Algiers. Kigali. They say pain is weakness leaving the body. Both of these cities suffered horrific violence in the 1990s. From that pain though have emerged two of Africa's most dynamic, walkable, and vibrant cities, both are a triumph to humanity.
Which is the better city?
2/ Normally I would start with some pictures of Kigali, but @mayeulak's hyperlapse video of Kigali does a far better job than I could of showcasing this 1 million+ people inhabited city. The lush green hills, the modernist architecture, the clean streets.
vimeo.com/564773744
3/ Algiers hosts over 4+ million people and is a tantalizing blend of modern and ancient. Located in Far Northwestern Algeria, it is fully and unashamedly a Mediterranean city. A historical heritage site and the hub of Modern Algeria, a complex and vital country for Africa.
4/ Kigali was in the early 60s a small town of just 6,000 people, following independence it surged in growth, with the masses of Rwandan Society quickly making and find a home upon its hills.
5/ Algiers
Algiers is a city of multiple constant parts, the most prominent being the Casbah, the old town of Algiers filled with winding lanes, old mosques, and houses that border the Med sea. As you flank outwards from the Casbah you see more modern housing.
6/ Kigali at this point is Rwanda's dominant economic hub, it is responsible for over half of Rwanda's GDP, the city's stylish cachet is so in vogue these days that it is often mooted as a rival to Nairobi and Addis as the future "It" hub of East Africa.
7/ Algiers since the 1960s has served as Algeria's capital, but the city was shaped by its long period of French colonization from the 1830s - 1960s, where a majority French populace forced apartheid conditions on Native Algerians. Conditions which sparked the independence war.
8/ Kigali Pics
9/ Algiers pics
10/ Kigali streetscape
11/ Algiers Streetscape
12/ More Kigali Pics
13/ More Algiers Pics
14/ Algiers Subway
The continent's second and currently last built underground metro system, cheers to Algiers for doing the serious work.
15/ Summary
Vote Algiers, if you love a Mediterranean facing city with Parisian charm and Arab Street appeal.
Vote Kigali if you love a mountainous East African depot with clean streets and order.
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