Algeria: The slogan of the 60th anniversary of independence praises the military regime

For several months, hundreds of Algerian artists and creators have been working, even competing fiercely to come up with the best possible slogan, one worthy of celebrating the 60th anniversary of their country’s independence (1962-2022).

Among the 13 proposals selected through various adventures for an endless national competition, three were recently selected to submit to the authority, represented by the Screen Committee, whose exact composition we do not know, but we know that the Algerian Prime Minister chairs it.

In the end, the mountain gave birth to a rat, because last Thursday this committee set their sights on the slogan, to say the least, good enough to appear at the front of a military barracks, and not the accustomed to celebrate the national day of a country known for its glory singing.

© Copyright: d

And what does this slogan, which was presented on the ninth of this month with great fanfare to Led Rabigua, the Algerian Minister of Mujahideen and Rights Owners, in the presence of all members of the government? According to the official Algerian News Agency (APS), this circular emblem with 60 stars symbolizes union, national unity and the years of independence. In the center of it are the pages of a book indicating the Register of National Memory, its first page, in gold, expressing the strong connection between the National Liberation Army (ALN) and the National People’s Army (ANP) and its contribution to strengthening patriotism. hang in there.”

However, what not to sayAPS In his disinterested description of this slogan, it is clear that it is the hegemony of the whole army that lies behind it. In fact, the Algerian flag and the number 60 symbolizing the country’s independence are surrounded, in the emblem, by representations that all refer to the Algerian army: on the right, two armed soldiers, one with a shoulder strap from a rifle and the other with a machine gun. In his hand and to the left from top to bottom a Sukhoi launcher, a rocket launcher, a T72 tank and a warship. The whole is surrounded by a circle of 60 stars that certainly represent the shoulder straps of the Algerian generals, the army chief alone, the 6-star athlete.

This is not the slightest reference to the Algerian fathers of independence that this slogan is supposed to celebrate, nor to the path he has taken, not even to progress, to development, nor even to the gas and oil that nonetheless fuels the country. As for the events that affected the country, such as the “Blessed Movement” that saved Algeria, according to President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, we should not dream.

If at least all the military hardware affixed to this emblem was made by an Algerian, even in part, there would be an end to tolerance on behalf of the industry. But what hinders the shoe is that the propaganda given to this Russian weapon does not symbolize the independence or sovereignty of Algeria, nor the supposed strength of its army. What this slogan involuntarily highlights is the corruption of Algerian generals who demand all this military equipment, often outdated and exaggerated, in the billions of dollars every year. who does not prevent Algeria evening To write that “this drawing evokes the professionalism of the Palestinian National Authority, which has the necessary capabilities to defend national sovereignty and its territorial integrity.”

This hymn to the army of generals is in fact a new insult to the Algerian youth who, just a year ago, were still demonstrating massively in the streets to demand, through symbolic slogans of the movement, “independence,” “civilian and non-military power,” and “generals in a basket.” Trash.” This disdain by the junta for the movement’s main claim will likely not pass with the Algerian people.

This slogan, however, has only one advantage: it affirms that Algeria is a military regime.