André Gide: winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1947, French writer André Gide (1869–1951) was known for his fiction as well as his autobiographical works. Bendjedid: a reference to Chadli Bendjedid (1929–2012), who was president of Algeria from 9 February 1979 to 11 January 1992. Ben-idir: a kind of hand-held drum, often made of wood and goatskin, which is traditional to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Basisa: a dish made from roasted wheat, chickpeas, fenugreek and lentils with turmeric and cumin, served variously with butter, honey, ground almonds or peanuts, figs or dates. Borges: born in Buenos Aires, Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) was a novelist and poet who also worked as a librarian and public lecturer. He went blind in his fifties due to a hereditary condition. He came to international attention in 1961 when he received the first International Publishers’ Prix Formentor. Eid al-Adha: the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice, the most important holiday of the Islamic year, commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his eldest son in God’s honour, and God’s provision of a ram to replace Abraham’s son.
