I

Modern Algerian Theatre:

Translations And Critical Analysis of
Three Plays By Kateb Yacine
Abdelkader Alloula
and
SlimaneBenaissa

By

MOUSSA (YOUCEF) SELMANE

t-

Submittedin accordance with the for

requirements the degreeof
Doctor of Philosophy,Universityof Leeds,Schoolof English.

October1989
 ii

ABSTRACT

This thesis argues that the assumptionthat there is no tradition of theatre or

the performing arts in general in the Arab World because Islam does not allow
figurative arts is not well founded. It shows how and why new theatrical trends have
emergedin the Arab World and have becomesuccessful. Thus, the study starts with
ChapterOne - 'The Arab World And Theatical Tradition' - which is a general survey
of Arab theatre including aspectsof performance arts throughout history. This is
followed by a survey of the emergenceand developmentof modem Algerian theatre
in which the factors behind this emergence and the success of the three trends
describedin this study are analysed. Theseare illustrated through three plays by three
major contemporary playwrights in three similar sectionseach including a biography
of the author with particular emphasison his theatrecart4r and his views on theatre in
Algeria and an annotated translation of a sekted play followed by a commentary. A
major concern of this worý has been to make available through original translations
important plays from the contemporaryAlgerian theatrethat have not previously been
published. Chapter Two deals with Kateb Yacine and includes three parts: a) The life
of Kateb Yacine - b) An annotated translation of Fafist7inMaghdUra (Palestine
Betrayed). - c) A commentaryon the play.

Chapter Three deals with Abdelkader Alloula and includes a) The life of the
playwright - b) An annotatedtranslation of AI-Ajw6d (The Story of The Generous
People - c) A commentary on the play.

ChapterFour dealswith SlimaneBenaissaand includes: a) The life of the

b) An Blilram fid AI-Guddim (Carry on
playwright - annotatedtranslationof
B5115m- c) A commentaryon theplay.

The thesis closeswith concluding observations.

0
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement p IV
Preface. P.V

Transliterations p VII
ChapterOne: The Arab World And Theatrical Tradition. p1
ChapterTwo: Kateb,Yacine. p 39
i) A RestlessAnd Militant Life.

ii) Falisdn Magdiira (Palestine Betrayed

.
iii) Commentary.

ChapterThree: Abdelkader Alloula. p 92

i) A Life Devoted To Theatre. 0

ii) Al-Aiw5d
(The Story Of The Generous People
.
iii) Commentary.

ChapterFoun Slimane Benaissa. p 148

i) How BenaissaCameTo The Theatre.

ii) BB115m fid Al-Gudd5m

(Carry On Bfillffm
.
iii) Commentary.

Conclusion. p 198
Bibliography. p 202
Appendices: FalisCin Maehdgra

AI-Ai*-ad.
fid
B-5115m A]-Gudcram.
 IV

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to expressmy gratitude to my supervisorProfessorMartin

Banharnfor his unfailing interestandadviceduring the preparationof this thesis. My
thanksare alsodue to thosewho providedme with informationandmaterialrelating
to Arab and Algerian theatre. My special thanks are offered to Kateb Yacine,
AbdelkaderAlIoula and Slima6eBenaissa for their help in providing documentation
and advice and in patiently respondingwith coundy and interest to my endless
enquiries. I would like to thank also Dr. A. Shivfiel for his constantadvice and
assistance.
 V
PREFACE

In this study we shall show the three major trends in contemporary Algerian
theatrehave emerged. The trends will be illustrated through the three most important
practitioners - Kateb Yacine, Abdelkader Alloula and Slimane Benaissa - with a
representativeplay from each playwright, respectively Falistin Maghdiw-a (Palestine
Betrayed Al-A 1Ný-ad (The Storv of the Generous and Blillim id Al-
, -P -
Gud6m (Carry On Blillam).

the backgroundto theselatest trendsin Algerian theatreis described,as are

the factors which causedthem to appear. This has beendone by first providing a
generalhistorical surveyof aspectsof Arab traditionsin the performingarts,followed
by a study of the emergenceand developmentof modem Algerian theatre. This
shows that, by drawing on the national traditional heritage and on traditional
performingarts - forgotten,ignoredor consideredirrelevantby most modem Arab
playwrights- new trendsof theatrehavedevelopedwhich identify moreclosely with
nationalculture and the expectationsof the public. The threeplays have not been
chosenthrough personalpreference,nor are they necessarilythe best and most
acclaimedin the new repertoire,but they are typical of the new trendsand they were
the only onesavailablein script form when the researchinvolved in this thesiswas
undertaken. Although a script of Mohamed. Prends Ta Valise was available,
PalestineBetrayed waschosento highlight anotheraspectof KatebYacine's theatre
which is not only concernedwith Algeria but alsowith internationalissues.

The researchwork for this study includes material on the Arab world in
generalandon Algeria in particular. It comprisesessentiallymaterialon theatre,oral
tradition and traditionalperformingarts. The translationof the plays from Algerian
Arabic into Englishis, to the bestof our knowledge,the first of its kind andillustrates
the new trendsin contemporaryAlgeriandrama.

The work of translationwas very difficult for severalreasons.I'he plays are

unpublishedandoneof the major problemsis that the languageuseddoesnot follow
definite normsof spellingand grammarandrequireddetailedknowledgeof Algerian
Arabic, modem Arabic and French so that certain words and phrasescould be
deciphered.The script of PalestineBetrayed wasprovidedby an actor, it is in bad
conditionandvery badly printedandthe contenthadto be checkedwith the help of a
tape recording of the play becauseKateb Yacine was not available. Carry On
BBIIBm is also badly printed and the script was checkedby the playwright who
suggestedsomepassagesshouldbe removed. The StoU-of the GenerousPeopleis
the only script which wasvery clearlyprinted.

Several perforrnancesof the plays, and of the rehearsalsof Palestine

Betrayed in 1976,were attendedaspart of theresearch.In interviewswith Slimane
 vi

Benaissaand AbdelkaderAlloula, Algerian theatre,the playwright's work and the

playsreferredto in this studywerediscussedwith them. Othersourcesof information
werejournalists and people involved in theatricalactivity. This approachrelated
mainly to BenaissaandAlloula becausethereis hardly any materialabouttheir work
in comparisonwith KatebYacine. Becauseof his early reputation,KatebYacinehas
been and still is the subject of many papers,dissertationsand theses. However,
Benaissaand Alloula eachprovideda compilationof articlesand papersabouttheir
work which they hadkept up to date.

The quotationsin the text come from two different languages- Arabic and
French. We have determinedto render all of them in English for the purposesof
consistency.

We have includeda systemof transliterationwhich is different from the one

commonlyusedin Algeria. Arabic namesand words appearingin referenceshave
beenreproducedin their original transliteratedform and show differenceswith the
symbolsusedin the systemwe havechosen.

I
 vii

TRANSLITERATIONS

4 9
3!
gh b y

f t

q th
c/k
h
0
m kh

n d
h dh

w r
y z
cs
s

sh Uji

S
UIA

c
of;51
t

z
ShortVowels Long Vowels

a 00
U __

1 ___________
I(S
0
10

0
 1

CHAPTER I
The Arab World and Theatrical Traditionl

There is a general belief amongst Western scholars of theatre that Muslim

societiesin the Arab World have no theatrical tradition. Dramatic arts, they have
argued,were importedfrom the West and first appearedin Egypt and Lebanonin the
late nineteenthcenturyand early twentiethcentury. Most scholars,historians,critics
and orientalistsoutsidethe Arab World - and indeed,many commentatorsinside it as
well - haveagreed,claiming that dramacould not havedevelopedtherebecauseIslam
doesnot permit representationof the humanform whetherin fine arts,plasticartsor the
performingarts. Becauseof this prohibition, any developmentof a theatricaltradition
would haverun counterto Islamic ethicalprinciples. Furthermore,the argumentruns,
sincethe entire universeis governed,ruled and organisedby Allah accordingto Islam,
therewas no needfor a dramatictradition to symbolise,articulateand exemplify the
humancomedyor tragedy,conflict andsuffering.

The view still commands powerful support and is reflected in most works
dealing with the arts in the Arab World and in individual Arab countries. A recent
publicationon Algeriantheatrebeginswith the following words:
Although some spontaneousforms. of drama have existed in
Arab-Muslim.Societies,one cannotspeakof the existenceof theatrein
the Islamic tradition, in the Western senseof the word. Certain
commentators,such as NfichaelHabart, in his prefaceto Henri Krea's
Seisme, vehemently defend the existence of a theatrical tradition
particular to Islam. He identifies this in certain pre-theatricalforms:
farce,mime andotherformsof popularexpression.

