Ibn Ibn Battuta's 2016 in Review

Cranking some film on vacation in Sardinia, 2016. (Photo by Nina.)

In my personal life as in the wider world, 2016 was a year that demanded reflection and reevaluation of many once-firm truths. The third of a trio of year-end posts:

(Read the first here: "Who Am I? Confessions of a Global Citizen" and the second here: "The Year of Throwing Bricks: A Globalist's View of 2016, and the Way Forward")

It would be hard to classify the wider world's 2016 as anything other than an annus horribilis, but this blog—and my creative projects in general—certainly enjoyed many bright moments during the past year.

More than anything, this was the year I gained new appreciation for video as a medium for story-telling. It all started with a friend's suggestion to submit a few photos to Khalf Essoura (meaning "Behind the Image" in Arabic). This program's short clips feature local photographers describing their favorite images; one clip airs each night on Algeria's state-run ENTV, just before the prime-time national newscast. Back in the spring, at a cramped studio in downtown Algiers I recorded descriptions of four of my favorite Rolleicord shots from Algeria. Two of these were broadcast in the following months:

The Year of Throwing Bricks: A Globalist's View of 2016, and the Way Forward

Mark Abramson's double exposures from the campaign trail epitomized 2016's dystopian spirit.   (Source: Wired)

In my personal life as in the wider world, 2016 was a year that demanded reflection and reevaluation of many once-firm truths. The second of a trio of year-end posts:

(Read the first here: "Who Am I? Confessions of a Global Citizen")

Many people are born at the wrong time. Picture a woman with the mind of a brilliant particle physicist, forced to labor as a peasant in the Middle Ages, or a man as strong as Rome's greatest gladiators, slouched behind a guard's desk at a modern-day office park.

In contrast, I consider myself among the lucky few in history to be born in an era when I can flourish. Coming of age at the cusp of the 21st century, the great age of globalization, I am tech savvy, multi-lingual, curious about other peoples and cultures, and eager to travel. I have constructed my globalist identity just as humanity has rapidly grown more interconnected than ever before.

Consequently, as I have emerged as a cosmopolitan "citizen of the world," I have enjoyed the feeling that I am swimming with the current—that I have the right skillset and mindset to thrive in precisely this historical moment. I also continually see more globalists emerging all around me; whether by push or pull, globalization seems to swell our numbers more with each passing year. Sure, I told myself, there's still plenty of people who aren't so interested in embracing the fast-arriving globalized future—and even some who are downright hostile to it—but overall our side is winning.

Then came 2016.

Who Am I? Confessions of a Global Citizen

In my personal life as in the wider world, 2016 was a year that demanded reflection and reevaluation of many once-firm truths. The first of a trio of year-end posts:

Over the years, as I have matured, enjoyed successes and overcome setbacks, encountered moments of self-doubt and self-discovery, read and traveled widely, reflected and questioned my values and beliefs, an identity has emerged and begun to solidify.

I couldn't yet explain it while I was building it. Not back in my childhood in Baltimore, when I listened, rapt, to my uncles' and grandparents' stories of travels in Albania, Japan, Saudi Arabia. Not in high school, when I spent hours scouring the internet for obscure Algerian raï hits (long before I ever dreamed of actually moving to Algeria). And not yet even at Georgetown, when I plunged into studying Arabic, Portuguese, and Swahili and became travel-obsessed.

It took me until 2016, année de merde, to finally find the words:

Everyone's identity is an amalgam of different layers and characteristics, many of them hinging on gender, race, religion, nationality, political affiliation, class, income, place of origin, sexual orientation, education, etc. But the personal identity that has come into focus for me has not coalesced primarily around any of these traditional categories.

Interview on Algerian TV: El-Merikani Comes to Echourouk Morning

Shortly after last week's live interview on French TV, an Algerian friend and TV host, Younes Sabeur Chérif, invited me to appear on his morning show—Algeria's most popular one—Echourouk Morning. My primary concern as I weighed his offer was the language: this one would be in Arabic.

If doing a live TV interview in French had been invigorating (well, also a little nerve-wracking) then the thought of doing one in Arabic was positively terrifying. But with Younes's reassurance that I could always slip into French when needed, I accepted. Luckily, a decade of studying classical Arabic and various dialects, a few years of bantering with friends and colleagues here in Algeria, and some last-minute prep with my friend Karima all paid off. Though nervous, I managed to get through 9 minutes in a passable Algerian Arabic, describing how I came to Algeria, discussing my photography and calendars, and dodging Younes's questions about the negative aspects of local life. See the full video above or on YouTube. (Sorry, English-speakers, no subtitles are available on this one.)

Thank you to all my Arabic teachers—both official and unofficial ones. My thanks also to all the Algerians who have written to share praise and gratitude.

"The Most Algerian of All Americans": An Interview on France's TV5 Monde

Last month I spent Election Night at the US Embassy here in Algiers, giving live interviews on several Algerian TV stations in which I confidently predicted that common sense would prevail and deliver a Clinton victory.

And this week I gave a live interview on France's TV5 Monde about a far less ambitious subject: my photography and my experience living here in Algeria.

Thankfully only one of these appearances has made its way into the online zeitgeist and lucky for me—given my lousy punditry skills—it was the second.

My interview opened the latest episode of TV5 Monde's "Maghreb-Orient Express," which is the international channel's flagship culture program aimed at audiences from and in the Arab world. The show's producers had contacted me earlier in the fall after seeing my Allaqta profile video to ask if I would like to take part. I only learned a few hours before the interview that it would be broadcast live worldwide—the ultimate French test!

Luckily the presenter, Mohamed Kaci, was kind enough to just ask a few softball questions before closing with a generous plug for my 2017 calendars. Have a look and let me know what you think! (English translation available below.) Enjoy:

For Sale: "Algeria 2017" Wall Calendars

Ibn Ibn Battuta’s “ALGERIA 2017” wall calendars are now on sale! Just like last year, the calendars feature 12 high-quality photos shot on film with my Rolleicord during my travels across Algeria. It includes a wide diversity of regions and shows a mix of Algeria's natural and man-made beauty and daily life scenes.

Buy today to bring some color to your home or office, or to share an Algeria-themed end-of-year gift with friends and family! Supplies are limited, so pick yours up soon at one of these fine establishments.

In Algiers:

• Raji Collections (Chemin Mackley, Ben Aknoun)
• Cadeaux & Artisanat (Rue Hadj Mohamed Ahmed, Paradou, Hydra)
• Librairie des Arts et des Lettres (Rond-point de Val d’Hydra)
• Librairie des Beaux-Arts (28 rue Didouche Mourad, Audin, Alger centre)
• Librairie Kalimat (27 boulevard Victor Hugo, Alger centre)

International:

• USA: via zazzle.com
• France: via zazzle.fr
• Canada: via zazzle.ca
• UK: via zazzle.co.uk
• Other countries here

If you are interested in place a large order, please contact me directly at ibnibnbattuta@gmail.com.

As always, thank you for your interest and your support.