Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. As a result of French colonialism and occupation of territories around the world, many individuals migrated to France. With this migration, individuals brought their own cultures with them. Consider what you know about the effects of colonialism on migration patterns: What are some of the reasons people migrated to their colonial metropoles? What can happen when there are a variety of cultures in one area?

Teaching Suggestion: The resources below provide information on the history of Maghrebi migration to France, as well as current events surrounding perceptions of individuals from North Africa living in France. Encourage students to read these links and conduct their own research before answering the question.

• This article provides information about the movement of individuals from North Africa to Paris.
• This article discusses France’s decision to limit work visas to individuals from several former colonies.

2. Although the suburbs represent both financial prosperity and disparity in France, the French word for suburb, banlieue, is usually associated with the latter, particularly in regions that accommodate individuals from outside of France. In Paris, many people living in the banlieues are from the former French colonies of North Africa, namely Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and encounter pervasive racial and economic difficulties in their daily life. Consider your own understanding and experience of the suburbs in your region. What does the term banlieue mean to you? Who usually lives in the suburbs? How is your experience similar to or different from the situation in Paris?

Teaching Suggestion: This question provides context to the setting of the novel. Students should learn a different perspective on the word “suburb,” particularly as it relates to an outsider status as well as “othering” in Paris’s suburbs. Discussions for more advanced levels should incorporate further perspectives on the topic, including the physical as well as economic and cultural implications of Life on the Periphery in Paris.

• This article from Bloomberg provides insight into some of the residents of Parisian banlieues.

Short Activity

Working in small groups, come up with a definition for “multiculturalism.” Then, based on your definition, consider whether your community could be considered multicultural. Finally, share both your group’s definition and perspective with the class.

Teaching Suggestion: This activity will encourage students to think about what multiculturalism means to them. Students should keep this activity in mind as they read the text, since the protagonist, Doria, references several instances of clashes of culture within her daily experience living in France.

• This article from Britannica provides a definition and overview of the term “multiculturalism.”
• This article, written in 2003 and published on the UNESCO Digital Library website, provides an extensive overview of multiculturalism in France.