Nonetheless,even though this type of artistic expressiondoes

exist, we must acceptthat a genuinetheatricalphenomenondoes not
exist in Arab countries. The very meagrebibliographyof Arab theatre
criticism that exists indicateshow few people have thought theatrea
worthwhile subject for study precisely becauseof the lack of this
tradition.2

Opinionslike thesehavealso receivedreinforcementby academicreferenceto

the medieval philosopher,Averroes,whosework has beeninterpretedto supportthe
view that the Arabs hadno idea whatsoeveraboutdrama. Although Westernscholars
do acceptthat the legacyof classicalGreecewas translatedand transmittedto the West
by Arab scholars,they claim that the Arab translatorsdid not understandwords like

I Ibis part waspublishedin Arab Affairs, Vol. 4, Summer/Autumn1987,underthe

title "Arab TheatricalTradition", pp. 53-65. The review is publishedin Londonby the
Leagueof Arab States.
2 Baffet, Roselyne. Tradition Thkfitrale et Modernitk en Algkrie p. 17, Marmattan,
Paris, 1985.
 2

tragedy and comedy. Thus, when Averroes translatedAristotle's Poetics, he translated

'tragedy' and 'comedy' by 'pandgyrie' (encomium) and 'satire'.

This academicconsensusthat the theatrical arts did not exist in Arab societiesis
now so widespreadanddeeplyrootedthat it hasacquiredthe statusof receivedwisdom
and is no longer questioned. Indeed,the consensusis now so strong that a sceptical
observermust questionthe underlyingpurposeof the argumentsthat havebeenusedto
defineit. Is the consensus merely intended to prove that Islam prohibits theatre? Or is
it intendedto demonstratethat, becausethis art form is not indigenousto the Arab
World and is appropriatelyjudged by universallyaccepted- European- norms,it is
inherently Western in origin and hencereinforcesthe conceptof Westerncultural
superiority? In any case,how seriouslycan all theseargumentsbe taken and how
objective are they in reality? After all, whateverapproachthey adopt, they all start
from onebasicaxiom- thatIslamis a hindranceto this particularart form.

Historical evidence does suggestthat the early converts to Islam did effectively
abandontheir culturalpast,acceptinginsteadthe valuesof the new religion. However,
this does not mean that no theatrical tradition had ever existed amongst them.
Nonetheless,those scholarswho defend the thesis that Arab theatre does not exist
maintaintheir argumentby characterisingany elementof that cultural past which did
relate to the performing arts in generaland to drama in particular as pre-theatrical
forms. 11ey go on to arguethat, evenif somespontaneous forms of dramadid exist
they did not developinto a genuineform of theatrebecausethey were smotheredby
Islam.

The argument seems excessive, however. Even if it is true that Islam was
inimical to theatre,it is a little difficult to believe that its introduction could have
createda spontaneous tabularasa. Indeed,how can a new order being establishedin
any society not adapt itself to that society? In fact, for these argumentsto be
uncritically acceptedthe readerwould needto havean apocalypticvision of history and
social order to envisagethe completedestructionof a society and its spontaneous
resurrectioninto a new orderasa resultof Islam.

An Alternative View

An alternativeview would seekto establisha more historical approachto the

problemand might well startfrom theproposalthat the argumentsput forward by these
scholarsare misleadingbecausethey stemfrom the notion of 'pre-theatrical'forms and
from the assumptionthat Islam actively forbadeany form of humanrepresentation-
hence all figurative arL In fact, there is no mention in the Koran of any Idnd of
prohibition of such representation.Nonetheless,even if someacademiccritics of the
 3

Arab theatrical tradition do accept this fact, they then resort to arguments based on
popular interpretation of the Koran to the With (the sayingsof the Prophet
or certain of
Muhammad),to justify their claims.-

In reality - and despite these long sustainedprejudices to the contrary - Arab-

Muslim societieshavelong traditionsin the performingartsandin dramain particular.
Thesetraditionshavebeendismissedsimply becausethey do not comply with Western
norms. At this point a caveatis in order, for there were instanceswhere religious
authoritiesdid condemnor criticize and evenban certainforms of artistic expression.
For instance,the qUSS2iS3
who appearedwith the adventof Islam andbecamean element
in propagationof the teachingof the Koran and the ProphetMuhammadwithin the
contextof the mosquewerecondemnedandeventuallybanned.However,this occurred
whenthey developedtheir proselytictechniquesinto what wasvirtually an independent
art form by applying personalcreativity and imaginationto the basic texts. Such an
approachclearly outragedIslamic principle and thus, inevitably, they were considered
as heretics. Another form of drama which was and still is consideredheretic is the
ta'zyeh - the equivalent of the Christian mystery plays - which is performed every year
during Gslr=4 to commemoratethe killing of Hussein.5 The bans on these forms of
theatrical expression were inevitable, however, because of their close identity with
doctrinal issues.

At the sametime, it is interestingto note*that the only forms of theatrical

expressionthat are acceptedby academiccritics of Arab theatreas genuineare those
traditionswhich orthodoxMuslims would considerheretical. The reasonseemsto be
that they expressedrevolt and rebellion against establishedpower and established
religiousauthority- as if all dramawas simply born from revolt andconflict. Yet, such
approachesmerely implicitly confirm the long establishedcultural traditions of the
Arab World which extendbackfar beyondthe adventof Islam andwhich alsoform part
of a cultural continuumthat stretchesforward to the modemday. If indeed,conflict,
revolt, thirst for knowledgeor reconciliation with natural calamity are inherent in a
dramatictradition, sucha traditionhasexistedwithin Middle Easternliteraturesincethe
fourth millenniumBC. It is characterisedby theEpic of Gilgamesh.

3 qussasareanotherEnd of story-tellers.They appearedwith the adventof Islam and

in
were*Led the propagationof the newreligion which meantthat their materialwas
mainly drawnfrom religiousstories.
is the tenthday of Muýarram thefirst Muslim month. It is alsothe day on
4 '21shura
which Husseindied. (Seenote5.)
5 Hussein(alsowritten Husayn) Ibn Alýi TSlib, grandsonof theProphetMuhammad.
He died in the battleof Karbalaon Muharram 10 61 (October680) againstIbn Ziyad's
-
army. He andhis brotherHassanwere*denied the successionto the throneby
Mu"Awiya- The Shi-iteMuslims commemorate the deathof Hussein in lamenthence
the processionsof the tazyeh.
 4

The Epic of Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh,the famousKing of Uruk in Mesopotamia,goesback to

the fourth millennium BC. Although incomplete and much older than Homer's Iliad it
is still one of the finest epics which has survived through the centuriesand has appeared
in many ancient languages, such as Sumerian, Akkadian and Hittite. Indeed its
influence may well have spreadfarther afield, for an active debateover whether Asiatic
legend and mythology had any influence on Greek literature continues. However, as
Sanderssuggests:

If Greek lyric of the seventhcentury is modem, the Greek Epic

still belonged in part to the same legendary world of Gilgamesh, the
King of the ancient Uruk. It would have been historically possible for
the poet of the Odyssey to hear the story of Gilgarnesh, not garbled but
direct, for ships from Ionia and the Islands were already trading on the
Syrian coast. At Al-Mina and at Tarsus the Greeks were in contact with
the Assyrians... It is less the case of prototypes and parentagethan for
similar atmosphere. The world inhabited by Greek bards and Assyrian
scribes, in the eighth and seventh centuries, was small enough for there
to have been some contact between them... Therefore it is not surprising
that Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Humbata should seem to inhabit the same
universe as the gods and mortals of the Homeric Hymns, Hesiod's
Theogony, and the Odyssey. Common to all is the mise en sc6ne, a
world in which gods and demi-gods fratemise with men on a fragment of
known earth which is surroundedby the unknown waters of ocean and
the Abyss.6

The Epic of Gilgameshis indeedoneof a seriesof importantliterary documents

produced by the rich civilisation of Babylon. These works representthe first formal
by to
attempts man express his thoughtsand ideason life its
and meaningthroughart.
It was written long beforethe Old Testament,the Rig Veda in India or the Avesta in
Persia. Indeed,literature in mesopotarnia- Iraq - was recordedat leastOnelihousand
years before any other known literature elsewhere.

Insofar,therefore,ascultural traditionsform part of a continuumthat underlies

specific cultural and religious events,this unique literary phenomenonprovides the
rootsand forms oneof the distinct aspectsof an authenticArab dramatictradition. The
Epic of Gilgameshis the prototypeof dramabecauseof the natureandthe aspectsof the
story it tells. As Sanders
points out,"Throughthe action we are shown a very human
concernwith mortality, the searchfor knowledge,andfor an escapefrom the common
lot of man... If Gilgameshis not the first hero, he is the first tragic hero of whom
anything is known."7 And in his search for knowledge because of his own he
ignorance
falls into the chaosof anxiety, while his escapefrom the chaosonly brings him into a

6 Sanders,N.K. - The Epic of Gilgamesh PenguinClassics,Hannondsworth,England,

new version 1973,pp. 45-46.
7 Ibid. p.7.
 5

situation characterised by further and violent anxiety and tragedy. Gilgamesh is, in
short, the epitome of what may now be described as Theatre of the Absurd. Ibis aspect
of the Gilgamesh legend is thoroughly analysed by Chakib El-Khouri in his Le Th6fitre
Arabe de I'Absurde where he arguesthat:

What we call 'Thdfitre de Boulevard' today is just a superficial

anddecadentdeviation,whereasthe works of contemporaryplaywrights
of the absurd really constitute a continuity in theatrical tradition
stretchingbackto Gilgamesh,thepioneerhero.
In this context, the importance of an analysis of Iraqi theatre
stems from the fact that the Epic of Gilgamesh is the original form of
drama, particularly in this part of the Arab World. It follows, therefore,
that the theatre of the absurd is neither an imitation of modem western
drama nor is it influenced by it; for civilisations align and interact
through access to common sources based on human experience.
Gilgamesh, the historical hero, and the epic which now encapsulateshis
legend, are in fact two elements that have been perpetuatedthroughout
dramatic experimentation today: Gilgamesh in the contemporary
Theatre of the Absurd, and the Epic in its traditional theatreform. 8

Indeed,El-Khouri in his detailedinvestigationof the Epic of Gilgameshand the

Babylonianliterary tradition gives ample evidenceof this form of drama and shows
how it hasa bearing- togetherwith other traditional material- on contemporaryArab
playwrightsof the like
absurd, Tawfik Al-Hakirn and YoussefIdris in Egypt, or Issam.
MahfonzandRaymondGebarain Ubanon.

