:28.86 in Rieti.
In 1993, Morceli narrowly missed his own world record when he won the Mediterranean Games in Narbonne in 3:29.20. By that time Morceli had set himself a new aim: to break Steve Cram’s eight-year-old record over the Mile. In Monaco, he narrowly missed the 3000m world record. There was even talk that he might skip the World Championships in order to concentrate fully on the world-record hunt. However, in the end he decided to take part.
At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, the final of 1500m started at a relatively slow pace, but Morceli was always in complete control, sprinting away in the last lap to win easily and retain his world title with a time of 3:34.24. In the following weeks, he failed twice to set a new world record over the Mile in Berlin and Brussels. But just two days after the race in Brussels he astonished everyone by crushing the record with a time of 3:44.39.
In 1994, he set the new 3000m world record, clocking 7:25.11. He also experimented successfully with the 5000m. In Zurich, he out-sprinted the rest of the field to take the victory and also won the 5000m in Rieti, Italy. Morceli broke the 2000m world record in the following season, setting a new mark of 4:47.88.
Nine days later Morceli set the last world record of his magnificent career, when he lowered his own 1500m record to 3:27.37 in Nice. Only a few days after this he almost broke the record again when he triumphed in 3:27.52 in Monaco. He easily defended the 1500 m World Champion title in Gothenburg. Shortly after, Morceli tried to improve on his Mile record in Zurich but did not succeed.
World Records
Standing 172 cm and weighing 60 kg, he added the outdoor world record for the 1500 metres in 1992, the mile in 1993, and the 3000 metres in 1994. By the end of 1994, the Algerian track star’s accomplishments had reached even greater proportions. In August, after breaking the outdoor world record for 3,000 metres (7:25.11), he could claim five middle-distance world records, which also included (outdoor) the 1500 metres (3:28.86) and the mile (3:44.39) and (indoor) the 1,000 metres (2:15.26) and the 1500 metres (3:34.16).
Morceli was named Athlete of the Year by Track & Field News in 1993 and 1994 and by the International Athletic Foundation in 1994. In that two-year period, he lost only once, at 800 metres. As he set his sights on more records, most notably the 800-metre, 2000-metre, and 5000-metre events, his driving force was a deeply rooted dedication to bring glory to his country. A devout Muslim, during the sacred holy days of Ramadan he would fast from sunrise to sunset despite the rigours of training.
As Morceli looked forward to the 1995 season, sportswriters unabashedly proclaimed him the greatest runner in the world or even the greatest of all time. Perhaps his spirit was best exemplified by his winning performance in the 1994 Grand Prix. Racked with flu, weakened and hacking, he not only ran but left the field behind at the finish.
Morceli was soon tested by a new challenger, Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj. Morceli bested El Guerrouj in the 1500 metres at the 1995 outdoor World Championships clocking 3:33.73; however, the 1500metres race at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta the following year was considered one of the most dramatic contests in athletics history.
Morceli and El Guerrouj led the field with 400 metres to go when the young Moroccan tripped on his rival’s heel and fell to the ground, allowing Morceli to capture the gold medal in that event. At the Grand Prix final in Milan later that year, however, Morceli lost the 1500metres event for the first time in years to El Guerrouj. Morceli competed in subsequent events, including the 2000 Games in Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, before his eventual retirement.
Atlanta 1996 Summer Olympics
At the start of the 1996 season, Morceli set a world season’s best of 3:29.50. However, a new and serious opponent suddenly appeared on the scene, when Hicham El Guerrouj won in Hengelo in a time of 3:29.51.
The 1500m at 1996 Olympics was the 23rd appearance of the event and one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. All three medalists of the previous edition, Fermín Cacho of Spain, Rachid El Basir of Morocco, and Mohamed Suleiman of Qatar returned, along with seventh-place finisher Noureddine Morceli of Algeria and ninth-place finisher Graham Hood of Canada. Morceli had been favored in Barcelona, and was again a favorite in Atlanta; he had won the last three world championships and broken the world record twice.
Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco was a rising star expected to challenge Morceli; he had come in second at the 1995 World Championships and would go on to win the next four and break the world record himself. Venuste Niyongabo of Burundi would have been another contender but chose not to enter in order to focus on the 5000 metres.
Burundi, Dominica, the Maldives, the Solomon Islands, and Ukraine each made their first appearance in the event. The United States made its 22nd appearance, most among all nations, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.
The competition was again three rounds (used previously in 1952 and since 1964). The “fastest loser” system introduced in 1964 was used for both the first round and semifinals. The 12-man semifinals and finals introduced in 1984 and used again in 1992 were followed.
There were five heats in the first round, each with 11 or 12 runners. The top four runners in each heat, along with the next four fastest overall, advanced to the semifinals. The 24 semifinalists were divided into two semifinals, each with 12 runners. The top five men in each semifinal, plus the next two fastest overall, advanced to the 12-man final.
At the time men’s 1500 metres took place at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, the standing world record was 3:27.37, established at Nice, France on July 12, 1995 by Noureddine Morceli. The Summer Olympic Games record belonged to Sebastian Coe of the Great Britain at 3:32.53 established in Los Angeles, United States on August 11, 1984.
There were 57 competitors from 37 nations. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event took place on July 29, 31 and August 3. The event was won by Noureddine Morceli of Algeria. Fermín Cacho of Spain was unable to repeat as gold medalist, but took silver to become the fourth man to win two medals in the event.
At the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, Morceli was under enormous pressure. The final was run at an average pace when his main rival, Hicham El Guerrouj, fell down on the final lap. Morceli accelerated and crossed the line first ahead of the defending Olympic champion, Fermín Cacho.
Morceli had dominated the 1500 metres for five years, holding the world record and winning the previous three world championships. But Hicham El Guerrouj, from neighboring Morocco was the rising star, who had chased Morceli in the most recent world championships. This was expected to be the match race. While Morceli had led the semi-finals in close to Olympic Games record time, the final race was much slower and entirely strategic.
Approaching the bell at the end of the third lap, Morceli had moved into the lead with El Guerrouj sprinting up to his shoulder. Morceli held him off with El Guerrouj having to concede position and move in behind Morceli squeezing in front of defending champion, master tactician Fermin Cacho who was perfectly positioned directly behind Morceli. Two strides later, El Guerrouj tripped and fell.
Morceli took off sprinting at the same moment the rest of the field had to evade El Guerrouj’s body on the track. Cacho was forced to leap over the fallen El Guerrouj, almost stepping on him. Next in line Abdi Bile had to jump off the track to the infield. Morceli opened up 2 metres in the process, which he widened to 5 metres down the backstretch.
Cacho and Bile held that gap onto the final straight. Bile faded while Cacho held on until he could see it was futile to catch Morceli, jogging in for silver. Stephen Kipkorir led two other Kenyan teammates around Bile to take bronze. After quickly staggering to his feet, El Guerrouj chased the field but shocked and disheartened, he was unable to catch anybody.
At the end of 1996, Morceli suffered his first 1500m defeat in four years at the hands of El Guerrouj in Milan. In the 1997 World Championships at Athens, Morceli was fourth in 1500m with a time of 3:37.37 and in 1999 at Seville, he qualified for his fifth straight 1500m final at a World Championships, where he dropped out at the bell while well out of medal contention. Morceli’s last appearance at a major international championship was at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney where he could manage only the 24th position with a time of 4:00.78.
Ambassador of Sport
His Personal Best performances: 800 metres – 1:44.79; 1500 metres – 3:27.37 at Nice, France on July 12, 1995; Mile – 3:44.39 at Rieti, Italy on September 6, 1993; 3000 metres – 7:25.11 at Monte Carlo, Monaco on August 2, 1994; 5000 metres – 13:03.85.
In January 2020, he was appointed Secretary of State for Elite Sport, reporting to the Minister of Youth and Sports in the new government chosen by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune after the presidential election of December 2019. Morceli has no political affiliation to any party in Algeria and was chosen as an independent member in the first Djerad government.
