In the midst of a diplomatic and political crisis between France and‘Algeria, a standoff that revolves around‘a game ofinfluence and pressure tactics, an event throws a wrench into the pond. The book festival in Brittany has announced the theme of its 36th edition and it sIt’s about Kabylia, enough to arouse the anger of’Alger.
The Brittany Book Festival for its 2025 edition which will be scheduled for January 25 and 26 has chosen a special theme this year. He wanted to honor the fight of the Kabyles, of Kabylia, an old territory which claims its independence from Algeria, as well as the founder of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK), Ferhat Mehenni.
The 36th edition of this festival, which will have Kabylia as its theme, will have as guest of honor Ferhat Mehenni, who is also the president of Anavad (provisional Kabyle government). A man of letters, political scientist, writer, poet and musician, the man shone through his peaceful fight to restore the territory of his ancestors to its letters of nobility, by demanding the independence of Algeria.
Kabylia, this rich territory which was once independent well before the creation of Algeria, is made up of a proud Amazigh people who have been demanding their self-determination for several years. The peaceful fight of the MAK, the movement which leads this project, has encountered, since the accession to power of Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Algeria in 2019, a classification as a “terrorist organization”.
Its members living abroad are actively being sought by the Algerian authorities. And at their head is Ferhat Mehenni, the president of MAK and ANAVAD, who was chosen this year for the presidency of the Brittany book edition. This symbolic choice illustrates the festival’s desire to give a platform to the Kabyle people, but also to highlight the suffering, Mehenni’s journey, and her difficult relations with Algeria.
This choice comes in a context of deep crisis between Paris and Algiers and seems to respond to a problem which animates the French cultural and literary scene, namely the imprisonment of the Franco-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal by the Algerian authorities despite requests of releases formulated by France.
The announcement of the theme of the festival was also made a few days before Yennayer, the Berber New Year to give even more hide and show respect for this community. “The Carhaix book festival is taking the opportunity to launch a Breton initiative in favor of the immediate release of the writer Boualem Sansal and all prisoners of conscience in Algeria,” the festival said on its website.
The site looks back on the profile and career of Ferhat Mehenni, a committed artist, politician and man of peace, emphasizing that the latter’s invitation represents a tribute to his role in the cultural and humanitarian struggle. The writer Yacine Kateb nicknamed him for this reason “the resistance fighter of committed song”, recalls the organization of the festival.
-“The coherence of his political career and his clearly expressed commitment to Kabylia make him the indisputable precursor of the decolonization of the Kabyle people in its structured and modern form,” adds the festival.
It is also recalled that it is “in the midst of the torrent of blood of the Kabyle martyrs that the idea of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylia (MAK) takes shape as a glimmer of hope in the midst of the pain of an entire region”, and that the creation of the movement had serious consequences for Ferhat Mehenni who paid the price in his own flesh since his son Ameziane was assassinated in Paris on the night of June 18 to 19 2004 without the perpetrator(s) being apprehended.
Mehenni faced several incarcerations in Algeria and torture, which could not weaken his determination to lead his “non-violent struggle against the institutional arbitrariness and tyranny of the Algerian state. A struggle in which he was always ready to sacrifice his life to restore the freedom and dignity confiscated from his Kabyle brothers.”
While Algeria considers the MAK a “terrorist organization”, France emphasizes the peaceful nature of the movement’s activities, specifying that it is legal on its territory. France also hosts the provisional government of the “Republic of Kabylia”, which Mehenni seeks to establish through a referendum on self-determination.
The festival organizers stressed that the event constitutes an opportunity to discuss issues related to freedom of expression and human rights, in a context of “repression against intellectuals and prisoners of conscience in Algeria.” .
In a context where relations between France and Algeria are at their lowest and are marked by distrust on both sides, particularly against the backdrop of the French position supporting Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, this cultural event has important dimensions. obvious policies and could further complicate the situation.
Related News :