Algeria: 60 years after the proclamation of independence, the memory of a euphoric July 5
Audio 01:19
Young Algerians carry a national flag in Algiers, after the country's independence, July 5, 1962. AFP - -
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4 mins
Algeria celebrates this Tuesday, July 5 the 60th anniversary of its independence.
A military parade is planned in the capital, the first for 33 years.
While the people of Algiers remember the euphoria in the streets, some question the education deemed flawed of access to independence.
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On July 5, 1962, Salim was 12 years old.
He remembers the demonstrations of joy in Algiers to
celebrate the independence of Algeria
: “
We invaded the city center.
Because for quite a while, the Arab quarters were cut off from the European quarters, when the OAS acted: it terrified everyone.
But at independence, we invaded the city to dance, to laugh, to sing.
»
In the Belcourt district, in Algiers, Mahdia was also in the street on July 5, 1962: “
We walked with my parents, we went down to town, I saw lights and people had gone almost mad from independence.
Now there are things that are not going well, but we are able to rise to the challenge.
»
Sixty years
after independence
, Salim says he is optimistic about the possibility of change in the country.
“
We had the spring of 1980
[during the demonstrations demanding the recognition of the Berber language and identity, editor’s note]
, we had October 5, 1984
[beginning of demonstrations which led to the end of the single party system]
, we had the 1990s
[the dark decade, when Algeria faced a civil war]
, we had February 22, 2019
[birth of the Hirak movement]
, so the Algerians are still marching.
And that's the hope: it's when a people doesn't stop walking.
»
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To read also:
Algeria, the long road to independence
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