Arab Grocers in France: Podcast Explores Lives Behind the Counter

As the daughter of a grocer, Noujoub Rejbi feels invested with a duty, that of telling the life stories of grocers who "were very poorly represented," her personal history. She first tackles the expression "the neighborhood Arab." "It’s an essentializing, racist expression, sometimes even false since some of these neighborhood grocers are Berbers and not Arabs," she explained in an interview with Enlarge your Paris, noting that her family and many grocers are from Djerba, in southern Tunisia.

"From the 15th century, many Djerbians invested in independent trade. They had no choice: the territory was mined by wars and bad harvests, they had to find a way to live. They started in Tunisia and then moved to the Middle East and finally to Europe. [...] In France, we know that the majority of grocers come from southern Tunisia, but also from the Souss region in Morocco," the journalist further explains.

In her podcast, Noujoub Rejbi also highlighted the role of the grocer’s wife, who is often forgotten. "She’s a super important personality, but she’s been a lot invisible. Yet, behind the grocer, there’s always his wife, because this type of store involves the whole family. Otherwise, due to this vast time span, the grocer can’t keep it going. It’s difficult to pay an employee. This therefore implies strong family involvement, from the wife but also from the children," she pointed out. Her documentary series is available on radiofrance.fr.