We have too few images of this Maghreb country, almost four times the size of France. Meeting with the director of “Algeria Seen from the Sky”, Yazid Tizi, a true transmitter of culture!
Algeria in a few words
The largest country on the African continent, Algeria borders the Mediterranean Sea and is made up of three large geographical areas: the Tell, a narrow coastal strip in the north, the high plateaus and the Saharan Atlas in the center, and the Sahara in the south.
Archaeological sites have revealed traces of hominids dating back almost two million years. With its 10,000 years of history, many empires have left their mark in this country: Berber, Numidian, Roman, Vandal, and Byzantine before it was Islamized in the 7th century. In the 16th century, Algeria came under Ottoman authority until French colonization in 1830.
Algeria has been independent since 1962. Today it has 45 million inhabitants and, since 2011, it has been, according to the United Nations Development Program, the country with the highest Human Development Index (HDI). bred from Africa.
Be amazed to open up the field of possibilities
Yazid Tizi is a director and producer of French documentary films of Algerian origin. He notably worked with Nicolas Hulot for the magazine Ushuaïa Nature, then with Yann Arthus-Bertrand. By creating the documentary co-directed with Yann Arthus-Bertrand and written by Michael Pitiot “Algeria Seen from the Sky”, he had the chance to observe Algeria as no one has ever seen it. It offers a different story about this immense country, an almost initiatory documentary, a true declaration of love to Algeria.
“We desired to show the infinite beauty of Algeria to all Algerians and thereby make them proud of their incredible country with limitless potential,” explains Yazid. “We wanted to make them discover or rediscover all these jewels and to through this wonder, which is the first step towards respect, open the field of possibilities. It was also a desire for reconciliation, in the sense that it is a film of absolute respect that does not seek to create controversy.
The greatest wealth in the country
For Yazid, “the wealth of Algeria is first and foremost the Algerians who have been able to preserve their culture despite successive waves of occupation and above all to adapt and evolve in the good direction of History. At all times, remain neutral, non-aligned, despite the vagaries of war and the torments of conflict.”
Returning travelers confirm this: Algerian culture is, above all, hospitality; dignity and fraternity are values widely shared on site.
Sublime landscapes
The north of the country is a set of fertile plains where the majority of the population is concentrated, punctuated by mountains and valleys. The center is made up of semi-arid plains and high plateaus, steppes bounded to the south by the Saharan Atlas followed by a string of oases. Then takes place the Sahara which covers approximately 85% of the territory, an alternation of volcanic or lunar landscapes, stone plains, and expanses of sand.
While more flight hours are required to go from Algiers to Djanet than from Algiers to Paris, discovering so much beauty will merit more than one trip…
Yazid concludes: “You have to go to M’zab in Ghardaïa but Kabylie, Tassili n’Ajjer, and Hoggar remain unique places. Each region tells a story in its way, through its beauty…”
