Christmas market opens in Algerian capital

Record ID: 943288

  • Title: Christmas market opens in Algerian capital
  • Date: 17th December 2017
  • Summary: ALGIERS, ALGERIA, (DECEMBER 15, 2017) (REUTERS) CHRISTMAS MARKET VARIOUS OF VISITORS IN MARKET VARIOUS OF CUSTOMERS AT FOOD STALL / PRODUCTS AT STALL (SOUNDBITE) (French) HEAD OF CARITAS ALGERIA, MAURICE PILLOUD, SAYING: "The aim is not to sell or to earn money, this isn't the aim of this day. The aim is to make people meet in a good atmosphere, in what Caritas represents,
  • Embargoed: 31st December 2017 16:56
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ALGIERS, ALGERIA
  • City: ALGIERS, ALGERIA
  • Country: Yemen
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA0017CAXDG5
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A small Christmas market has opened in Algeria's capital, catering to a rising number of Christian African migrants as well as diplomats and locals.
    Around 99 percent of Algeria's population is Sunni Muslim but the number of Christians has been rising due to an influx of migrants from sub-Saharan countries such as Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
    Organised by the Caritas charity, the market is also a sign of stable security in a country that has rebounded from a decade of Islamist militant violence during which 200,000 people died.
    Diplomats used to hunker down in fortified embassies, rarely venturing out, but now live alongside Algerians in residential quarters. No militant attack has been reported in Algiers for more than 10 years.
    Caritas staged a similar Christmas market last year but kept it low profile. This year it advertised the market in advance, calling for a "living together" between Christians and Muslims.
    No official figure is available for the number of African migrants, but some estimates put it at around 100,000.
    "The aim is not to sell or to earn money. The aim is to make people meet in a good atmosphere, in what Caritas represents, a place of solidarity, exchange and meeting," Caritas Algeria director Maurice Pilloud said.
    Veiled Muslim women mix with foreigners at the market in Algiers' El Biar district, where honey, chocolate, cakes, jewellery and trinkets are sold. Many donations came from Muslims, said Pilloud.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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