Yet quite apartfrom this somewhatarcanelink with experimentalArab theatre

today, the Epic of Gilgameshhas a direct relevanceto more popular and traditional
forms of Arab literary expression,as an analysisof its structuremakesit clear. The
Epic itself openswith a prologue:

I will proclaimto the world the deedof Gilgamesh. This was a

man to whom all things were known; this was the king who knew the
countriesof the world. He was wise, he sawmysteriesand knew secret
things,he broughtus a tale of the daysbefore the flood. He went on a
long journey, was weary, worn out with labour,returning he rested,he
engravedon a stonethe wholestory.9

I It is interestingto note here the strildng similarity with the form and style
by
adopted the modemmadda'-h or haka%rad (story-teller). The prologueis followed by
00
severalepisodesrelatedto important in
events the life of the hero. There is no doubt
that it is Gilgameshwho is the central figure, for, althoughthe gods are omnipresent
within a metaphysicalworld, theEpic of Gilgameshis determinedlysecularandnot part
of a religiousritual. It is dividedinto twelvelong poems,originally inscribedon twelve

8 EI-Khouri, Chakib - Le Th6ätre Arabe de l'Absurde, ed.A. G. Nizet, Paris1978,

pp. 15-16. -
9 The Epic of Gileamesh,op.cit. p. 61.
 6

different tablets, and there have been many suggestionsthat it was originally recited or
presentedin some other form during a twelve day festival. The structure of the Epic,
like the epic in traditional form, is reflected in the repetition of long passages,words
and greeting formulae.

Theseare familiar characteristics of oral poetry,tendingto assist

the task of the reciter, and also to give satisfactionto the audience. A
demandfor exact repetition of favourite and well-known passagesis
familiar to any nurserystory teller, alongwith fierce disapprovalof any
deviation,howeverslight, from the wordsusedwhen the story was told
for the first time. Now, asthen,an almostritual exactitudeis requiredof
the reciterandthe story-teller.10

Hencethe very structureof the Epic of Gilgameshwould haveinevitably given

birth to the tradition of the story-tellerwhoseart was and still is widespreadthroughout
the Arab World. It thusplays a crucial role in the formationof Arab theatre,sincethe
Arab theatricaltraditionderives,in largepart, from popularformsof literary expression,
suchasthe 'Theatreof Shadows'andthe story-teller.

Popular Theatrical Traditions

It is only in the late 1960's that Arab scholars,mainly individuals connected

with the theatre,started to point out that the popular art forms of the 'Theatre of
Shadows' and the story-teller were, in reality,- genuine theatrical forms which
correspondedto the artistic needs of Arabic society and its understandingof the
universe.Although the 'Theatreof Shadows'hasnot survivedthe onslaughtof colonial
and post-colonialexperience,the story-telleris a symbol of Arab theatrewhich is of
universal significance and is thoroughly embeddedin the modem Arab theatrical
tradition.

The story-teller is part of a very old and intenselyrich oral tradition which
stretchesback to the pre-Islamic period when the art form had many and varied
functions.Iliere were many Idndsof story-tellerswhosediversity was reflectedin the
wide range of titles they received. In fact, this diversity makesit difficult today to
distinguishbetweenthe different categoriesof the story-tellerthat did actuallyexist and
it is only by investigatingthe minute differencesin their activities that they can be
categorised. Even then, becausethe activities were so similar and the differences
relatively minor, confusion still persistsover their real nature. Indeed, the real
differencesin performanceand techniquebetweenstory-tellersdescribedas ýWya,
samir, muhaddith, qussi7s,madda-ý,gaww5l or riawi are stiU unclear. Nowadays,
6*
however,the position has beensimplified and there are basically only two types of
story-tellerswho aregivendifferentnamesin differentregionsof the Arab World.

10 Ibid. p.48.
 7

The Fakiyaor muqallid (imitator)usedto performhis storiesin the souk,before

pilgrims to Mecca, or before in
private audiences the evening. His art is very similar to
in
that of the s5mir the sensethat his is
material essentiallyepic andrelates the heroes
and heroic events. The muqallid also took in
part major cultural events,such as the
'Ukaz festival which washeld everyyearandlastedfor two weeks. The festivalwasan
importanteconomic,political, socialand culturaleventwhich attractednumerousArab
tribes. Alongsidepoetswho readtheir poemsin competitionsthe muqallid entertained
his audiencewith epic andmime. This one-manshow still existsthroughoutthe Arab
World.

The pre-IslamicEra producedmanyepics,suchas "TheDaysof theArabs","7,ir

Salem"or "'Antara" which eventoday are still used,with minor changeswhich adapt
them to new circumstances, by the contemporarystory-teller. Originally thesestories
were usually told during evening sittings (samar) by the musilmir. The evening is
traditionally a favourabletime of day for the story-teller, for his audiencewill be
relaxedand attentive. His material,takenfrom the epic tradition,touchesessentiallyon
historical themeswhich relate to major local events of the past, to battles fought
betweentribes, to the history of a tribe and of its ancestors.Indeed,originally, every
tribe or major family hadits mus2imir,thusthe modemm1damircan be regardedas the
bearerof local tradition or even as the historian of a particular tribal group in the
modem world who constantly updateshis repository of local oral tradition, thus
sustainingand nourishingpopular interestin the past. He acts,in fact, as a repository
for the tradition known as "The Days of the Arabs". It is a tradition that has been
analysedby YoussefRachidHaddad,who hascommentedthat:
The number of Days is very large. Theseprose stories are a
remarkablesourcefor an understandingof pre-Islamiclife, particularly
asregardsgenealogy,socialandreligious affairs,moral values,concepts
of hospitality,courage,generosity,perspicacity,honour,loyalty, love of
freedom and the senseof cor=Unal life. Their main function is to
acquaintus with the spirit of chivalry as exemplifiedby ancientArab
heroes. For centuries,the story-tellerhas kept the popular memory of
thoseheroesalive. After all, eachindividual hasto know the exploits of
his ancestors,eachtribe transmittedits history orally from generationto
generation..."The Days of the Arabs" are bom from the mouth of the
story-teller and they are the commonproperty of the tribe. It is only
from the eighth century onwardsthat they were collectedand recorded
on manuscriptsandin books...for the tribes,the conceptionof time and
spacewasconfinedto thoseimportanteventsusedby the story-tellersas
a historical background...In one sense,the pre-Islamicperiod has only
left a vague and very scanty written literature which has becomethe
subject of major debatesamong historians. It was a period of an
essentiallyoral culture. Islam, however,elaboratednew conceptionsof
history which went back to the beginningof the world, whereashistory
for the bedouintribes was limited to their own activities and horizons,
 8

unlike Islam which defined history in religious and prophetic terms

through its referencesto Moses,Jesusand Muhammad.11

Even today story-tellersplay an important role in the samecontext. Indeed,

many people throughout the Arab World first learn about the history of Islam or
discover the tradition of legend and epic from the maddilý or the muqallid. Originally,
the niuqaffid and the musiFmirwould have sharedtheir story-telling activities with the
clown, a figure also known in many other medieval societies and who would appearat
court, in fairs and in the souks. Today, however, he has disappeared,leaving the story-
teller with the field of popular history and legend to himself.

The Story-Teller and Islam

The advent of Islam brought many changes to oral tradition. Writing spread
rapidly and encourageda percOved need to record poetry, tales, stories, legend and
epics. The deeds,words, thoughts and statementsof the Prophet were also recorded in
the great collection of the hadTthand codified as a guide to an appropriate lifestyle, the
sunna, all formalised through the sharT'a (religious legal code) itself drawn from the
Koran.

As a result, the new society's need for the oral historical traditions of the
muqallid or the mufaimirdeclined,simply becauseof the spreadof literacy. However,it
is significant that both institutions in fact adaptedvery well to the new order and
managedto perpetuatethe oral tradition. In fact, Islam enrichedtheir repertoireand
addednew political, socialandreligiousmaterialto it. Indeed,it waspreciselybecause
the oral tradition was so stronglyestablishedand becauseof the way the muqallid and
the mus7fmirwereimportantin popularcultural tradition, that Islam had to turn to the
sametechniquesitself in popularisingits message.Theresult wasthe qtq or qt4fus, an
institution which developedso rapidly, becauseit was clearly so well adaptedto the
environment, that it took on an independentexistencewhich threatenedIslamic
orthodoxy. The inevitableresultwasthat the institutionhad eventuallyto be bannedby
the authorities.

