Nawal Benali: The Amazigh journalist rewriting the rules of discourse

Nawal Ibtissam Benali is a force to be reckoned with. A French-Amazigh journalist, author, and podcaster, she has built a career creating outspoken content on indigeneity in the context of North Africa. At 28, she’s become a prominent voice advocating for Amazigh rights and raising awareness of the deeply ingrained Islamophobia in France. Driven by her relentless curiosity, her work centres on the nuances of racial and ethnic issues in the triptych Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and the North African diaspora in France. 

Born in Tunis, Nawal grew up immersed in a family that nurtured her curiosity about history, culture, and the hearts. This early passion developed in a lifelong quest to comprehend the world around her, leading to sociology and, ultimately, journalism. She now resides in the southern suburbs of Paris, where she continues to interrogate narratives and prejudices that often go unspoken. “What pushed me to do what I do today is above all the search for answers to what I had observed since I was little,” Nawal shares with Dazed MENA. The questions she began asking as a child never really left her—rather, they evolved into larger, more complex inquiries about identity, belonging, and the power dynamics that shape these concepts. 

Nawal’s journey into journalism was not linear. After beginning her career writing about culture and social issues related to technology, she found herself returning to the themes that had always been closest to her heart: those pertaining to identity and race. In 2021, she launched Y’a ca chez nous?  (Is this in our house?), an audio documentary series that aims to deconstruct anti-Black racism in North Africa and among the diaspora in France. The project became a space to unpack uncomfortable but very necessary concepts—sparking conversations that Nawal believes are crucial for grasping the roots of racism in these communities. She credits creators like Zineb Griai and Sophia Griss Bembe for planting this seed in her, showing her that these questions warrant a public platform rather than being stifled by discretion in personal exchanges.

The pertinence of Nawal’s work cannot be overstated. She is cognizant that discussing racism, particularly within North African communities, is fraught with challenges. “Talking about racism in North Africa and in diasporic communities is something very complicated,” she notes to Dazed MENA. “In my podcast, I believe that my guests and interviewees have the desire to overcome these prohibitions.” 

Her goal is not to provide definitive answers but rather to create a space for collective reflections. For Nawal, the value lies in prompting listeners to ask themselves new questions that may deepen their understanding of these crucial issues. “We may ask ourselves even more questions at the beginning, and that’s the beginning of something.”

Nawal’s career has not been without its challenges. One defining moment came about when she faced a wave of cyber harassment after publishing a video about anti-Black racism in North African communities. Though painful, the experience solidified her commitment to her work. “The violence that this video provoked at the time was actually the trigger for the entire project that I have been working on for three years now,” she explains. It exposed the depth of the taboo surrounding this subject and underscored the importance of addressing it with understanding and persistence. The hate and negativity she encountered fueled her mission, breathing life to Y’a ca chez nous? and the conversations it ignited.

Nawal’s work is not confined to her French-Tunisian identity but loops in the broader MENA region. Between discussions on Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, as well as the diasporic communities in France, she is positioned at the convergence of multiple words facing many of the same issues. Her approach is necessarily informed by a thorough grasp of the region’s history and sociopolitical realities, always through an anti-racist lens. “We are really on the ground exploring and studying the histories and societies of the three countries in the region with a very specific anti-racist angle,” she says. 

Her propensity for exposing injustices is propelled by a genuine passion for the process of dissecting these issues—and her grit is plain in her rigorous analyses. “The readings, discussions, and interviews that I do fuel my work,” she says. “One question leads to another, and I have an inexhaustible desire to dig.” Her leads persistently direct her to new projects beyond her podcast, each spawning webs of new questions to probe. Her hope for the future of the MENA region’s creative scene is equally pioneering: she envisions a space where artists can express their heritage with pride and authenticity, free from external expectations. “For me, what matters is authenticity and the way in which we manage to anchor our practice in something timeless with a very unique identity.” 

As France’s policies toward Muslims remain extreme, and with systemic racism still pervasive, Nawal’s voice is a more than necessary one. Her work is a call to confront silences that have long surrounded discussions of race and identity. Nawal’s impact lies in allowing the emergence of messy, layered conversations that are essential for any real change. Firmly committed to her vision of a more inclusive, reflective world, Nawal  is helping to pave the way for a future that celebrates marginalized voices. “I hope to see more and more projects emerge led by talents who will be keen to highlight their ethnic heritage with tribe and uninhibitedness.”