Manga, a popular book form originating from Japan, is now becoming a "cultural phenomenon" in Algeria, reports Yassine Khiri from Middle East Online.
Algerian manga, called fondly now as DZ manga, cannot seem to stay on any store bookshelf with sales on the rise throughout the country. According to Salim Brahimi, a co-founder of Z-link, Algeria's first publisher of manga comics, DZ comics have become the publisher's trademark.The comics, described as "100 percent Algerian" are published in French, colloquial Arabic, and soon will be published in Berber.
In the city of Tizi Ouzou, Z-link is printing 3,000 copies per title just to keep up with demand. The publisher is growing to keep up with demand too, reporting a staff growth around five percent every year.
Though uniquely Algerian, DZ manga draws upon the basics of the Japanese manga style of cutting-edge humor and hyperactive drawings. Many of DZ manga authors and artists, representing draw upon a variety of genres in their work and typically deal with Algerian scenes, such as the Algerian Revolution and problems in the Sahara, according to the Middle East Online article. DZ manga, however, is garnering world attention from the US and Japan, with Panasonic even calling Z-link to inquire about using their manga illustrations in their advertising.
However, DZ manga is still only a hobby for some, not raking in enough money to be considered a professional full-time job. It is therefore the hope of many DZ manga contributors and readers that the comics' popularity continues to grow in the upcoming decades globally.