The quýýasdevelopedalongsidethe spreadof Islam. He was intendedto

operatewithin a religiouscontext,presentingto his audiencereligious epic stories.The
institution thus paralleledthe muqallid who dealtin tribal epics. According to Youcef
RachidHaddad:

The tribal trendrepresentsthe continuity of the tribal heritageas

honouredby the old story-tellerswhereasthe Islamic trend follows the

11Haddad,Youcef Rachid- Art u Conteur. Art de IlActeur, ed. CahiersTHatre

Louvain - Louvain - la Neuve,1982, p. 28.
 9

Islamic principles transmitted by the qugas. lie history of the

Prophet's conquests and battles was botý recorded in books and
transmitted orally by the quýras who developed them in their own style
and turned them into popular 'literature'. In the biographies of the
Prophet, we find the history of the battles also told in a popular way and
in a style similar to that of the Days of the Arabs.12

However,the qussa'stendedto glorify the life of the ProphetMuhammadand

exaggeratehis deedsand exploits. The reasonfor this tendencywas both social and
religious. On the onehanddisseminatingknowledgeaboutIslam andpersuadingtheir
audiencesof the valueof strict adherenceto Islamic preceptwastheir primary function
and the embodimentof such values within a historical figure was a simple way of
making the messageaccessibleto an audienceconditionedby oral tradition. On the
otherhand,the qussashadalsoto facecompetitionwhich, no doubt,led to distortionof
the inherentmessagein a desireto captureaudienceattention.

With the economic and political evolution of Arab society as a result of Islam
and the conquest that followed the Prophet's early ministry, the muqallid (the
traditional bedouin and tribal story-tellers) accompaniedtheir tribal clientieles. Many of
them came as a result, to settle in Iraq in Basra and Kufa: two towns which came to
dominate the social, economic and cultural life of the early Islamic empire. They added
to their traditional tribal repertoire new elements drawn from Islam and from the new
events associatedwith Islam. They would perform. for in in
tribes public squares, the
mosquesand in the main market place. They were very popular and highly appreciated
in Iraq.

The q4ýas were originally largely a responseto this successand, as the new
Islamic world developed,two types of quf47asappeared- one official, used as an
instrumentof propagandaanddrawingonly on Islamic sources,and the otherusing the
samematerialbut addingto it his own material and imagination. The secondtype of
qiqý4, actually appearedafter the Prophethad died, while the first type had already
developedduring the Prophet'slifetime. The secondtype, however,rapidly gained
importanceas he developedhis art andrepertoire. Although his function wasprimarily
he
religious, would use the Koran freely in his own independent literary inspiration.
His material consistedof anecdotes,stories,myths and legendsoften derived- but not
exclusivelyfrom religioussourceswith primarypurposeofsýmulatingaudience interest.

Becauseof the religious material used by the qug5s, he often acquired a

prophetic persona in the popular mind. He therefore also acquired considemble
influencewhich obviously ixTitatedthe religious authorities,particularly the Orthodox
leadership.The Caliph'ý.Ii, for instance,expelledthe quss5sfrom the mosquesbecause

12 lbid, p. 40.
 10

of the danger he considered them to represent. Indeed after the death of 'Umar and
under the caliphatesof 'UthriTanand 'Ali, there was a period of extendeddisruption. In
the confused atmosphere,the qussaswere very active and influential. They were also
an easy target for officialdom to blame for the disturbances,becauseof their role in
popu lar culture. As a result they were soon accused of fomenting trouble by
encouragingthe emergenceof different religious sects. The processhas been admirably
describedby Youssef Rachid Haddad:

the qugay developed rapidly, mainly, as we have seen, during

...(al-fitnýh) 'Umar, 'Uthrrian
troubles which took place after under and
'Ali. This developmentwas due in no small measurebecausethe story-
tellers were committed to their social and demographic environment.
The quss& therefore expandedtheir repertoire and their stories became
richer in form, content and performance. The issue of performance is
particularly noteworthy, for contemporary observers of the qu§ýHas
phenomenoncommented not only upon the text but also on the way the
story was told and on the social conduct of the story-teller. Indeed, it
was no accident that the listener-spectator of these events could not
concentrate - unlike the solitary reader of a text - on the artistic
manifestation of the story independently of its creator and reciter.
Popular oral expressionwas, in short, and is similar to popular theatrical
expression in the sense that it is intimately related to its creator and
producer. Furthermore,the personality of the reciter is more profoundly
related to what he relatesthan is the personality of the classic actor to the
role he plays. Indeed, what interestsus in the role playing of the actor is
the way he usesall the available technical means (voice, stature, etc.) to
produce a theatrical effect. We are not interested in whether an actor
plays perfectly the role of an evil man or a genuine hero, is himself bad
or good. This, however, is not the case when an Arab story-teller
presentsa story. Often the story-teller uses his own characteristics and
behaviour as they affect his daily life. *Throughsuch illustrations drawn
from life - his life - he generatesempathy and emotion in the listener-
spectator. Ile same thing occurs in popular theatre for the spectators
constantly compare the role the actor plays with the way he appears in
daily life.

For all these reasons,it seemsto us that the socio-political

circumstanceswith which the Arabs were familiar had encouragedthe
story-tellers'art andhelpedthemto practicetheir professionand perfect
their techniques...In fact, the quýýasbecamedangerouswhen he used
besideswords, other artistic meansto expresshis ideas. The word,
sacredand respectedin traditional Arab-Islamic society, seemedto be
threatenedby the q'Uýslas who ignoredthe 'laws of God'. As the qussas
S,
developedhis art in this sense,he integratedinto it the domain ofihe
spectacleand thus beganto strayonto dangerousground. Yet, although
Islam may have rejected the figurative arts becauseof the hadith,
religiousdoctrineof Islamic tradition,they did not ceaseto exist iý Arab
societyat a popularlevel, despiteconstantofficial harassment.The fact
that there is little comment about them in doctrinal studies merely
reflects religious and political power. We find the same attitude in
Church(particularlywhenit is integratedin the state)towardsactorsand
the theatre. The attitudeof St. Augustine(4th-5thcenturiesAD) andthat
of the Byzantine Church towards actors, representationand theatre
contrastswith the attitudesof the pre-IslamicEra (4th century AD) and
compareswell with attitudesadoptedtowardsstory-tellersafter the first
Islamic period, particularly those groups who acquired increasing
 11

popularity and distinctiveness because of their innovations in

presentation. They moved closer to the notion of spectacleas they failed
to respect the strict letter of the transmitted texts and experimented
beyond the limit of Koranic interpretation. They addedin other stories,
tales, legends and events of the day, largely using imagination and
techniques to attract the listener-spectators. They resorted to the world
of fairies, myth and legend and mingled scenes from the life of the
Prophet and other religious figures from Judeo-Christian tradition, as
well as Islam.13

The quýu developed their art further in the eleventh and twelfth centuries
during the Abbasid period which saw a tremendousdevelopmentin science,humanities,
literature, Greek translations and religious works. 'Ille quýýas were as active and as
productive as were scientists and scholars in the intellectually sympathetic atmosphere.
In the succeedingcenturies, however, the qulfais were to be bannedfrom the mosques
and condemnedas heretics as religious orthodoxy was enforced. The result was that the
two separateart forms of muqallid and quýýa-swere to be merged. Whereas the qiqý2rs
developed from simple speechinto movement and mime, the story-tellerfirnitator, the
muqallid, moved from mime to speech. The two techniqueshave, therefore,reachedthe
samemode of expressionalong different historical paths.14

Tradition and Modernity

Today, therefore,thereis a single populartradition that extendsfrom Morocco

to Iraq, although the,artist himself is known under a variety of names- muqallid,
madda-ý,rawi, gaww&, h-akiya- depending on the country or region concerned.
Howeverparallel to this form of expression,there is anotherwhich has survivedand
developed,mainly in Egypt - themus: amir.

Western domination of the Arab World through colonialism and cultural

influencehas resultedin the establishmentof Westerntheatricaltraditions associated
with the prosceniumarch theatre. It is a form totally alien to Arab cultural patterns.
Nonetheless,Westerndramahasbecomeaccepted,hasattractedan audience,produced
playwrights,actors and directors. It has, in short, become the norm of drama in the
Arab World asit haselsewhere.From thelate nineteenthcenturyuntil the presentday,
the Arab World has producedplaywrights, many with world-wide reputations. The
situation has persuadedmany scholarsthat they can preciselydate the birth of Arab
theatre,with the most commondatesquotedbeing 1847for Ixbanon, 1846for Egypt
and 1923for Algeria. On the otherhand,any form of expression,any art form, which
does not comply with the-norm embodiedin the aestheticsassociatedwith Western
views of the is
performing arts not considered drama or a proper theatrical form of

13 Ibid, pp. 51 and53.

14 Ibid, p. 66.
 12

expression. These assumptionsare so deeply rooted in the Arab mind today or, more
precisely, in the version of WesternisedArab dlites, that any authentic and genuineArab
form of theatre, such as the muqallid or madd5h, is considered cheap, vulgar and
decadent. True theatre is experienced in a physical setting derived from a Western
tradition and is still dominated by namessuch as Moliere and Shakespeare.The Arab
World has not been alone in adopting these pre;;judices for they have been adopted
widely elsewhere as well, such as in Africa. Nor is the tradition, in itself, lacking in
relevance or value for the Arab World. However, insofar as it has implied the
destruction (or the partial destruction in someregions) of indigenousart forms, its effect
must be depreciated.