Currently, Morceli serves as an ambassador of the sport by assisting with the International Olympic Commission, the African Games, as well as assisting the development of young track and field athletes in Algeria.
(The author is an Associate Professor, International Scholar, winner of Presidential Awards and multiple National Accolades for Academic pursuits. He possesses a PhD, MPhil and double MSc. His email is shemal1216@gmail.com)
Top winners of the 17th edition of Algeria’s international Quran competition were awarded in a ceremony on Sunday, February 28th
Zeinab Bin Yousuf won claimed the title of the event. Yahya Bilal Yousuf from Bahrain and Syrian Abd al-Rahman Mohammad Hardan ranked third.
The ceremony was attended by a host of Algerian Quran activists and officials.
Representatives from 48 countries took part in this edition, which was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The contestants went to Algeria’s embassies and consulates in their country to take part in the competition via video links.
Members of the panel of judges were from Algeria, Egypt, and Guinea.
According to Algeria’s Awqaf ministry, Wa Rattil al-Quran Tartila (referring to verse 4 of Surah a-Muzmmil that orders reciting the Quran in Tarteel) was the motto of this year’s competition.
Unlike previous editions that were held in the holy month of Ramadan, this edition was organized in the lunar Hijri month of Rajab on the occasion of Lailat-Al-Miraj, the day when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) ascended to all the seven stages of heaven.
Launched in 2004, Algeria’s international Quran contest is held annually on memorization of the Holy Quran with the participation of young people under the age of 25.
Algeria defeated Tunisia 2-0 to lift the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup trophy in Qatar on Saturday, in a hard-fought final between the two North African giants.
It took a spectacular strike from Amir Sayoud after 99 minutes to break the deadlock in a tight game that had been goalless at the end of normal time. Yacine Brahimi then sealed the win with the final kick.
Earlier on Saturday, Qatar took third place ahead of Egypt, winning a penalty shootout 5-4 after 120 minutes of football ended goalless. Mohamed Sherif was the one to miss the target for Egypt.
source/content: arabnews.com
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Algeria’s goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi lifts the trophy as they celebrate winning the Arab Cup Final against Tunisia at Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar on Saturday. (Reuters) / arabnews.com
Two Algerian athletes set new world records on Thursday at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Skander Djamil Athmani and Safia Djelal smash world records as they take home the gold.
Skander Djamil Athmani :
Skander Djamil Athmani, 29, defeated his opponents in the men’s 400 metres T13 event to take home the country’s second gold of the games
Athmani smashed the world record, finishing with a dazzling time of 46.70 seconds. Morocco’s Mohamed Amguoun finished one second after Athmani, securing a silver medal, while Johannes Nambala of Namibia took home bronze.
Amguoun had held the previous world record of 46.92 seconds, which he set at the 2017 World Championships in London.
Algeria’s jubilation did not end there.
Safia Djelal :
Safia Djelal also went on to secure another gold for the North African country, as well as a new world record, this time in the women’s shotput F57 event.
With a staggering distance of 11.29 metres, Djelal gained a huge advantage over her opponents to take home the gold.
The previous record was held by Mexico’s Maria De Los Angele Ortiz Hernandez in Dubai in 2018 with a distance of 11.16 metres.
hina’s Xu Mian took silver with a throw of 10.81 metres. Meanwhile, Eucharia Iyiazi from Nigeria secured bronze.
On 27 August, Cherine Abdellaoui won Algeria its first gold medal of the Tokyo Games in the Paralympic women’s 52kg Judo event.
Hakim Alileche. Algerian Organic Olive Oil Producer. Brand – Dahbia.
Hakim Alileche left a successful career in graphic design and moved to the Algerian countryside to produce organic olive oil that has won him international recognition.
The 48-year-old says he chose the Ain Oussera plateau for its cheap land and water supply.
“In Algeria, it’s a sacred tree.”
His oil won first prize at the Dubai Olive Oil Competition in the Extra Virgin Early Harvest category in February 2021 and in May he won silver at the Japan Olive Oil Prize.
He has labelled his oil Dahbia, the name of both his mother and his wife.
