Just one day after celebrating a historic 60th anniversary of Algerian independence from French colonial rule, 40,000 Algerians of all walks of life packed into the newly constructed Miloud Hadefi Olympic stadium in Oran for the closing ceremony of the 2022 Mediterranean Games. As with the opening, the bookend ceremonies were nights to remember. Over the two spectacles, various aspects of Algerian culture were celebrated, including Touareg, Gnawa and Alaoui music and dance. Poignant odes to iconic local artists such as Ahmed Wahby and Cheb Hasni were also popular and tugged on the heartstrings…