However, the popular indigenous tradition began to be revived seriously in the

1960's. Young and talenteddramatistsandactorsbecameawareof the wealthof their
heritageand startedto draw upon it. Experimentsbaseduponit are now beingcarried
out throughout the Arab World and have already producedplays of high quality.
While the traditional madda-h(muqallid) still performsin the market place or in the
caM,the modem artist is broughtonto the stage. Writers like Antoine Malouf, Issam.
Mahfouz,Jalal Khouri (Lebanon),YoussefIdriss, MahmoudDiab, Ali Salem(Egypt),
Youssef Al-'; kni (Iraq), Moncef Souissi (Tunisia), Tayeb Seddiqi (Morocco),
AbderrahmaneKaki, KatebYacine,AbdelkaderAlloula, SlimaneBenaissa(Algeria) to
namebut a few, are making extensiveuseof the an of the ma&6ý and most of the
other traditional performingarts. They haveliterally revolutionisedArab drama. Ile
differencewith Westerntheatreis, exemplifiedby the exampleof Tayeb Seddiki in
Morocco who drawshuge crowds to a stadium(not a theatrein the normal Western
sense)to watch and 'participate' in his plays. It is an exampleof what must be the
ultimate goal of theatre,the festival with total communionamongstthe participants,
whetheractor or audience. In- an even more encouragingsign of the revival of an
indigenoustheatricaltradition,the examplesof Arab theatre mainly basedaroundthe
-
art of the story-teller- haveat last startedto reachbeyondthe boundariesof the Arab
World. Experimental-theatrebasedon the madda-hhas now beenseenin Paris,New
York andRome. Although that hasbeenan extremelylimited contact,still confinedto
small experimentaltheatres,it representsan importantbreakthroughin establishingthe
credentialsof indigenousArab theatrein the wide world. It also showshow, with less
prejudice,morepermeabilityandopenness, Western culturecould gain much from Arab
cultureandbroadenits view of the world.

This new experimentalform of theatreis not yet well establishedin the Arab
World nor is it yet the modelwhich contemporaryArab theatrefollows. It is, however,
an original form which identifies with Arab culture and thus respondsto people's'
needs
and expectations. Unlike the typical Westernform of drama which is limited to a
 13

segment within the intellectual 61ite, it reaches wider audiencesand appeals to more
popular taste. The borrowed Western form went through different stagesof imitation,
translation, adaptationand experimentation in different Arab countries but has , to some
extent, failed to fulfil its aims because:"The absorption of severalcenturiesof theatrical
experience at one time could not have acted as a stimulant to dramatic innovation
becausethe experimentsrelated a totally different dramatic reality. " 15

Arab dramatists,in short,pouredlocal dramaticcontentinto a borrowedform.

It was an experiment which did not succeedbecauseas A. Laroui argues:"Arab society
could never give the [borrowed] theatrical form the content which Teally fitted in. "16

Recentexperiments,however,showthat the essence of the problemis in fact not

necessarilythat of borrowed fonn and local content but is, instead, essentiallya
questionof contentitself. J.E. Bencheikharguesthat, "...the questionis not to find a
contentwhich fits in a borrowedform., But one shouldask whethersuchcontentcould
its
create own fonn, whether defined as such or not." 17

A studyof Algerian theatreshowsthat after decadesof experimentandresearch,

some Algerian playwrights have now found "a its
content which creates own form. " It
should not be assumed that this new form of drama is uniform throughout the Arab
World, nor does this imply that Arab culture is unitary. Every Arab country has its own
specific featuresmarked by individual historical and'cultural.evolution.

The Birth of the Ali! erian Theatre

Like all the Arab countries,Algeria has not avoidedthe claim that it had no
theatretradition. Indeed,the adventof this art form in Algeria is usuallydatedasbeing
in 1921. This date, in fact, is extendedto other Arab countriesas well and many
scholarsarguethak,an EgyptiancompanyunderGeorgeAbiad, touringAlgeria in 1921,
triggeredoff the creationof Algerian Theatre. This is partly true becausethe visit was
met with great enthusiasmby Algerians who took pride in the idea of 'Arab' theatre
given the prior exclusive control of French theatre over drama in Algeria. The
Egyptians,however, came with a borrowed form of drama -a form which already
existedin FrenchAlgeria. However,becausethey were an Arab companyperforming
in Arabic, they acquiredaddedappealbecauseof the senseof Arab nationalismthen
prevailing in Algeria. The questionstill remains,however, as to why an Egyptian
companyand not the French theatrealreadywell established in Algeria, should have
initiatedthe ideaof a specificAlgerian theatregiven the fact that the form wascommon

15 Bencheikh, J.E., in Tradition Thffitrale et Modernit6 en AI&6-n:

e-,op. ciL P. 198.
16 Ibid. p. 198.
17 Ibid. p.199.
 14

to both cases. Ile reason might well be because,as mentioned earlier, the core of
Algerian theatre already existed through the substantialpre-theatrical forms which had
and still have a strong bearing on popular drama. If this is true, then neither of the
reasonsgiven really explains the beginning of modem Algerian theatre. Furthermore,
as RoselYneBaffet comments:

Algerian theatreowesits existenceto a tradition of struggleand

oppositionacquired during the recenthistory of the country. From the
banningof karaguzin 1842to the exile and clandestinenature of the
theatreof combatjust beforeindependence, the history of the Algerian
theatre is closely linked with political struggle. Indeed, political
commitmenthas alwaysbeenthe major characteristicof this theatrical
form.18

The 'Theatre of Shadows' or karaguz,9 arrived in Algeria from Turkey via

Sicily and was one of the main forms of leisure in large towns throughout North Africa
- such as Fez, Tangiers, Oran, Algiers, Constantine and Tunis. It consisted of the
projection onto a screen of the shadow of puppets manipulated by one man, who also
spoke the dialogue. The stories were based on the adventuresof the hero Karaguz and
became politicised after the invasion of Algeria by France in 1830 with Karaguz
changing from his role as virile hero to that of victor over the French. The anti-French
overtones led to the prohibition of the'Theatre of Shadows in 1843, it
although survived
as an underground activity in Algiers and Blida. Likewise the maddilh. who had also
condemned and attacked the French occupation, found himself harassed and often
arrested.

The history of the Algerian theatrethus startedwell before 1921,eventhough

the French invasion had causedits demise. The Egyptian touring companyin 1921
then simply injectednew enthusiasmfor the idea of a modemArab theatreasopposed
to a Frenchone.

Emergenceof Three Cultural and Theatre Groups

The period after the first World War wasone of political and social unrest,due
mainly to the fact that the Algerians were still deniedthe most basic human rights and
refusedany Idnd for
of reward their contributionto the war in the French army. This
led to a generalfeeling of discontentanda strongernationalistspirit, especiallyamongst
the youngAlgerianswhosepolitical awareness developedandincreasedasthey became
more involved in, the creation of cultural and social societies. Ile different
manifestationsof political and social unrest found expressionin newspapersand
magazines such as L'Akhbar. LlIkdam. EI-Balagh EI-Djazaid, as well as in debates.

Is Baffet, Roselynne.op. ciLp. 180.

ig From the Turkish - kara geus- meaning- black eyes.
 15

The cultural life of the time was mainly dominatedby poetry, pamphletsand short
stories. The needfor the assertionof an Algerian personalityled mostAlgeriansto turn
to the Arabic languagewith its own cultural and historical expressions.Their motto
reflectedthe feelings:'them andus', 'their religion andours', 'their culture and ours'.
This cultural revival was to a certainextentassociatedwith the birth of threecultural
groups:

a) L'Association des Etudiants Musulmans Alg6riens: mainly

composedof youngstudentsfrom Arabic andKoranic taughtschools.
b) Al-Muhadhiba: a cultural society founded by Tahar Ali Chdrif
which concentratedon the production of plays in literary Arabic.

c) El-Mutribyia: a musicsocietyfoundedby an AlgerianJew,Edmond

Yafil; it later incorporatedsketchesandplays.

The Egyptian company which visited Algeria in 1921 performed its plays in
literary Arabic; the small Algerian 61itewho were educatedin this language,took pride
in its use and urged the newly born groups to use it as well. However, this resulted in a
total failure and the Al-Muhadhiba company was to disappear soon after its creation.
The other two groups survived but their experiencein literary Arabic was ephemeralfor
they realised that:

We werefacedwith the major problemof literary Arabic. It was

agreedthat it was the only noble languagefor the stage. So be it - but
the halls were empty or full with guests,which commerciallywas the
same. The very noble literary Arabic was useful for great evenings
wherethepundits,who cameto honourus,paid for their seatswith warm
compliments.And that samedlite hadnot only free accessto the theatre
but it could not evenhelpus to start[a theatre]or to usetheir presenceas
good publicity; the reason was... THE AUDIENCE COULD NOT
UNDERSTANDTBE TEXTS WE PERFORMED. 20

Indeed,the problemof languagewas very importantsincethe vast majority of

Algerians were deniedaccessto education,and the very few who were educatedfell
into two categories:

1) those who attendedFrench schools and who usually did not go

beyondthe third or the fourth form at the lycle,

2) thosewho attendedArabic schoolsor m9dersaS21 which were very

limited in number,under strict French control, and whose syllabuses
hada strongemphasison Islamic teachings.

