The Independence of Algerian, Essay Example

Frantz Fanon’s “The Wretched of the Earth” and “The Battle of Algiers”

Frantz Fanon’s “The Wretched of the Earth” and the 1966 movie “The Battle of Algiers” are two different accounts of the Algerian war for independence.  This war lasted from 1954, when the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) formed to push France out of Algiers and ended in 1963 after the Evian Accords allowed for an election in which Algerians voted for their independence (Hitchens 1). Fanon’s book is mostly a theoretical one, and is not just about Algeria specifically but about colonialism itself and about the effects that it has the people who are being colonized.  “The Battle of Algiers” is not quite so academic, giving the viewer instead a view of the war from the story of one of the members of the FLN and his fight to free his country.  While one interpretation is thus more academic and the other more personal, both hold on to your attention.

“The Wretched of The Earth”: Attacking the Theory of Colonialism

The large part of Fanon’s book is presented as an attack on the violent nature of colonial rule, defining colonialism as “the meeting of two forces, opposed to each other by their very nature” (Fanon 35). Since colonialism is violent just by its nature and existence, then the process of decolonization will likewise be violent.  Fanon believes that this is a necessary process if a colonized nation is to ever to regain their freedom from the people who are oppressing them.  After writing in general about the nature of colonial conflict, Fanon goes on to write specifically of the war in Algeria, which was still being played out when the text was written. One rather heartbreaking passage from this book about the Algerian revolution really stands out: “…I have had occasion to see that in wartime Algeria honor, self-sacrifice, love of life and scorn of death have taken on no ordinary forms……the fighting Algerian has an unusual manner of fighting and dying….[a] generous dedication of self when there is a question of defending his people” (Fanon 295).

“The Battle of Algiers”: Giving War A Name and A Face

The 1966 critically acclaimed movie, “The Battle of Algiers”, follows the central character of Ali la Pointe, an Algerian laborer who becomes part of the fight against colonial rule in Algeria.  As a youth, Ali is in and out of jail and prison for various petty crimes, but it is in jail that he becomes more politically aware and once he is released, he seeks to become a member of the FLN, the party which first lead the fight against the French.  Eventually, he becomes one of the leaders of the FLN, but as the revolution escalates (and the French ramp up the violence against the Algerians to hold on to power), Ali is eventually killed by the French military, choosing to be blown up in his house rather than surrender.

This movie, in stark black and white, has many scenes which are visually stunning – including several scenes of torture in the last half-hour of the movie and the final scenes of women half-protesting, half-dancing in the streets as they fight for their liberation. It is makes an emotional appeal about the necessary evil of war, as opposed to the more intellectual one made by Fanon.  It also does show the historical importance of women in this war: nearly 10,949 women fought in active combat during this time (Amrane, D. and Abu-Harlan, F. 62).

Conclusion

While “Wretched of the Earth” is a more theoretical take on the Algerian revolution and “The Battle of Algiers” is a more personalized, subjective one, both  agree on the violence that was part of this this revolution and the terrible oppression of French rule and the means with which the French tried to hold on to their territory. Both of them are compelling and offer a slightly different take on the very complicated and bloody period in Algerian history.

Works Cited

Amrane, D. and Abu-Harlan, F. “Women and Politics in Algeria from the War of Independence to Our Day”.  Research in African Literature.  1999. 30(3) 62-77. Print.

Fanon, F. “The Wretched of the Earth”. New York: Grove Press. 1963. Print

Hitchens, C. “A Chronology of the Algerian War of Independence”. The Atlantic Online. Web. 10 May 2014.

The Battle of Algiers.  Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo.  1967. Web. 10 May 2014.