It was a fifty-five hours' journey from Narita. Spending one night in Paris, and another night on a ship from Almeria, Spain, I finally arrived in Arzew, a town near Oran, Algeria. If it hadn't been for the conflicts between the government and the Islamic activist groups, there would have been a flight from Paris to Oran. But it would still have been a forty-eight hours' journey anyway.

There was once a popular song in Japan called "The Casbah Woman", in which Algeria was referred to as 'the far ends of the world'. But Algeria is nowhere near 'the far ends of the world'. In fact, the town of Arzew is not far from the zero degree meridian that crosses through Greenwich, the starting point of every time zone in the world. Seen from Algeria, Japan is a small country in the 'Far East' end of the world, only one sixth in size.

Another biased impression of Algeria may be about the climate. Four fifths of the country's land is in the Sahara Desert, so it seems extremely hot. But, its latitude is approximately the same as Utsunomiya's in Japan (thirty-six degrees north), and the average temperature is roughly the same as in Tokyo. What's different is that whereas the humidity in Tokyo is high in summer and low in winter, it is the other way round in Algeria. So in reality, the mild Mediterranean climate in Algeria is far more agreeable than in Tokyo.

A boy came by and said, "Would you like some water?" I was strictly advised not to drink any tap water in Algeria, so I answered, "Non, merci." The boy seemed extremely disappointed.

Since the ancient times, the North African coastal area has always been of great importance in Mediterranean traffic. As early as in 106 BC, Algeria went under the rule of the Romans, followed by the Arabs who spread Islam in the seventh century. Later in the sixteenth century, the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire took over the country.

The casbah was originally the walled fortress built by the Ottoman Turks in those days. It is well known in Japan owing to the famous films such as "Pepe-le-Moco" (1937, France) and "La Bataille d'Alger" (1966, Italy/Algeria), or the above-mentioned song "The Casbah Woman". "La Bataille d'Alger", in particular, gave a vivid impression of casbah, as the news-reel-like film traced the street riots within the walls, as part of the Algerian struggle for independence from French rule in the mid-fifties.

As seen in the film, the rebels' struggle and the increasingly extreme measures taken by the French government were more than one could imagine. It attracted attention of the French intellectuals, with such key figures as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre opposing the French presence in Algeria. Before long, French President De Gaulle was forced to recognise the strength of Algerian nationalism and signed the Evian Agreement, putting an end to the 132 years of French occupation that had begun in 1830. Independence declared on July 5th, 1962, the newly born Republic of Algeria places Ahmed Ben Bella as its first President

The quote in the opening paragraph is from a journal written by a reporter for the Asahi, something I read before I left for Algeria twenty-four years ago when I supervised a construction site in the country.

Casbah is the symbol of independence for the people in Algeria. The precious water offered in the winding streets should presumably be understood as an act of welcome, typical of the casbah people who supported the independence movement years ago.

My driver told me that I had better not visit the casbah. I imagine that I wouldn't have found myself out in the mysterious secret passageways with hookers and thieves lurking in the shadows.

　However, the markets surrounding the casbah were full of everyday goods, clothes, foods and others. In the summer, I bought watermelons, rather disfigured but delicious. I also purchased a shepherds' cloak and a carpet woven by the mistresses in town, both of which I still treasure. The aroma of spices hung in the air, too, which reminds me of an Algerian wedding ceremony that I was invited to.

Algerian cuisine is a spicy Mediterranean food with a variety of delicately herbed sauces. My favourite was the couscous, a large dish of steamed semolina grains combined with a selection of vegetables and meat cooked in a spicy sauce. Something like curry and rice. My second best was the bourek, or pastry rolls like the harumaki in Japan. And the mechoui, a lamb roasted over a charcoal fire on a spit all day, is served for the honoured guests. I will never forget the delicious dinner that I was treated to, on my leaving the country. 　　　

　Many robbers took advantage of the disaster. But according to the Islamic Law, those are to be strictly punished as a warning to others; they were shot dead before the public. Shortly after the quake, we hired an orphaned girl at our client's request. We also distributed blankets that were sent from our head office in Tokyo.

More than twenty years from then, in the night of May 21st, 2003, there was another big earthquake in Algeria. It has been reported that the center of the shock was in Boumerdes, to the east of the capital city of Algiers. And again, over two thousand were killed.

I look on Algeria as my second home next to Japan. After my retirement, I was hoping to visit some Roman ruins there, as soon as I see that the terrorist attacks are brought under control. But after the earthquake, what can I do but to send words of comfort to the Algerian people. - "Bon courage! Les Algeriens"　Mr. Yoichi Shimosato was an employee of IHI (Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.) posted to the Algeria office. More interesting stories in issue No.191 (“A Telephone Operator in Algeria”). Currently studying in the French classes. Also a member of the Public Relations Committee.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～Information～～～～～～Myanmar Cooking Class (Sep. 27 (Sat.) 10:30　) Organizer: Society for Building Schools in Myanmar　(a group of people gathered around Maung Sai Non Nutt and his friends in Meguro UNESCO, aiming at the improvement of education in Myanmar by building schools)

Members' News　 Yuki Ooi is going to be a graduate student in Chicago, USA; Terue Matsui, who once studied in our French class, got married and moved to Belgium.