The latter produceda cultural minority which was very conservative,very

narrow minded as regards religion and claimed Arab-Muslim culture as their

20 Bachetarzi,Mahieddine- Mimoires (1919-19391, SNED, Alger, 1968,p. 60. The

is
emphasis the samein theoriginal text.
21 mMersa- transliterationof theArabic madrasa- school.
 16

unchallengeable prerogative. this minority regarded itself as the '00na, or the learned
men of Islamic culture and belief, peopleof wisdom and knowledge, and hence the
guardiansof Arabic andIslamic culture. Theydevelopedan arrogantandoften scornful
attitudetowards ordinarypeople. The illiterate masseswere therefore rejected by the
French,looked down upon by the Muslim elite and even cut off from it. Social
relationshipswithin Algerian in
society terms of culture and ideology were thoseof
dominant/dominated, educatedfilliterateand were reflectedin French rejection of and
contempt for Algerians,matched by Algerian rejectionandutter disdain for the French.
Alongsidethis divide was the Algerian dlite which considereditself the spiritual guide
and leader of the in
ordinarypeople,whilst part tacitly accepting the Frenchpresence.
For its part the vast majority of the populationequatedthe Arabic educated61itewith
thosereligious men endowedwith a knowledge of the Koran - the Word of God - and
wisdom. The one small faction which dismissedboth the French presenceand the
Algerian elite elementswas composedof young Algerians who were politically and
sociallyconscious. Their the
mainconcernwas plight of the ordinary peoplewhich led
them to struggle against religious and social taboos, ignorance, superstition and
illiteracy. I

It was the social and cultural divide, coupledwith this new politically aware
group which led to the use of colloquial Arabic or Algerian Arabic rather than
'Classical'or 'Literary Arabic' andtherebyto the growthof a populartheatre. The use
of literary Arabic in drama had an audienceof philistines and pseudo-intellectual
pedants"who paid for their seatswith warm compliments". The questionwas then:
"What would serve the Algerian theatrebest? Applausefrom 150 intellectuals(of
which 149 were guests),or 1,200 spectatorswho would come to see a play they
understand."= The switch to Algerian Arabic was the obvious and necessary
requirementfor survival,and the experienceof the first two yearsafter 1921wasvital
becauseit setthe pathfor the youngtheatre.

Bacheta,
ezi and the Mutribyia Company (Fl. 19201s)

A new theatretook shapein, the 1920's under the initiative of Mahieddine

Bachetarziand Ali Sellal (known as Allalou) who both had a certainknowledgeof the
artsbecauseof their with the
acquaintance French cultural activitiesof the time (music,
opera,,theatre). Their enterprise started without any financial aid whatsoever.
Furthermore,the youngpioneerswerestill in their teens,living with parentsandhelping
in small family businesses.Allalou was well readin Arabic literatureandhad a talent
for playwrightingandcostumedesign,while Bachetarziwasalreadya well knowntenor

22 Bachetarzi, Mahieddine, op. cit., p.26.

 17

singer in Algerian classical music known as Andalusian 23

MUSiC. He had started as
hazzab (Koran readers) at the Ja-ma' AI-Kabir ('Grand Mosque') in Algiers until
Edmond YOU, a Jewish teacherof music, noticed his talent and encouragedhim to join
his company of Andalusian music, El-Mutribyia. With the help of Yafil's teaching and
sponsorship, Bachetarzi developed his knowledge of music, gained fame in North
Africa and Europe and was quickly introduced to the artistic world including such
figures as Saint Saens,Charlesde Galland and Laho Serror.

Bachetarzi took an interest in the creation of an Algerian theatre only when he

had become an establishedand famous singer. His first attempt was performancesof
fifteen-minute sketchesin the concerts of El-Mutribyia. These proved very successful
and became an important part of the billing. From then on the combination of music,
dance and sketches won fame and popularity for the company, which became well
These
establishedat the Kursal (a concert hall in Algiers) and the Trianon cinema. first
timid attempts, in short, proved very fruitful and resulted in the creation of a theatre-
public.

1926: The Young Algerian Theatre Takes Off

.
"1926, a great year? Yes, of course! It was a year of major
importancefor the Algerian theatre;it provided it with 'ITS' play and
'ITS' actorin the sensethat the Algerian audiencesfound what they had
beenwaiting for andhavespontaneously appiovedandadoptedit. "24

Indeed,1926wasa landmarkin the history of the Algerian theatrefor it wasto

determinethe natureof dramain Algeria for a long time to come. Two major factors
contributed to this - one play and one actor. Allalou wrote the full-length play in
Algerian Arabic - jeha2s- basedon the adventuresof the folk hero, Joha,from folk
-D
talesknown throughoutthe Muslim world. The play was in fact a kind of review, a
juxtapositionof actionsand farcesbasedon the adventuresof Djeha. The successand
popularity of the play provideda good test for determiningthe taste of audiences for
drama. Dleha and the previous sketchesperformedat the Kursal and the Trianon
cinemashowedthat comedysuitedAlgerian audiencesbest. On the other hand, the
arrival of RachidKsentini on the stageintroduceda particularstyle of acting. Indeed,
both play and actor - Dieha and Ksentini releasedthe innate qualities of Algerian
-
theatrewhich haa, beenlatentfor so long. Dieha and Ksentini openeda new era for
theatre: "For the first time, someAlgerianshearda play which spoketo themin their
rit
language,a play which wasmadeto measurefor them. i---- 16PR
$too AI
OR
LW_ __ ---
acou-16-

23 This wasthe type of musicwhich wasdevelopedin Andalusiaandfound refuge

mainly in North Africa. It hasstill retainedits original form basedon sevenmodesand
comprisingtwenty-four'opuses, of which two arelost.
24 Bachetarzi,Mahieddine- op. cit. p. 63.
25 The spellingis varied:Goha- Joha- Jeha- Djeha- Djoh'a.
 18

j.
ther; It is true that only one thousandpeople saw the
play, but they describedit to others so much that everybody knew about 'Djeha'. 26

It is worth mentioningthat the Operad'Alger, reservedexclusivelyfor French

theatre,openedits doorsfor Dieha in the sameyear.

A New Impetus: Rachid Ksentini (1886- 1950's?)

Rachid Ksentini, whose real name is Rachid Billakhdar, is often associatedwith

Villon, Moli6re, Abu-Nuas and Verlaine. He was nicknamed Ksentini (a man from
Constantine, the capital city of eastern Algeria because his father was from
Constantine. He grew up in 'Bouzar6ah' on the outskirts of Algiers among Spanish
children who taught him the guitar and initiated him to theatre and opera. In 1914, he
left Algiers to work in the merchant navy, a move which enabled him to travel
thrqughout,the world. He then left the merchant navy'and started travelling around
France.

His tastefor dramaled him to work asa stage-hand,

andextrain severaltheatres
in Paris, and in 1926 he came back to Algiers where he was asked by his friends
Bachetarzi and Allalou to act in a comedy - Bou - Akli-ne. In this play the Algiers
audiencesdiscovered him to be a great comedian. Starting his theatre career at the age
of 40, he was to give a major boost to the Algerian theatre and make a great impact that
introduced a new dramatic style: "He gave the Algerian theatre glamour, -life and
originality which his successorsenvied much but could never equal."27

He later withdrewfrom comedybecauseof his successasa singer. Realismwas

the maincharacteristicof his work-
All critics stressedthe realisticaspectof Ksentini's theatrewhich
implied different things: during his time, Ksentini depictedthe customs
of Algiers society without any compromise. He brought to the stage
characterswhich were close to reality, like the urban bourgeoisfrom
Algiers or the simplecountrymanvisiting the city. He wasvery harshin
revealingtheir faults,he alsobroughtthemon stageandconfrontedthem
with their own daily problems: marriage, child upbringing,
westernisation,relationswith civil servants...etc.28

Ksentini was both actor andauthorat the sametime. He had no discipline and
for
no respect a script; furthermore, he he
the plays wrote and the characters created
werecentred.aroundhimself and the main parts were madeto for
measure Ksentini the
comedian.

26 Bachetarzi,Mahieddine- op. ciL p. 63.

27 Roth,Arlette - Le Thkitre Ale6nen de Langue Dialectale (1929- 1954), Masp&o,
collection "domainemaghr6bin",Paris,1967,p. 47.
29 Ibid.
p. 47.
 19

Characterisationwas basedon the inter-dependenceof the main character with

thepersonalityand skill of Ksentini. However,his lack of disciplinewas compensated
by a greattalentin improvisationto suchan extentthat he would addlines to his partor
changethemcompletelyduringa performance.

