Nour Chahine
modified to
02:04, March 19, 2022
On March 18, 1962, the Évian Accords officially and politically put an end to the confrontation between French forces and the Algerian nationalist movement. Sixty years to the day after these agreements which paved the way for the independence of Algeria, what relationship do young Algerians have with France?
It was 60 years ago. On March 18, 1962, the Évian Accords officially and politically put an end to the confrontation between French forces and the Algerian nationalist movement. After these agreements which paved the way for the independence of Algeria, what relationship do young Algerians have with France? They confide in Europe 1.
A win-win relationship
Anaïs, 25, studied in Paris before returning home. She has fond memories of her time in France. But as soon as we evoke the past, its sadness appears. “Because all my grandparents were martyrs, there will always be a form of hatred from both parties in relation to the past,” she explains.
Abdou, in his thirties, says he does not forget the crimes of colonial France, but believes that we will have to look to the future. “I was born in the 1980s. I didn’t experience this story,” he says. “We are above all looking for this relationship of partners, this win-win relationship between Africa and Europe.”
Work hand in hand
Europe has a painful past, of course, but above all “a common future that we will have to build together”, says Aïcha, in her twenties. “I have part of my family who lives in France and works there,” she says. “The past is the past. It won’t be able to change. That’s how it is. We have to move forward today, work hand in hand, move forward together and I think that’s good for everyone. “
Like their grandparents, many young Algerians are French-speaking. Far from being Francophiles, they remain attached to the recent history of their country, but with perhaps a little more pragmatism.