ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Italian Algerians

Italian Algerians are people who have Italian ancestry but were born and raised in Algeria. Let's break that down a little further.

Ancestry means the people you come from. So, if your parents or grandparents were from Italy, you have Italian ancestry.

Algeria is a country in Africa that used to be a colony of France. That means that France controlled Algeria and treated the people who lived there like they were not as important as the French people. Italy was also involved in Algeria during this time, and many Italians moved there to live and work.

So, let's say someone's grandparents on their mom's side were Italian and moved to Algeria to work on a farm. Their grandparents had children, who had children, and eventually, that person was born. Even though they were born in Algeria and grew up there, they still have Italian ancestry because their grandparents were Italian.

Sometimes, Italian Algerians might feel like they don't really belong in either Italy or Algeria because they are a mix of both. But they can also feel like they have a unique identity that combines both cultures.