His style of actingwasheightenedby very expressivemiming,which bringshim

I
in line with the Commediadell Arte and the madd4 tradition. Stereotypeslike the
avaricious judge, the drunkard, the charlatanand the counsellorwere brought alive on
stage. His language - the vernacularof Algiers and the bedouin - wasvery rich. He had
certainly learned a great deal during his travelsabout the art of European theatre, but
this was reflectedonly in his stagetechniques,as the form and material of his theatre
were typically Algerian. The strong impact he madeon the Algerian theatre can still be
felt as Bachetarzi makesclear:

If one wants to draw out the specific characteristic of Ksentini's

works, one will obviously have to adrrýitthat he had greatly contributed
towards a popular and specifically Algerian theatre... He broughlAe
"son of the people" - himself - straight from the Kasbahto the stage. that
is why he had a direct impact on the people; he did not even have to
make the effort to identify with it, he "WAS" the people.29

Growth, Developmentand Expansion: 1927-1933

In 1927,MahieddineBachetarziýstartedto VM* te andbroughta new dimensionto

the Algerian theatre- didacticism.- His first play, Djouhala Mouddaina Fil-Ilmi (1-he
Charlatans is a virulent attackagainsttaboos,the conservativeMuslim priestsandthe
,
charlatanswho, he believed like many of his contemporaries,were a social disease
spreadingall over the country. They were usuallyknown by the nameof 'marabouts'
andwere personswho pretendedto be mystics endowedwith the knowledgeof Islam
and above all with soothsayingand the power to cure some mental and physical
illnesses.

Bachetarziwantedtheyoungtheatreto be a school:"Given the conditionsof the

Algerian people at that time, the urgent task of [our] Arab theatre was to educate
them."30

Rachid Ksentini wrote his first comedy in 1928, Zwa-dj Boub-O-r-MCE-he

-
Marriage of Bouborma) which won him more fame. Thus the combinedtalentsand
efforts of Bachetarzi,
Allalou andKsentiniwereto boostthe youngtheatre.

29 Bachetarzi,Mahieddine,op. cit., pp. 397-398.

30 lbid, pp. 77-78.
 20

The Algerian stage found its first actress in Marie Soussam,an Algerian Jew
who married Rachid Ksentini, which is really another milestonein the history of
Algeriantheatreoftenoverlookedby critics andhistorians.By now the theatrewaswell
establishedand found itself capableof taking on the task of performing around the
countryat certaintimesof the year.

On the political sideeverythinghadgonesmoothlyup to then:"The old rigorous

Muslims looked at us with disdain, but their disdain was silent. The French
administration did not pay attention to a studentpastime."31

But from 1932, the developing Algerian theatre started to experience problems
from fundamentalistMuslimsand from the Frenchauthorities.During Ramadanin that
year the Algerian stagesawthe productionof six plays by Ksentini which drew 8,000
spectators,but it also upsetconservativeMuslims, a good numberof whom startedto
petitionthe Frenchadministration:"We hada perfidiousenemy:the clan of theMuslim
charlatanscould not get over the fact that our fellow citizensfilled up the Opdrasix
timesin a month."32

Additional problemswith the French administrationwere generatedby

-F-a-qo-,
(They Are Aware or You Can't Fool Them play by Ksenfini, adaptedand
,a
rewritten by Bachetarzi. The play was in fact a mild attack on 'marabouts',Muslim
fundamentalistsand French rule. Bachetarzitends to exaggeratethe political and
educationalimpact of the play as well as the penaltiesit engendered.Nevertheless,the
production subsequentlypreventedthe Algerian theatre from appearingat the Opera
d'Alger more than once a year. From then on all plays were scrutinized by the
authoritiesand specialpermissionhad to be soughtbeforeplays could be performed.
The Algerian theatrehadnow becomea commonenemyof both administrationand the
Muslim dlite. Although Faqo broughtproblemsand drew more enemies,it enhanced
Algerian theatreand enlargedits audiences.The new theatreand the hostile official
approachwas crucial: "But our enemiesdid not realisethat they were developingour
imagein the eyesof the Algerian peopleand strengtheningour moral presdge."33 IIiS
phenomenonwas not new: under French rule any prohibition brought about greater
solidarityamongAlgerians.

1939was anotherturning point a new generationof young talent appe=d on

the stageand a contractwas signedwith the managementof the local radio stationfor
the presentationof music anddrama. The sameyearshowedmorematurity in skills but
it also saw three major setbacks:Bachetarziwent bankruptin his theatrical activities

31 lbid, p. 141.
32 Ibid, p. 146.
33 lbid, p. 230.
 21

andhad to turn to his singingin order to survive; the Frenchauthoritiesexertedmore

pressureputting the company under strict control, severelylimiting its freedom of
expression;and the SecondWorld War brokeout, bringingthe companyto a temporary
halt.

However,in 1946 MustaphaKateb obtainedpermissionto establishthe first

'Troupe Municipale Arabe' at the Opdra d'Alger. The directorship was given to
Bachetarzi,the 'troupe' was financially supportedby the Op6ra and all its members
receivedmonthly wages. In short, the Algerian theatrehad becomean institution,
falling into the lap of the colonial authoritiesand becomingtotally tied down to its
dictates. Nevertheless,the young generationwith actors like Mustapha Kateb,
MohamedTouri, MustaphaBadie and Abderrahim,Rais gave a new impetus to the
Algerian theatrein that they had a betterknowledgeof the intricaciesof the stageand
the techniquesof acting than their predecessors.Being permanentresidentsat the
Op6ra d'Alger brought two advantages:firstly, they had adequateeconomic and
technicalconditionsand secondly,sincethe Opdrausedto host manyEuropeanartists,
mainly from France,they hadthe opportunityfor bettertrainingandthe improvementof
their skills. They had intensive training in the art of theatre and later in 1953 a
Departmentof Arabic Diction and Elocution was created at the Conservatoireof
Algiers.

With the start of the Algerian revolution in 1954,the Troupe Municipale lost
mostof its membersas somejoined the 'maquis' and otherswent to Paris wherethey
producedplays for the North African communitydenouncingFrenchcolonialism. This
led the Frenchadministrationto put an end to their activitiesin 1955. This meantthat
they would have to engagein undergroundactivity or exile. As a result Mustapha
Kateb and other actorswereaskedto createthe 'Troupe Artistique du FLNI in March,
1958,in Tunis.

The new companyperformed its first work a month later in Tunisia, then
travelledto Libya andYugoslavia. The work was essentiallya review entitled Algeria
and its Regions presentingthe different regions of the country through various
costumesandmusic. The purposewasmainly to inform peoplethat'Algeria,contraryto
Frenchpropaganda,wasnot part of Francebut hadits own history andculture.'

AbderrahimRais who producedthe first show,alsowrote a play The Children

-
of the Casbah,which the FLN companyalsoproduced.From 1961,tours includedthe
U.S.S.R., China,Morocco,Egypt andSyria.' The last performancetook placein Iraq in
1962whenthe independence of Algeria wasfinally declared.
 22

The original founders of the FLN theatre were not concerned with stage
techniquesand aesthetics.They were more concernedwith informing their reign
audiencesabout the Algerian struggleagainstcolonialismand saw the theatreas the
mouthpieceof the revolutionabroad.

Nevertheless,it was mainly the peopleinvolved in the 'Troupe Artistique du

FLN' who wereto starttheTNA ('7b6atreNationalAlgdrien') afterindependence.It is
this that explains the strong influence they exertedon the TNA and the prevailing
aspectsof struggle,revolutionandsocialism.

Form

Until 1939, the productionsof the Algerian theatre had been predominantly
sketcheswhich were tailored for the taste of urban audienceswho were the main
clientele of El-Moutribyia. The consisted basically of Andalusian music and/or folk
music and dance (namely the belly dance). Thus the first steps of the Algerian theatre
were sketches added to the concert bills. It took five years, from 1921 to 1926, to
gather a sizeableaudienceand develop its tastefor drama.

The main aim was to entertain,so farceandcomedyweretailored to the tasteof

a public which generallywasnot readyto watch full-length plays,especiallytragedies,
without the addition of music and dance- the performancewas a spectacle,a variety
show,a charcteristicwhich lasteduntil 1933.

The sketchesfeR into two categories- they were either basedon a seriesof
adventuresof a main characteror on the juxtapositionof short scenesor playlets. the
technicalstandardwas very low and lengthy dialoguesseemedto be the norm. It is a
pity that the scriptsof mostplayswerenot publishedandwerethereforelost. The only
availablesourceis a few of Ksentini's sketchesand Bachetarzi'sMimoires wherewe
havedetailedaccountsof their differentproductions.

Audienceand Venues

An important characteristicof the early Algerian theatrewas its flexibility to

perform anywhere,exceptin the open air. This is a point it had in commonwith the
karaguzor 'Theatreof Shadows'. As mentionedearlier,the first attemptsat the art of
the theatretook place at the Kursal and the Trianon cinemawhereEl-Moutribyia used
to hold its concerts.
Audiences grew with the developmentand expansion of the
company,which becamefamousthroughoutNorth Africa, and was invited to perform
in different towns by many young Algerians organised into societies called
 23

'AssociationsMusulmanes'.Thesegroupsshowedinterest,concernandeagerness
for
the experienceof thenewAlgeriantheatre.

