Reuters. French President Emmanuel Macron visited an iconic disco music shop in Algeria on Saturday (August 27), an apparent overture to young Algerians during a trip aimed at easing what he called the "painful" history shared by the two countries.
The trauma of French colonial rule in Algeria and the bitter independence war that ended it in 1962 has haunted relations between the two countries for decades and played into a diplomatic dispute that erupted last year.
Macron was greeted by people at the Disco Maghreb shop in the city of Oran, a stronghold of Rai music in the 1980s and 1990s.
Boualem Benhaoua, the owner of the shop, played an important role in promoting Rai stars including the king Cheb Khaled, Cheb Mami, and Cheb Hasni, a youth icon of the 1990s who was killed by Islamic militants opposed to his sentimental songs.
'Disco Maghreb' has found renewed success as a label after the hit by DJ Snake. Macron said his visit to the shop, was a "way to relay my respect, my admiration and my taste," calling it the epicenter of Rai music.
