The above is an excerpt from the speech given by President Nicholas Sarkozy during his visit to Constantine on 5 December 2007 at the University of Mentouri. In English, the passage reads as follows:
This judgment sits at odds with the facts of contemporary history. The Algerian regime did not wage a genocidal war against its people on its own. It had the backing of foreign powers and the international financial institutions. This support is well documented by observers of Algerian affairs. As far as France is concerned, its role is particularly highlighted in many publications. For instance in an inquiry into the Algerian massacres [1] one reads the following:
"First, France was instrumental in helping Algeria reach an agreement with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) for the restructuring of its crippling debt, thus leaving billions of pounds in the coffers of the military junta to prosecute a costly war against its opponents. The agreement was a boost to the regime at a time when the country was financially on its knees and its survival was in doubt without exceptional assistance. Mr. Camdessus, a French citizen and the IMF Director, showed unusual enthusiasm in providing the Algerian generals with a very generous standby loan. Second, France helped to shield the Algerian regime from scrutiny by the UN Human Rights Commission. During its session of March-April 1998, France and Algeria coordinated their efforts to prevent any discussion of the massacres and to oppose the UN special rapporteurs on summary and extra-judicial as well as arbitrary executions to carry out systematic inquiries. Thirdly, France constrained the reactions of the European Union by preventing the later from adopting any resolution critical of the Algerian regime and its appalling human rights record."
In his speech, president Sarkozy picked and chose from the history of Algeria. He extolled the wisdom of emir Abdelkadir, the national hero of Algeria, only to assassinate his character by insisting on his alleged free-masonry which is contested and disputed by many Algerians who argue that the emir had an extensive correspondence with the luminaries of his time, including free masons. The emir fought valiantly the armies of France for fifteen years, respected treaties and treated humanely his prisoners until his surrender in 1847. The rest of his life in captivity in France and later in exile in Syria was devoted to meditation, writing, teaching and the promotion of peaceful coexistence between peoples. The resistance to the French occupation did not cease with the defeat of the emir, it continued until 1962 when Algeria secured finally its independence.
The Algerians were expecting an apology from France for the crimes committed in Algeria during 132 years of occupation. But the leaders of Algeria are not interested by apologies. They are more preoccupied by clinging to power with active French support. The also expect huge personal rewards from the contracts worth billions of dollars announced between the two parties.
The present rulers of Algeria trample on the collective memory of Algerian society. Had they not legislated, not long ago, to outlaw the work of memory in the unspeakable crimes committed by the security services against helpless Algerians since the military coup of 11 January 1992? The Algerian revolution was an inspiration to many oppressed peoples in the world. It was an anti-colonial school from which many prominent Algerians graduated. The name of the late intellectual giant Mouloud Kacem Nait Belkacem comes particularly to mind. Mouloud Kacem would refuse to compromise even with the prevailing terminology of calling occupation, land confiscation and genocide colonialism. This word is normally translated into Arabic as "Istimaar". Istimaar means simply land colonisation. Mouloud Kacem always spoke instead of "Istidmaar", the enterprise of destruction. Istidmaar encapsulates the devastating effects of colonialism on the life of subjugated people: genocide, land confiscation, disease, famine, exile, destruction of ways of life… Historians tell us that Algeria had more schools before occupation in 1830 and a higher literacy rate than when it emerged from the darkness of Istidmaar in 1962.
Let us contrast the obsequious and vassal nature of the Algerian leaders to the stance taken by African leaders and intellectuals when President Sarkozy said at the University of Sheikh Anta Diop in Senegal that "The tragedy of Africa is that the African man has not sufficiently entered history" [2].
The Africans who continue to suffer from the terrible consequences of colonialism and its new avatar neo-colonialism understand very well the nature of this kind of thinking. Africa is being plundered while its people are locked in endless civil wars fomented by outsiders who fan the flames of ethnic cleansing and civil strife. This is the legacy of colonial interference which still manages to appoint and sponsor megalomaniac leaders and arm ruthless generals to suppress peoples and prevent them from building viable institutions to sustain and nourish peaceable, viable and prosperous societies.
Sarkozy’s speech in Dakar was met by a chorus of disapproval and indignation. He was accused of not living in his time and of harking back to old prejudices and racial stereotypes. It appears that the sub-Sahara African intellectual is more in tune with the pulse of his fellow Africans than his North African counterpart who still sees Paris as the centre of the universe. In Algeria, the so-called intellectuals have long forsaken the side of people and switched to the side of murderous generals. They defend ardently their destructive project and demonise their political opponents. The speech of Constantine goes unchallenged unlike that of Dakar. Pity Cirta [3], the town of Ibn Badis, whose foremost eminent thinker and reformer Ibn Badis was not mentioned even once by the host.
Lamine Zakaria
30 January 2008
Notes
[1] An Inquiry into the Algerian Massacres, Edited by Bedjaoui, Aroua and Aït-Larbi, 1999, Hoggar, pp. 702-703. (www.hoggar.org).
[2] Speech given by Sarkozy on 26 July 2007 at the University of Cheick Anta Diop in Dakar in which he said "Le drame de l’Afrique, c’est que l’homme africain n’est pas assez entré dans l’histoire".
[3] Historic name of Constantine
Source : http://en.rachad.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=0
