Algeria: a pacific uprising for democracy

Words by Emma Bouraba , Edited by Evar Hussayni

I grew up in Paris, raised by my French mother and my Algerian father. He constantly talked to me about his faith in Algeria becoming an equal and democratic country. He is from a region called Kabylia, where Amazigh people live. In this region, they speak Amazigh, Arabic and French. I remember how he was during the Arab Spring of 2010, expecting Algeria to have an uprising too. This year his hope was fulfilled by the beginning of the Hirak movement on the 16th of February 2019 in the city of Kherrata in the North of Algeria. This was followed by a larger protest on the 22nd of February. Since then, the political situation in Kherrata drastically changed, starting with the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the President of Algeria, on the 2nd of April. The military power is currently in charge of the country, which is led by General Gaïd Salah.

Algeria gained its independence in 1962, offering the perspective of equality and freedom from the French colonisation. Since this revolution, the National Liberation Front (FLN) who led the revolution with other groups have been in power. In 1991, the country went through a civil war which lasted 10 years due to radical Islamic groups wanting to be in charge. Those years left deep scars into the society who lived in constant fear. In 1999, Bouteflika became president, supported by his clan who were corrupted and focused on controlling the country. I remember how all the young people I met were complaining about the power of the system which constantly stopped you from shaping your future as a citizen. I had a feeling that they felt trapped facing a terrible economic crisis. The younger generations were always speaking about leaving the country as soon as they could, to have a better life. The regime pushed its own citizens to leave, to escape. Europe was where they wanted to go to live, which explains why many of them were asking for visas to go to France for example. But it’s very rare to obtain one. So many would then rather choose to take a more dangerous and illegal route, such as through the ocean, than to stay in the country. Those who attempt to illegally immigrate are called the “Harragas”. Harragas would rather pay approximately 1500 Euros and risk death or detainment before they would live under the Algerian’s authorities. Despite the risks many people left. Since 2005, around 10,000 individuals have been rescued by the Algerian’s marine force. This situation is traumatic for the society. People are dying trying to escape, leaving their families in grief.

During this year’s summer, I travelled to Algeria. The young generation spoke a lot about the revolution, and very little about leaving. Indeed, since the uprising, significantly less Harragas have left the country. All generations are involved in the revolution. Everyone seemed empowered.

The movement has been active since it started in February, in response to Bouteflika announcing prolonging his presidency for a fifth term. Every Tuesday, students led the protests, and on Fridays, the rest of the population demonstrated. Due to the enormous mobilisation, three marches would take place at the same time on Fridays in Algiers. When I was in the city of Tizi Ouzou, I took part in the protests too. I was surprised by the peaceful attitude that everyone taking part had and the profound respect instilled between each other. It was very impressive to see a population who has suffered so deeply from violence in its past, completely rejecting it, even within a revolution. Every generation was walking together. What was even more meaningful is how these generations carry a different experience of Algeria’s history. The crowd was very diverse and represented all the layers of the population, from wealthy to poor, men and women, old and young. It was extremely hot on the streets in the middle of August in the afternoon, but people from their balconies were throwing water on us as an act of kindness, support and solidarity. People were giving protesters free water and food, and after the protest, everyone cleaned the streets. My experience of protests have previously included ones where the protestors aren’t particularly very caring about their environment, so observing this behaviour was very powerful to me. Slogans were shouted as one voice. You would hear:

« Power assassin! »
« Algeria wants its independence! »

« The Hirak is a national duty! »
« They all have to leave! »

I also heard some people shouting Islamic slogans, but they were stopped by others. Many discussions between people arose from that. Those slogans are associated with the deeply traumatising civil war mentioned previously. Around 150,000 people died, thousands disappeared and thousands exiled. Intellectuals and artists were murdered. The society was reigned by violence and fear as civilians were massacred. This part of history explains the profound will of the movement to protect the revolution from religious extremism. The population wanted a radical change from the oligarchic power. All the chants during the protest strongly expressed the need for freedom. Many flags were flying around or being worn, the Algerian and the Amazigh. The simple presentation of those flags next to each other was very meaningful. Indeed, Amazigh people have had a long history of oppression from the Algerian government. Some notable moments were the protests of the Berber Spring in 1980 to officialise the Tamazight language and the riots of the Black Spring in 2001 claiming the same demand. Having those two cultural symbols in harmony proves the necessity for the population to embrace all the richness of its identity. This especially means a lot to me because the Amazigh culture has to be preserved and celebrated. Despite this, the General of the army toughened his actions by arresting journalists, activists and demonstrators. He expressed his vision of a unique Algerian identity where the national flag is solely allowed during the protests and since September, the army began arresting people with the Amazigh flag as a threat to the integrity of the territory. The penalty is 10 years in jail. Around 10 demonstrators have been arrested because of the flag, some were liberated, others are still awaiting their trials.

Algeria has a long history of immigration, and diasporas are mainly located in France and Canada. When the Hirak movement started, the diaspora in these countries organised demonstrations to show support. I have been to a few meetings in Paris, where events are organised weekly. It is wonderful to see the strong link that people still have with the situation in Algeria. The list of arrested activists is shown in Paris which helps us raise awareness not just within the French society, but also raise a global awareness. Artists based in Algeria and in France produce pieces of work to support the Hirak movement. The singer Soolking released a song named ‘Freedom’ in March which became the musical anthem of the movement. Every wedding I went to this summer was playing it, and people of all generations were dancing to it.

Within a few months, the Algerian population created a very strong sense of solidarity and shaped a new vision of freedom. Through these experiences, I too, much like my father, have faith that the Hirak movement will continue gathering every citizen to protest until the democratic change finally happens.

Emma Bouraba is an art direction student raised in Paris and based in London.