Mouloud Mammeri

Mouloud Mammeri (1917-1989) is a writer, anthropologist and linguist Algérie N kabyle.

Biography

Mouloud Mammeri was born the December 28th 1917 in Taourirt Mimoune (Ath Yenni) into High Kabylie. It makes its primary studies in its native village. In 1928 it leaves in his uncle to Rabat (Morocco), where this last is then the tutor of Mohammed V. Four years after he returns to Algiers and continues its studies with the College Bugeaud (current Lycée Emir Abdelkader, with Bab-El-Wadi, Algiers). It leaves then to the Louis-the-Large College to Paris intending to return to the National university. Mobilized in 1939 and released in October 1940, Mouloud Mammeri is registered with the Faculty of Arts of Algiers. Remobilisé in 1942 after the American unloading, it takes part in the campaigns of Italy, France and Germany.

At the end of the war, it prepares in Paris a contest of professorship of Letters and returns to Algeria in September 1947. He teaches with Médéa, then in Ben Aknoun and publishes its first novel, the forgotten Hill in 1952. Under the pressure of the events, it must leave Algiers in 1957.

Of 1957 with 1962, Mouloud Mammeri remains in Morocco and joined Algeria the shortly after its independence. Of 1965 with 1972 it teaches the Berbère at the university within the framework of the section of Ethnologie, the pulpit of Berber having been removed in 1962. It ensures of the courses in this language only the liking of the authorizations, voluntarily animating courses until 1973 while certain matters the such ethnology and the judged Anthropologie colonial sciences must disappear from the university educations. From 1969 to 1980 Mouloud Mammeri directs the Research center Anthropological, Préhistoriques and Ethnographic of Algiers (CRAPE). It also has a transitory passage to the head of the first national union of the Algerian writers whom it gives up for discordance of sight on the role of the writer in the company.

Mouloud Mammeri collects and publishes into 1969 the texts of the poet kabyle If Mohand. In 1980, it is the prohibition of one of its conferences with Tizi Ouzou on the poetry old kabyle which is at the origin of the events of the Berber Printemps.

In 1982, it founds in Paris the Center of Studies and of Research Amazigh be (CERAM) and the review Awal ( the word ), also animating a seminar on the language and the literature amazighes in the form of complementary conferences within the École of the high studies in social sciences (EHESS). This long scientific route enabled him to gather a sum of basic elements on the language and the literature amazighes. In 1988 Mouloud Mammeri receives the title of honorary doctor to the Sorbonne.

Mouloud Mammeri dies the evening of the February 26th 1989 of the continuations of an car accident, which took place close to Ain Defla on its return of a conference of Oujda (Morocco).

The February 27th, its skin is brought back to its residence, street Sfindja (ex Laperlier) with Algiers. Mouloud Mammeri is buried, the following day, in Taourirt Mimoun. Its funeral was spectacular: more: 200000 people attended her burial. No official attended the ceremony whereas a compact crowd stressed slogans against the capacity in place.

Quotation

You made me the cantor of the Berber culture and it is true. This culture is mine, it is also yours. It is one of the components of the Algerian culture, it contributes to enrich it, to diversify it, and for this reason I hold (as you should do it with me) not only to maintain it but develop it.

Response of Mouloud Mammeri to a cloth " donors of leçons" appeared in the official daily newspaper of which the persons in charge did not have dignity to publish the contents of it and who, so circulated in Algeria in typed form in April 1980.

Judgment

Its novels represent, if one wants, four moments of Algeria: " The Hill oubliée" the years 1942 and it Malayan in the native village with the departure for the country of the " autres" ; " The Sleep of the juste" the experiment of the Algerian at those and the return, disappointed, his; " Opium and the bâton" the war of liberation in a village of the mountain kabyle (...). Finally " Traversée" since 1962 finishes on the disenchantment (...). “The mystic fell down in policy”, the dogma and the constraint “is programmed”.

Jean Déjeux, Dictionary of the Maghrebian authors of French language , Paris, Karthala Editions, 1984, p. 158

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