The Algerian state television reported on Tuesday about an agreement reached during the inaugural meeting of the Algerian French Memory Committee in Algiers.
The committee, which focuses on the colonial era, agreed on several significant points, including the repatriation of Prince Abdelkader’s possessions and the development of a “Chronology of Colonial Crimes” during the 19th century.
The meeting, held in Constantine, the eastern part of Algeria and the birthplace of the French committee head, historian Benjamin Stora, saw the participation of ten members (five Algerians and five French).
Under the section “Looted Properties,” Algerian television confirmed that the committee members agreed on “recovering all possessions symbolizing the sovereignty of the state related to Prince Abdelkader, resistance leaders, and the remaining skulls, as well as continuing to identify remains from the 19th century.”
Prince Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (1808-1883) is regarded by Algerians as the founder of the modern state and a hero of resistance against French colonialism.
Previously in 2020, France had returned the remains of 24 Algerian resistance fighters killed at the onset of the French colonization of Algeria, which lasted 132 years from 1830 to 1962.
However, Algeria has continued to demand the repatriation of “skulls held in museums” for proper reburial.
In terms of archives, it was agreed upon to “hand over 2 million digitized documents related to the colonial era,” as well as “29 rolls and 13 registers, totaling 5 linear meters of remaining archives from the Ottoman period” – that is, from the early 16th century until the start of French colonization.
In the academic field, committee members agreed to “continue developing a joint bibliography of research, printed and manuscript sources about the 19th century, and implement an exchange and scientific cooperation program that includes Algerian student and research missions to France, and vice versa, to access archives.”
The formation of this committee was announced during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit and meeting with his Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune in August 2022.
The committee’s task is to “jointly examine that historical period” from the beginning of colonization to the end of the War of Independence.
The Algerian side of the committee comprises historians Lahcen Zeghidi, Mohammed El Korso, Jamal Yahiaoui, Abdelaziz Vilali, and Idir Ait Amrane.
The French side includes historian Benjamin Stora, accompanied by Florence Hudowicz, Jacques Frémeaux, Jean-Jacques Jordi, and Tramor Quemeneur.
The joint committee had previously held two meetings, the first via video in April and the second in Paris in June.
