French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal believes that reconciliation between Paris and Algiers could gain momentum if political leaders take bold action. He urges both governments to revive economic ties and re-establish direct, pragmatic dialogue.
“If there’s the will,” reconciliation between Algiers and Paris “can move very fast,” says French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in an interview with AFP. According to him, Algerians “are eager for peace” with France.
Released on November 12 after nearly a year in detention in Algeria, the novelist says it is up to leaders in both countries to commit to “getting back to normal,” especially by reviving economic relations, which he describes as stagnant.
The relationship between Paris and Algiers is very tense. How can it be improved?
I’m naturally optimistic. (…) If we have strong statesmen, it’s a one-day task. If there’s the will, everything can move very fast. Just like the Germans and the French after the war. History may seem complicated, but sometimes the solutions are simple.
What advice would you give French President Emmanuel Macron?
I’d tell him: If I were you, I’d get on a plane, land in Algiers, and say to (Algerian President Abdelmadjid) Tebboune: I’m going to force you to shake my hand. And from there, the governments can take over.
People will follow. People want peace with France. Young people want to study in France.
And the revenge-seekers, here and there, should just be left to argue among themselves.
Isn’t that a bit naïve?
But naïveté is what keeps the world moving. When you’re too suspicious, you end up distrusting your own shadow and accomplishing nothing at all.
I’ve been fighting for twenty years—and will keep fighting—for France and Algeria to make peace, even if they disagree on many things. Permanent conflict creates psychological and moral instability that affects everyone. Algerians living here no longer know whether to stay or leave.
Practically speaking, what are the solutions?
We have to start with the economy, because shared interests make people act responsibly. France needs to regain its position as Algeria’s top economic partner, and business leaders and executives should start traveling again…
I’d also like to see Algeria join the Francophonie. After a century and a half of colonization, French became a family language… Even today, people speak it naturally at home. But it’s barely taught anymore.
Do you feel threatened?
Not at all, I’ve never felt threatened. I’m a kid at heart—I don’t feel danger. I’ll keep speaking out.
You’re going to start writing again. Do you plan to write a book about your time in prison?
No, honestly, I’m not interested. I’m just an epiphenomenon.
But very quickly, in the prison where I was, in other prisons, and in society at large, people stopped calling me Boualem Sansal and started calling me The Legend. The one who denounced the regime so strongly that it’s now beginning to collapse.
That struck me as a powerful theme, because all around the world, people live on legends (…) that shape societies over the long term.
I dream of writing a major novel about that. But it’s hard. I’m not in good shape.
By Jérôme RIVET / AFP
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