Emmanuel Macron has “this desire to try to work on this recognition and this appeasement of memory”, greeted Wednesday, January 26 on franceinfo Tramor Quemeneur, historian of the Algerian War, lecturer at the University of Paris 8 and the University of Cergy, while the Head of State expressed “the gratitude” of France towards repatriates from Algeria and recognized two “massacres” which occurred after the signing of the Evian agreements of March 19, 1962. The historian also sees in Emmanuel Macron’s speech “an outstretched hand” in Algerian power “to go in the direction of a memorial appeasement”.
franceinfo: Is Emmanuel Macon’s word on Wednesday important for black feet?
Tramor Quemeneur: It was a very strong expectation on their part, in the logical continuation of Benjamin Stora’s report, of all the elements of memorial appeasement that President Macron has been able to implement for a year and even since the start of his five-year term. These are things that are also long term. He still had this desire, from the beginning, to try to work on this recognition and this memorial calming, from a French point of view. This is something that works a lot in our society.
Why, 60 years later, does this period still work a lot in our society?
It is a conflict that has been long and painful. Seven and a half years of conflict is a lot. But it’s also 132 years of colonization, with people who lived there, the famous pied-noirs, the French of Algeria, who numbered one million. It’s a significant number. It is not a colony like the others. There really is something special. They were French departments too. All this therefore makes for extremely strong and powerful bonds. It is a conflict that completely tore Algerian society apart, of course, and French society as well. Several memorial groups that clashed.
How can this speech by Emmanuel Macron be perceived by the Algerians on the one hand and the Algerian authorities on the other?
I think this is primarily aimed at Algerian power. I would see it rather as an outstretched hand, that is to say that we have two elements which concern this pied-noir memory, one of which also concerns the Algerians in relation to the massacres of July 5, 1962. I see it also as a call. There have been many signs of appeasement from President Macron to move in the direction of Franco-Algerian appeasement. Here, we can see it as a call also to the Algerian power to react, to seize the ball on the leap, and to go in the direction of an appeasement of memory. We will also see what the reactions of the Algerian side will be, precisely. Let’s hope that beyond appeasement, we can move towards concrete elements of this memorial appeasement.