아프리카ㆍ중동

The recent debate held in France on the Algerian War is worthwhile to be noted and analysed as a historical phenomenon especially by those who are concerned with the colonial studies. The fervent public debate was motivated certainly by the need to reconstruct the dark side past within the world-wide trend of resurgence of memories from amnesia. Particularly the complicated, absurd and violent situation of the 1990’s Algeria was linked with these reflections. However, considering the French State’s avoidance of responsibilities toward the colonial history, we have a doubt what is the conclusion of such voluminous writings and images presented for years. Even if the Evian Accords could be taken as a final account of both parties, it seems that the Algerian people’s century-long sufferings and sacrifices under the French colonization have a more right to claim than that. Here, my suggestion is that through the debate, the French people came to recognize the simple fact that violence was accompanied constantly to the Algerian war. What is the meaning of this assertion everybody knows? The message is that the colonized people were evidently human beings, not at all things as Aimé Césaire exposed. This thesis sustained already during the Algerian war by the French people themselves should have to wait for several decades to be accepted in general. The victimized man and woman under the colonial violence then have not gone in vain.