Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune emphasized that his citizens "will never abandon their memory," in reference to the report presented by French historian Benjamin Stora to President Emmanuel Macron concerning memory reconciliation between France and Algeria.
In a meeting with Algerian journalists broadcasted on state television, Tebboune stated, "There will be no good relations at the expense of history or memory, but matters should be resolved intelligently and calmly, not through slogans." He added, "We will never abandon our memory, but we will not use it for political trading."
In July, Macron tasked Stora, one of the leading French experts in modern Algerian history, to "prepare an accurate and fair report on what France has done regarding the memory of colonization and the Algerian War," which ended in 1962 and remains a painful chapter in the memories of millions of French and Algerian families. The report submitted by Stora to Macron on January 20 continues to stir significant controversy and criticism in both France and Algeria, especially for not recommending that France apologize for the crimes committed during 132 years of colonization (1830-1962).
While the Algerian president stressed that Algerian-French relations are "currently good and there are no problems between us," he warned that "good relations will not come at the expense of history and memory. What colonialism did is not a trivial matter." The French president had promised to take "symbolic steps" to try to reconcile the two countries; however, he excluded the possibility of offering the "apologies" that Algeria has been expecting.
According to Tebboune, Macron had already taken an important step by returning the skulls of 24 Algerians killed during the French colonization at the beginning of the conquest of Algeria in the early 19th century. Tebboune stated, "I believe that the retrieval of the skulls is a symbolic step, as the French had previously refused to hand them over to us." He also recalled that "the French president stated in one of his remarks that colonization is a crime against humanity."
Among the possible initiatives suggested by Stora is the transfer of the remains of lawyer Gisèle Halimi, who opposed the Algerian War, to the Pantheon, allocating more space for the history of the two countries in educational curricula, and returning the sword of Emir Abdelkader, who led the resistance against French colonization in the 19th century. As the 60th anniversary of Algeria's independence approaches in 2022, the "memory reconciliation" issue will be a priority in discussions between presidents Macron and Tebboune.
