France returns skulls of Algerians who fought colonisation
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Tuesday, October 8, 2024


France returns skulls of Algerians who fought colonisation
An Algerian man pays respect in front of the national flag-draped coffins containing the remains of 24 Algerian resistance fighters decapitated during the French colonial conquest of the North African country, presented at the capital's Palais De La Culture Moufdi Zakaria on July 4, 2020, a day after they were flown in from France. Algeria yesterday received the skulls of the resistance fighters which had been stored for decades in a Paris museum. France's 132 years of colonial rule, and the brutal eight-year war that ended it, have left a lasting legacy of often prickly relations between the two governments and peoples. RYAD KRAMDI / AFP.

by Abdellah Cheballah with Philippe Agret in Tunis



ALGIERS (AFP).- Algeria on Friday received the skulls of 24 resistance fighters decapitated during France's colonial occupation of the North African country, and which had been stored for decades in a Paris museum.

The return of the remains comes amid a global reexamination of the legacy of colonialism since the May killing of 46-year-old African American George Floyd by a white police officer sparked mass protests.

UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has urged countries to make amends for "centuries of violence and discrimination".

The skulls, once viewed as war trophies by French colonial officers, were flown into Algiers airport on a Hercules C-130 transport plane, escorted on arrival by Algerian fighter jets.

To a 21-gun salute, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and a military guard of honour gave them an official welcome, an AFP correspondent said.

The remains, in coffins draped with the Algerian flag, were carried shoulder high out of the aircraft by soldiers as a military band played a funeral march.

Tebboune bowed in front of each coffin and a Muslim cleric recited a prayer for the dead.

Army chief of staff Said Chengriha delivered a speech denouncing colonialism as "despicable".

"The heroes of the popular revolt have returned to the land where they sacrificed their lives," he said.

One Algerian tweeted: "The city is incredibly silent as the sirens of boats echo across the port of Algiers in a great moment of emotion."

The coffins will be taken to the Palace of Culture in Algiers where they will be on display Saturday for the public to pay their respects.

On Sunday, the 58th anniversary of Algeria's independence, the skulls will finally be laid to rest in the martyrs' section of the capital's El Alia cemetery, local media reported.

'Heroes'
France's 132 years of colonial rule in Algeria, and the brutal eight-year war that ended it, have left a legacy of often prickly relations between the two countries.

But the return of the remains has been seen as indicating a thaw in ties.

The French presidency, in a statement to AFP, said the return of the remains was a gesture of "friendship" and part of efforts to "reconcile the memories of the French and Algerian people".




Announcing the repatriations on Thursday, Tebboune said the decapitated fighters "had been deprived of their natural and human right to be buried for more than 170 years".

He called them "heroes who confronted the brutal French occupation between 1838 and 1865".

"The savage enemy decapitated them in reprisals before transferring their skulls overseas so that their graves would not become a symbol of the resistance," Tebboune added.

Among the remains were those of revolt leader Sheikh Bouzian, who was captured in 1849 by the French, shot and decapitated, and the skull of resistance leader Mohammed Lamjad ben Abdelmalek, also known as "Cherif Boubaghla" (the man with the mule).

Historian Malika Rahal described them as "martyrs... returning home".

"The body parts of those who fought the conquest of their country are returning home after a very long stay in cardboard boxes at the Musee de l'Homme in Paris," she tweeted.

'Cardboard boxes'
Emmanuel Macron, the first French president to be born after the 1954-62 independence war in which 1.5 million Algerians died, made his first official visit to the country in December 2017, saying he came as a "friend".

At the time, he told news website Tout sur l'Algerie that he was "ready" to see his country hand back the skulls.

Algeria had officially asked for their return in 2018, as well as requesting the handover of colonial archives.

Algerian and French academics have long campaigned for the return of the skulls.

Algerian historian Ali-Farid Belkadi was the first to call for their return in 2011 after undertaking research work at the Musee de l'Homme.

At the time, he said the skulls were kept in "vulgar cardboard boxes that resemble shoe boxes".

In December 2019, Macron said that "colonialism was a grave mistake" and called for turning the page on the past.

During his presidential election campaign, he had created a storm by calling France's colonisation of Algeria a "crime against humanity".



© Agence France-Presse










Today's News

July 5, 2020

Paris Louvre museum reopens Monday after crippling losses

New and recent work by Marcel Dzama on view at David Zwirner's gallery in Paris

France returns skulls of Algerians who fought colonisation

In Canada, art lovers head to drive-in for safe Van Gogh show

Unseen collection of European Avant-Garde art to make auction debut

New book offers a journey through Vincent van Gogh's favourite authors and illustrators

Duchess Goldblatt is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside a Twitter account

UK film pioneer Earl Cameron dies aged 102

The exhibition 18th century - Sweden and Europe opens at Nationalmuseum Jamtli

UK historian quits Cambridge over slavery claim

Custodians for Covid: Photography prints sold to support London theatres

From the photographic act to the possibilities of presentation: The fundamental conditions of photography in new book

Democracy books disappear from Hong Kong libraries

House of Spirits sign saved from vandalism for future generations of Echo Park residents

Marc Fumaroli, defender of French culture, is dead at 88

Art reopens King's Cross: Andy Leek lands 3 month artistic residency to welcome back visitors

Shortlist announced for 2020 Film London Jarman Award

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac opens Marc Brandenburg's exhibition Snowflake

Movie posters never seen or sold, from Frankenstein to Sunrise, star in Heritage Auctions' July 25-26 event

Exhibition features selected works from 20 years of Galerie Priska Pasquer

Rudolfo Anaya, a father of Chicano literature, dies at 82

'Liberty Bell' tolls for sites where history is alive and kicking

New site-specific work by Lita Albuquerque on view at The Huntington

Magnum Photos announces new nominees, associates and life-long members

Everything You Need To Know About ED Drugs In A Nutshell

WoW boosting service and BFA-2020 updated




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful