North-African Star

The North-African Star (ENA) is an association founded in France in March 1926 by a core of workers of which Hadj-Ali Abdelkader, Belghoul, Messali, Djeffal, If Djillali, which played the principal parts of them. El-emir Khaled El-Hassani Ben El-Hachemi (known under the name of Emir Khaled, grandson of the emir Abd El-Kader), exiled in France was the honorary president.

First years

Hadj Ali Abd el-Kader is member of the management committee of the French Communist party when the Komintern request which the action of the party develops among the North-African workers. Hadj Ali Abd el-Kader founds North-African Star then to this end. This organization, according to the will of Hadj Ali Abd el-Kader, is basically laic and hopes to fight in complete collaboration with the French working class. It recruits the major part of its militants in the Algerian working emigration with dominant kabyle. The goals of this association are “the defense of the social, material and moral interests” of the workers of this area.

In 1927, it accommodates Messali Hadj. This young person Tlemcienien has from the points of view which diverge from those of Hadj Ali abdel-Kader. less worried by the Secularity and making state from nationalist points of view, he wants to engage the movement on the political field by being made spokesperson of a claim of independence of North Africa (Morocco, Algérie and Tunisia within a national unit which would be Algeria). He is member and permanent Communist party and he is adherent and militant of CGTU. The party included/understood 4000 members in 1924.

Speech of Messali Hadj

The Communist party prepares a congress anticolonial of Brussels of the 10 to the February 15th 1927 and counts much on this demonstration.

Messali Hadj prepares a speech in which he announces to want to denounce the “odious code of the Indigénat”.

It is expressed on February 10th, its text was subtilized to him, it will summarize its matter by a fifteen minutes intervention. This speech will seal its engagement, it becomes the reference of the fight anticoloniale in North Africa. The speech is organized in two parts forming a double program, it to declare from the start: “the Algerian people which have been under the French domination for one century do not have anything any more to await good will of the French imperialism to improve our fate. ”

The speech of Messali Hadj is influenced at the same time by the political Islam and the Arab Nationalisme to which Chekib Arslan in Switzerland initiated. From where the fact of preaching the Arabisation of Algeria.

First part, immediate measurements

immediate Abolition of the odious Code of the indigénat and all the emergency regulations.
Amnesty for all those which are imprisoned, in special monitoring or exiled for infringement with the Code of the indigénat or political offense.
absolute Freedom of voyage for France and the foreigner.
Freedom of press, of association, meetings, right political and trade-union.
Replacement of the financial delegations elected by the restricted vote, by an Algerian national parliament elected by the vote for all.
Removal of the mixed communes and the military territories, replacement of these organizations by municipal assemblies elected by the vote for all.
Accession of all the Algerians to all the public office without any distinction, equal function, equal treatment for all.
obligatory education in Arab language accession with teaching with all the degrees; creation of new Arab schools. All the instruments must be simultaneously written in the two languages.
Application of the social and working laws. Right to the help of unemployment to the Algerian families in Algeria and the family benefits.

Second part, political claims

the total independence of Algeria.
complete withdrawal of the troops of occupation.
Constitution of a national army, a revolutionary national government, a constituent assembly elected by the vote for all. Vote for all with all the degrees and eligibility in all the assemblies for all the inhabitants of Algeria. The Arab language considered as official language.
handing-over entirely at the Algerian State of the banks, the mines, the railroads, the forts and public service monopolized by the conquerors.
confiscation of the great properties monopolized by feudal combined conquerors, the colonists and the finance companies and the restitution with the peasants of the confiscated grounds. The respect of the average and small property. The return at the Algerian State of the grounds and forests monopolized by the French State.
the obligatory free instruction with all the degrees in Arab language.
recognition by the Algerian State of the trade union rights, coalition and strike, the development of the social laws.
immediate Assistance with the Fellah S for the assignment with the agriculture of appropriations without interests for the purchase of machines, seeds, manure; organization of the irrigation and improvement of the transportation routes.

The speech and the facundity of its author strike the audience, the young person tlemcenien leaves the shade, it have just passed a test, it became at once a political director whose one seizes the important role which will be it his.

Rupture with PCF

In 1928, the North-African Star separates from the French Communist party whose “bolchevisation” wanted by the Komintern moves away it from what will be its principal claim, self-determination.

The French authorities denounces the “threat for the authority of the State”. The ENA is dissolved the November 20th 1929.

May 28th, 1933 a secret general meeting takes place itself and elects Messali Hadj, president, Amar Imache, general secretary, Belkacem Radjef, general treasurer, and indicates If-Djilani as directing periodical El-Ouma (“the Nation”) whose Imache will be editor association. Dual membership with the PC is prohibited.

A first conflict is born between two men Messali Hadj, who defends the project of Algeria arabo-Moslem woman against Imache which defends made Algeria “of twenty races”, Algerian and laic, this last insists on dimension kabyle of the company and the function of the Berber traditional village assembly (the tajmât ).

At the time of the strikes of the Popular front, the ENA adheres to the claim social movements and are solidarized with the workmen.

The ENA is opposed to the Projet Blum-Viollete which envisages the attribution of the French citizenship to an Algerian minority.

During the summer 1936, from new dissensions are born between Messali Hadj and the Kabyles: the first wants to mobilize North-African militants for the defense of republican Spain in fight against the Fascisme. Kabyles disapprove, the Spanish government not having given following the request for constitution of a Riffian republic Berber.

A new decision of dissolution strikes the ENA in January 1937 and continues its leaders for reconstitution of dissolved league. Its leaders are condemned then amnestied. According to police information, the ENA had 5 000 members at this time.

For Messali Hadj, this dissolution will lead it to the constitution of the Parti the Algerian people (PPP) with Nanterre. This new party maintained the same objectives like those of the ENA.

. He asserts an emancipation and a total autonomy of Algeria within the French Republic. But Messali does not assert any more independence.

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