SESSION 4 - National histories and clash of memories in the cultural exchanges of young Europeans
In 2012, Créarc of Grenoble and Théâtre de la Colline of Tizi Ouzou produced “Le Cadavre encerclé” by Kateb Yacine. This show involved 6 young French actors and 6 young Algerians.
The play is based on the slaughters perpetrated in 1945, in the Algerian town, Sétif, being then a French colony. On 8th May 1945, in order to celebrate the end of the hostilities of the World War II and the victory of the Allies on the forces of the Axe, parades are organized in all Algeria. The Algerian nationalist parties taking advantage of the particular audience given to that day, decide by protesting to remind their desire of independence.
These manifestations had been authorised by the authorities providing that only French flags would be waved. At Sétif, a policeman fires at a young man holding the Algerian flag and kills him, which triggers various riots. The movement will reach many Algerian cities and will be violently repressed by the police at first and then by the French army.
These events are commemorated every year in Algeria and are considered as the starting point of the victorious insurrection in 1954 that gave its independence to the country. But it was only in 2005 that France officially recognized its responsibility in this tragedy.
Working on a play, that relates a conflict opposing two populations, is not easy. Even less when the actors of the two nations have to collaborate.So, was it necessary, at the beginning to free speech and exchange on the text.
What was really striking, from the very start, was the difference of approach around the subject. For the young French people, it was a history; for the young Algerian ones, it was The History. For them, the events were concrete: they knew a person that had told them about the events because they had lived them directly or indirectly.
Thus, the young French people having collided with a reality of facts they were going to play, the characters have become persons, and the young Algerians their descendants.
From that awareness, the young Algerians did a work of education with their young French homologues. Indeed, in France, the colonisation of Algeria and its independence are scarcely mentioned at school. The French government has big difficulties to admit its implication in the dramatic events that occurred. Thus, there is a form of taboo around this period and a great ignorance about it. The discussion between the young people allowed to raise this taboo and educate the young French.
The truth about the facts related in the play having been plainly apprehended by the two groups, paradoxically a distance had to be settled. As in every war, both sides did terrible exactions. So, was it important for both young groups not to feel personally guilty, or victims of these events, otherwise the risk was big to see the conflict suddenly reappear inside of the group. We chose to recognize the facts, to accept them on the national level but to discharge ourselves of all responsibilities. It was the same for the public: the show didn’t want to reopen injuries but on the contrary was to contribute to heal them.
In order to do that, we rapidly decided not to respect the nationality of the characters: an Algerian could play a French and vice versa. For example, Lakhdar, the main character of the play is in love with two women: Nedjma, an Algerian played by a French girl, and Marguerite, a French girl, played by an Algerian. We also worked on the languages: the general of the French army, for example, spoke in French, Arabian and Kabyle. We also used a lot the actors’choir, this latter becoming a true protagonist. We did not intend to erase differences, but on the contrary to recognize oneself in each one in order to be able to work equally, in the respect of others and of memories.
And thus, we could get out of the nationality cleavage and accept ourselves as a unique human group. The conflict itself was sent to something more fundamental. It was no more a question of confrontation between two populations but a conflict between Men, and even more a conflict inside Man Himself.
This experience of a French-Algerian coproduction was infinitely rich. It has profoundly influenced the young who participated to it, modifying their perception about a dark period of our History and giving them a better comprehension of the complex relations that link France and Algeria. Finally and above all, they all discovered they had brothers and sisters beyond the Mediterranean border.
Documents
Intervention in french : Click on this link to open this document.
Intervention in english : Click on this link to open this document.
French version
