By Riad Beladi – International Supermarket News
The Fennec d’Or 2025, Algeria’s glitzy annual celebration of entertainment, culture and music, was held this year not in Algiers, Oran, or even Tlemcen — but in Paris. Yes, the very capital of France, the country Algeria fought so bitterly to gain independence from, played host to one of Algeria’s most high-profile award ceremonies.
For many Algerians at home and abroad, the decision has raised eyebrows, questions, and even anger. Why was such a significant national event — meant to honour Algerian talent and pride — organised on foreign soil?
A Glamorous Night in the Wrong Place
The event itself was dazzling — Algerian artists and celebrities dressed to impress, flashes of gold and emerald on the red carpet, photographers shouting for attention. Stars like Soolking, Moh Milano, and Chaba Zahwania graced the stage in a spectacle of music, lights and celebration.
But behind the glitter, an uncomfortable truth lingered: Why Paris?
The show began with the Algerian national anthem, echoing through a French auditorium — a haunting irony not lost on the audience. The same anthem that once united a nation in resistance against French colonial rule now opened an Algerian cultural celebration in the heart of France. One could not help but think: if the men and women who gave their lives for Algeria’s independence could see this, would they not cry in disbelief?
A Celebration or a Statement?
Some organisers have defended the move, saying the choice of Paris was strategic — to promote Algerian culture to the world, to attract the diaspora, to show that Algeria’s influence extends beyond its borders.
But the symbolism is too powerful to ignore. For a country still struggling to reconcile its colonial past, hosting its national cultural awards in the former coloniser’s capital feels like a misstep — even a betrayal to some.
It gives the impression, however unintentionally, that Algeria lacks the infrastructure, safety, or confidence to host its own people at home. And that perception, fair or not, undermines the very purpose of the event: to celebrate Algerian pride.
The Bitter Irony
It was an evening of contradictions — Algerian glamour under French chandeliers, traditional rhythms beneath European spotlights, national pride spoken in borrowed space.
To many, the decision felt tone-deaf. Algeria has no shortage of beautiful venues — from the grand opera house of Algiers to the theatres of Oran and Constantine. Hosting the Fennec d’Or in Paris sent the wrong message: that Algeria must leave its own soil to shine.
The question then becomes: Are we celebrating Algerian success, or surrendering it to foreign stages?
The Final Word
The Fennec d’Or 2025 was, undeniably, a well-produced and visually stunning event. But beneath the elegance and applause lies a deeper issue — a cultural disconnect between image and identity.
Algeria deserves to celebrate itself on its own ground, in its own language, under its own sky. The artists who performed deserved the same spotlight, but framed by their homeland’s pride, not Parisian prestige.
If the event’s goal was to show Algeria’s global reach, it succeeded — but at the cost of its symbolic heart.
In the end, it wasn’t just a show in Paris. It was a reflection of a country still unsure of how to project its identity — glamorous, talented, but seemingly unable to find confidence in its own soil.
And that, more than anything, is what the Fennec d’Or 2025 will be remembered for