ALGIERS - A conference titled "Martyr Mouloud Feraoun, the Conscience of Algeria Carried by the Pen" was held Sunday in Algiers, shedding light on the patriotic spirit and commitment that characterized the writer’s work, which documented the sufferings endured by the Algerian people under French colonization.
The conference was organized by the National Center for Studies and Research on Popular Resistance, the National Movement and the Revolution of 1 November 1954 (CNERMN54), on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the martyrdom of Mouloud Feraoun, assassinated on 15 March 1962, alongside several of his companions, by the French Secret Army Organization (OAS).
Speakers unanimously underlined that the assassination of Mouloud Feraoun highlights the patriotic spirit of this committed teacher and intellectual, who although wrote in French, his work was fundamentally an act of resistance, a declaration of Algerian identity and a sustained challenge to colonial rule.
Ali Feraoun, son of the writer, emphasized the importance of his father’s writings and contributions in the struggle against French colonization, noting that his father "maintained secret and close contacts with the leaders of the Revolution in the historic Wilaya III (one of the six military-political districts established by the National Liberation Front and the National Liberation Army to organize the Revolution)."
The writer "also contributed, through his novelistic texts, to shedding light on the sufferings and concerns of the Algerian people," he noted, adding that "the archives prove the involvement of General Charles de Gaulle in his assassination and that of his companions."
For his part, Saidi Meziane, professor at the Higher Teacher Training School of Bouzareah (ENSB), spoke about Mouloud Feraoun’s educational journey, describing him as "one of the most eminent Algerian writers to have written in the language of the colonizer in order to express the suffering and tragedy of the Algerian people."
The representative of the Ministry of Mujahideen and Rights Holders, Kheïra Meziti, underscored that several activities have been organized to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the martyrdom of Mouloud Feraoun and his companions, across various museum institutions under the Ministry’s authority.
The president of the Mouloud Feraoun Association, Nessah Mokrane, highlighted the symbolic significance of commemorating the memory of writer Mouloud Feraoun and his companions, so that younger generations may become acquainted with it and thereby "strengthen the spirit of identity and attachment to the national values for which the martyrs sacrificed themselves."
During this gathering, attended by representatives of several national bodies and institutions as well as members of the revolutionary family, the martyr's relatives was honored.
