Les Damnés De Sidi L’khiar

Abstract

The village of Aïn El Beida is a cluster of dwellings (a douar) that could be described as spontaneous, the oldest of which date back to the colonial era. This neighborhood, with its irregular layout, is bisected by a wadi (riverbed), dividing it into two sub-districts (the Arab village on its eastern bank, and the Moroccan village on its western bank). For several years now, around a hundred families have been squatting in a section of the wadi bed, specifically at its southern end, creating one of the largest shantytowns in the Oran region. The following text is an account of an exploration, a field experience.