What Stories do North Africans Tell of Each Other?

I know two facts to be true: first, arbitrarily drawn and recently fortified borders make it difficult for North Africans to travel to each others’ countries. Second, stereotypes are a universal human mechanism that helps us to categorize, simplify, and process our world. Generalizing neighboring countries is not a specifically North African practice.

With that in mind, I encourage you to read this article with a pinch of salt. All statements in quotation are by anonymous North African survey participants and do not necessarily reflect my personal views.

Morocco

Moroccans are respected for their delicious food and beautiful aesthetics. Like their Algerian neighbors, they are described by many Egyptians and Sudanese as “tougher than other Arabs.” The overall impression they give off is that they don’t speak proper Arabic, or even don’t speak Arabic at all.

As one Egyptian writes, “There’s a well known stereotype about Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco which says that the population of these countries had to be weak for them to acquire the language of their occupier and replace it with it their mother tongue to the extent that they’re fluent in French more than Arabic, as opposed to Egyptians who were occupied by the English and still managed to suck at English lol.”

A Moroccan debunks the stereotype that Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect, is only different because of its French colonial history: “Darija is very different because of its Amazigh phonetics, but I always sense a way of diminishing it [by saying that it’s ‘weird Arabic’, because it] empties people of their depth and history.”

A second stereotype mentioned by an overwhelming majority is that Moroccan women are “gorgeous” while referring to them in connection with prostitution and “gold digging.” “I disagree, because [it’s a] generalization that creates a monolith out of a diverse people,” says one Moroccan survey participant. “It’s also slut shaming which is ridiculous.”

This stereotype has negative real-life consequences, as one participant shares: “I have a Moroccan friend who has Egyptian relatives and would visit Egypt quite often, and every time she goes to the Egyptian embassy to [be issued] a visa, she would get the most humiliating treatment because they would actually think that she is a sex worker who visits Egypt to work there. They of course never say this to her face but it [is considered common knowledge].”

Finally, the region strongly associates Moroccans with “black magic.” “[This stereotype] comes from people actually doing that,” says one Moroccan survey participant. “There’s men and women who do s7our (spells) and you can basically curse someone or make them act a certain way.”

A beautiful way to learn about Moroccan culture is to watch The Blue Caftan.

Algeria

About Algerians, one Moroccan writes that, “They are similar to us, they don’t like us, we don’t like them.” There seems to be an overall impression that Algerians don’t like the other countries, which is interesting considering that the other prevalent statement is that, “No one understands what they’re saying.”

Alongside a reputation of having great music and loving to sing, aggressive behavior and “football” seem to be the main associations with Algeria across all countries in the region. This can be traced to a violent history between Algerian and Egyptian football fans, and a culture of ultra football fandom in Algeria and Tunisia. A Tunisian writes: “Violent, macho men, conservative, but in Tunisia they are the only people we call Khawa which means brothers.”

A reputation they have earned, but were not credited for in the survey, is their crucial contribution to African decolonization. To learn about the country’s impressive fight against colonialism, watch The Battle of Algiers. Algerians are great filmmakers, most recently representing North Africa at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Tunisia

Tunisians enjoy the most positive reputation across the region and are generally described as “well educated and sophisticated compared to the rest of us.” Historically, Tunisia had the most progressive laws in the Arab world and is known for its dedication to upholding women’s rights. But in light of the country’s recent crackdowns on civil society, one Tunisian survey participant no longer agreed that Tunisia is “very liberated.”

With its beautiful beaches and open-minded culture, Tunisia is a popular summer destination. Citing a reputation of Tunisians being “too liberal,” one survey participant says: “Tunisia is a country where people want to live life fully, so in the summer, there are many parties. But that's not a reason to see people as ethically less valuable just because they enjoy life.”

Some say that Tunisia has “terrible cuisine” and some that “they make the best North African food,” depending on how much one is into the combination of onions, egg, tuna, and lots of harissa.

One Egyptian writes: “For some reason I'm under this impression that Tunisians are artsy and hipster — kind of like the Brooklyn of North Africa. Maybe from the independent films they've produced over the years.” A good place to start is by watching Under the Fig Trees.

Libya

Libya’s reputation varies widely from its western to its eastern neighbors, but all think that Libyans are rich, because the country has Africa’s largest oil reserves. One Libyan survey participant asserts that this is a stereotype that is not true.

While Egyptians and Sudanese mostly refer to Libyans as “generous” and “wonderful people” who are “kind, but closed off,” Tunisians and Moroccans are more likely to refer to them as “not intelligent.” One Tunisian writes: “Sexually frustrated. As clients, they represent a big portion of the Tunisian sex work market.”

One Libyan survey participant who lives in Tunis shares that in Tunisia, Libyans are used as a synonym for stupidity. “Libya is the most religious country in North Africa and they’re upholding their traditions,” he says. “Maybe that’s why others think that Libyans are stupid.”

Egypt

Everybody knows that Egyptians have the best sense of humor and consider themselves to be “severely awesome.” “To deal with the stress of daily life they joke and humor everyone and every situation,” which gives them the reputation of being welcoming and friendly.

While Egyptians are rather oblivious to the dialects and cultures of their neighbors, they have successfully exported their culture through film and entertainment. As a result, the whole Arab world understands their dialect and has a good picture of Egyptian society. However, some Egyptian survey participants lament that the TV shows and films have misrepresented them and created the image of being “loud” and “crass,” words that are echoed by other North Africans.

A stereotype mentioned specifically by Sudanese and Egyptians is that Egyptian society is racist.

Across the region, men are frequently referred to as “aggressive” and “violent,” but Egyptian men have the worst reputation. “Egyptian men are not loyal. On dating apps, Egyptian men are avoided and immediately swiped left on their profile, because there’s always this story of an Egyptian man who was either dating a few at the same time, or even being engaged or married and lying about it,” says one Egyptian survey participant. “There’s definitely some truth to it, and I think it has to do with how Egyptians have the hustler mentality, thinking they can get away with things, that they’re smarter, so they end up getting involved with different people/cheating, etc.”

This “hustler mentality” has a name: Fahlawa, meaning street smart. It explains how Egyptians always find a way to fix anything, but also relates to the common stereotype that they cannot be trusted. One Sudanese survey participant writes: “We know that they cannot be trusted in business, because they could sell you the moon sand by talking, only then to take your money and vanish from your face — personally, I see them as the smartest North Africans in the sales and marketing industry.”

For a great sense of Egyptian society and its recent history, watch Bent Esmaha Zaat. Finally here’s a warning: “They will never say, 'I don't know,' even if they don’t know.”

Sudan

Sudanese people have the same reputation across all North African countries: remarkable kindness, laziness, and poverty.

“I hear that we are very kind when it comes to hospitality, but also that we as Sudanese are so lazy and always coming late to meetings, because we don’t respect time at all,” writes one Sudanese survey participant. “We are known to be very honest employees who serve the company like it’s ours. That’s why you always find Sudanese in leading roles, but to have a Sudanese in the company you have to prepare yourself for the time issues.”

An Egyptian says: “My theory is that it just seems that they’re lazy, because time was taught as an abstract concept so, in their minds they’re on time but in reality, they’re very late.”

Sudanese survey participants contest both of these stereotypes, saying that, “Sudanese are some of the most hard-working people I know” and that “the ‘Sudanese people are nice’ stereotype comes across as infantilizing.”

An undisputed narrative, however, is that, “they are super generous and their homes are always open for anyone passing by, with a place for them to even spend the night.”

To learn more about Sudanese culture, watch Goodbye Julia and read the works of Leila Abouleila.