BY NINA LARBI ’22

The North African identity is complex and often goes unrecognized. Those who identify as North African are consistently labeled as Middle Eastern, Muslim or simply as ambiguously brown. We are grouped together with the Middle East most frequently, aggregated under the acronym MENA (Middle East and North Africa). Whatever the label is, it is hardly ever “African.” Today, “African” has become synonymous with “black.” This is not to dismiss anyone else’s pride or identity, but we as North Africans are Africans, too. Despite racial and cultural differences, North Af- rica should be considered part of Africa rather than an extension of the Middle East. The mindset that the Maghreb — the Northern region of Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Mauritania — functions as part of the Middle East damages North African identity and degrades ethnic pride in the region.