“I was told about the Algerian welcome, I was not lied to”. Thus begins the series of videos that the globetrotter Ben publishes on his YouTube channel ‘Ben n’Co’ which has more than 95,000 subscribers.
Ben has been traveling for 10 years. He likes to go backpacking to discover the world and shares his trips to Morocco, Turkey, Latin America… But for years his community, very active on social networks, has been asking him for a trip to Algeria.
One of his Algerian subscribers, Karim, offered to receive him at his home and introduce him to his country. Ben accepted the invitation and therefore arrived in Oran 8 days ago, welcomed by Karim and his family during the Eid celebrations.
“I feel like family” in Algeria
Fed and housed by Karim’s family and his friends, the YouTuber experiences Algerian hospitality. Staying with the locals is a pleasure for this traveler keen on foreign customs: he discovers tables full of traditional cakes, joumou’a couscous accompanied by raïb, and tastes “ham ahlou” for the first time.
Guided by Karim and his architecture teacher, Ben visits the city steeped in history of Mostaganem, the souk of Messra known as the largest market in Africa and Cap Ivi. Ben is formal: he learned more about Algerian culture in 3 days there than in 20 years in France.
“Whoever says he was badly received in Algeria is a liar”
The young traveler shares his feelings in each of his videos: the Algerians are welcoming and warm, and he feels like a family member. Surprised by the generosity of the Algerians he meets, Ben is offered something or a kind word wherever he goes and discovers that here, we do not refuse a gift.
Ben’s goal: post a video a day of his journey, which he describes as a great life experience. Direction Oran where he visits the Pasha Mosque, the El Bay Palace and the Fort of Santa Cruz which overlooks the city. Delighted by the landscapes, and the view of the seafront, the globetrotter is won over. He takes the opportunity to test Algerian-style street food and taste specialties for less than 1 euro: karentika, sfeng, m’hajeb, coke…
In Oran, when he meets young Algerians, they are surprised to meet a French tourist. This astonishment is explained by the difficulty of obtaining a visa for foreigners, as the French consulates have been saturated in recent weeks. Ben, was able to escape an obstacle course and is one of the lucky few to have been able to come and visit Algeria. He plans to continue his journey and cross the country from East to West: find the rest of his adventures on his Youtube channel.
