Children of Immigrants Discover Ancestral Roots in North African Homelands

A symbol of the maintenance of concrete relations with the country of origin, just like the sending of money, the returns to the home country of immigrant groups regularly appear in public opinion as the central object of curiosity. In this documentary, reports Le Monde, the journalist drew inspiration from her own story to recount the fascinating first trip of North African immigrant children to their country of origin.

Between identity quest, fantasies and reality; the summer in the homeland was the time of truth for the children of immigrants, born in France.

Indeed, for several decades, generations of Maghrebi children have taken advantage of the summer to go for the first time, on vacation in their parents’ country, explains the daily. This reminds us of the line of cars loaded with luggage heading towards the Mediterranean.

The film is above all "a tribute to an entire population that we always look at in terms of its attachment to France and that we never question in terms of its view of the country of origin" she will indicate while emphasizing that it fits into a register of tenderness.

The newspaper indicates that they are in the "35 to 59 age group", the dozen men and women who submitted to the journalist’s questions. And for all of them, the first trip is emotional and the first contacts very affective. "Our hotels were the service station," recalls Abdel Alaoui. The suspended moment of the Mediterranean crossing by boat. "We look around and realize that it is the lot of many people who look like us," testifies Chadia Chaïbi-Loueslati.

According to the daily, this film has the merit of giving desires and emotions in this summer period when several countries are opening their borders to allow good vacations in the homeland. Linda Bendali will, through this documentary, have impacted the viewers thanks to the rare images that were collected and contextualized by the historian specializing in immigration Naïma Yahi.