The staging of the Franco-Algerian experience

Abstract

Salut cousin! is a 1996 Algerian comedy that touches on issues of immigration, belonging, family and identity. The work, written and directed by Algerian Merzak Allouache, focuses on two cousins, their interactions, lives and the challenges they face in the racially charged environment of Paris. In this review article, the film is examined and discussed regarding what it can tell audiences regarding issues of identity amongst immigrants in a growingly hostile and threatening country. This article outlines the history of the immigration debate in France following after the Second World War, and leading up to the film’s first broadcast in the mid-1990s. It then attempts to explore the issues of race, diversity and acceptance that lie at the heart of Salut cousin! The article further analyses the reality faced by those of Franco-Algerian heritage, an element that is brought to the forefront through the film’s interpretation of immigrant life.