The Algerian theatrehad startedon the initiative of youngAlgeriansfrom poor

backgrounds.Substantialsupport,materialand financial aid were lacking, this meant
that it hadneithergoodfacilities nor a suitabletheatre- the Algerian stagewasa cafd,a
garage,a warehouse,a cinemaand,occasionally,the Op6rad'Alger or someprovincial
theatre,while a rentedroom in the Kasbahwas both the place for rehearsalsand the
permanentoffice.

El-Moutribyia performed first in Algiers and occasionally in Blida and then

reachedother towns towardsthe end of the 1920's. It is worth mentioningthat most
towns and boroughsvisited by the companywere situatedin the northernpart of the
country. Villages were generallyexcluded. Hencethe audiencewas mainly an urban
one, becausethe socio-economicconditionsof the time and of the companyitself did
not allow a wider scope. On the questionof placeandperformance,Bachetarzipoints
out that:
Are they going to tell us: "Sinceyou wantedto keepthe popular
tradition, you should have perfonnedin public squares. " This would
havebeenpossiblebeforethe First World War andperhapseven today,
but it was not possible in the 1920's becausewe would have been
depreciatedin valuein the eyesof our popularaudiences. 34

There was thereforea deliberatechoice made to perform indoors only. This

automaticallyexcludedvillages becauseof the lack of adequatefacilities. Although
performancescould take place in a barn, for example,the fact is that this opportunity
was rarely soughtout. The main reasonwas basically financial: the young Algerian
theatrewas self-supportingand survivedvia the box office. Rural audiencescould not
afford a ticket, howevercheap. In fact, MahieddineBachetarzidoesnot use the word
$popular'(populaire)in theright sensewhenhe refersto flourpopularaudiences"(notre
public populaire). Should he have actually usedit at all? Bachetarziand his friends
came from an urban society and belongedto a specific class of shopkeepersand
craftsmen,all -of whom had a primary or secondaryeducation(which by Algerian
standardswas a good achievementat that time) in Frenchand/orArabic. This specific
classwas basedat that time mainly in the Kasbah,whereremainsof Turkish cultureand
way of life still existed,and peopleconfinedthemselvesto religion and to that way of
life. This often translateditself into an attitude of arrogancetowards anybodyfrom
outsidethe Casbahand,in particular,towardsvillagersandpeasants.Suchattitudealso
in
appeared manysketchesandplays,evenafter Independence.

34 Ibid, pp. 400-401.

 24

The Audiences

The structure of Algerian society as it appearedin its cultural manifestationsup

to Independencein 1962 provided two kinds of audiences: the larger one which was
rural and illiterate on the whole and the other which was urban and educated.

After 1830, the ruthlessFrench invasion eventuallyresulted in the complete

upheavalof Algerian societyand the total destruction its
of culture,which struggledto
survive through scatteredand impoverishedremnantsas story-telling, poetry, music,
danceandsomereligiousrituals.

In fact, the rural populationssaw their cultural life limited to bards,maddah.

s
and folk musicianswho would appearon market days and occasionallyat w. ngs.
Theserelics of a culture,once so rich, were to witnessanothermajor blow during the
armedstrugglebetween1954and 1962. Ile urbanpopulationsalso sufferedfrom the
French occupation,but their culture survived better despiteconstantpressure. The
dislocation of Algerian society under French domination engendereda new socio-
in
economicpattern which turn determinednew cultural conditions. Thus, the entire
socio-economicsystemwas completelydestroyedas a result of genocidalattacksand
confiscation of land and property. The education system which was widespread
throughoutthe country (the rate of illiteracy was very low) was also completely
destroyed. Thus the rural populationsfound themselvesuprooted both socially and
culturally.

Thesehistoric factorsbred new forms of expressionmainly throughpoetryand

story-teHing- sorrow,despairandrevolt againstthe enemywere predominantthemes.
These historical considerationswere typical of the psychological and cultural
characteristicsof the In
rural audiences. the urbanareasthe situationwas not as bleak
becausetheresistanceagainsttheFrenchwasweakandephemeral,andthereforepeople
theredid not suffer asmuch as thosein the countrysideand the socio-economicsystem
was not deeply affected. Consequently, cultural life was able to survive. Whilsi urban
populationshad cohabitedwith the French and gradually becamepermeableto their
culture, rural groupsadoptedan attitudeof unquestionableand irreversiblerejection.
Bachetarzi,who wasdeeplyinvolvedduringthat periodsays:

This was a period of fusion, of intellectual intercourse,which

tendedto bring togetherthe different ethnic groupsin the country. Ilis
was a brotherhood between the Muslim, Jewish and Christian youths in
every field of the arts, in culture and in sport which went beyond the
frontiersto reachMoroccoandTunisia.35

35 lbid, p. 18.
 25

In fact, the urban Algerians were not only open to the influx of culture, their
permeabilitygradually led to their mixing with the French youth and to a kind of
brotherhoodwith them. It is worth mentioningat this stagethat the Jewishpopulation
wastotally integrated with the Algerian way of life; they spokeArabic andwere deeply
involved in the cultural activitiesof the time, indeed,someof the bestcomposersand
musiciansin Arabic musicwereJews.

All theseconsiderationsindicatethat urbanpopulationsbathedin a favourable

cultural atmosphereand that they to
were ready absorb alien cultural elements beside
their own; the overall picture was that of a cultural desertin the rural areasand a sort of
in the towns,especiallyin Algiers.
renaissance

The historicaldevelopmentof Algeria determinedcultural trendsandhencethe

natureof dramatic spectacle.In this respect,the patternof rural cultural activitiesand
audiencewas homogeneous - bards, folk musicians (mainly bag-pipes and drums) and
in particularthe maddaýwould draw the samekind of audience(mainly illiterate) in the
marketplace. In Algiers and other towns there were more art forms and local culture
was richer and more versatile. This was reflected in different kinds of audience for
concerts,music-hall,opera,cinemaandtheatre.

General Evaluation of the Period 1921-1954

From 1921to 1954,the initiators of the Algerian theatrewere both authorsand

actors,an ambivalencewhich wasreflectedin the way in which an authorwould write a
play andcreatea maincharacterfor his own interpretation.Indeed,
this be
can still seen
today with performerslike MohamedTouri and Kaci-Tizi Ouzou. Before the armed
strugglebroke out, Algerian theatresufferedfrom a greatweaknessin the structureand
developmentof plays and a very awkwarduse of theatretechniques- the style of the
bardand the nzadcGh prevailed,involving lengthyandheavysoliloques.Therewasalso
a total absenceof tragediesin colloquial Arabic, the only ones which existedbeing
written in literary Arabic and being performedvery rarely before small audiences.
Theseplays emergedfrom the "Ulirna Movement' whosetask it was to glorify the
Arab-Muslim history andculture. Their authorsbroodedover the past andoverpraised
it; they tendedto presentit asa well-springof pride andculture.

The socio-economicconditions of the period and in particular the lack of a

ideological
coherent trendand a sufficiently homogeneous
socialor political experience
did not allow the emergenceof tragedy. Furthermore,therewasno competentAlgerian
writer with a clear-cutvision of the upheaval,dislocationand derelictionthat had been
inflicted on society- essentially,the tragedyof Algeria - to convey it througha good
 26

play. The Algerian theatre had to wait for Kateb Yacine to do this. There is no
available evidenceto suggestthat Algerians were ready for tragedy at that time.

Many critics overlookedtheimportantrole playedby musicanddancealongside

drama- the Algerian audienceof that periodwould not conceiveof a spectaclewithout
them. Indeed,the first stepsof the Algerian theatreexperiencewere attemptedin the
concertsof the El-Moutribyia company,with musicanddanceplaying so , vita role in
the promotion of theatrethat in the 1930's songswere incorporatedin plays. From
1946to Independence in 1962the samepatternpersistedtogetherwith the addition of
translations or adaptationsof European classic writers, mainly Moli6re, to the
repertoire. The theatreof the FLN wasusedas a vehicle for the popularisationandthe
glorification of the revolution,but it also sufferedfrom the sametechnicalweaknesses
and defectsof its predecessors.Howeverthe lack of competentplaywrights was the
major pmblem. Since Independence,the Algerian theatre had become a national
institution enjoying great financial support, but it has not overcome many of the
problemsandthe weaknesses
mentionedabove.

The Period After National Independence

Independence led to the taking over of all theatresleft by the Frenchand which
weremainly locatedin the North. The TNA ('Th6aýreNationalAlg6rien') wascreated
as a public institution in 1963 under the Ministry of Information and Culture. Its
administrativestructureis consideredto be the best in the Arab world and Affica, -a
generalmanager,a secretarygeneral,an arts committee,a technical department,a
departmentof public relationsanda secretariat- but this has also meantthat the TNA
hashad the monopolyof all professionaltheatreactivity in the country exceptin radio
and television. Unfortunatelythe encouragingand impressivenameof the TNA was
not (andstill is not) reflectedin thequality of theproduct. Ile contradictionlies within
the organisationitself namelyin the inability and inpracticabilityof the organisationto
achievedesiredaimsand standard,particularlyin problemsof centralisation. -Re.,st had
led to many managementproblemsand problems in productionsof plays for large
in
audiences different parts of the country. The lack of playwrights led to the
translationand adaptationof plays from the general theatrical repertoire, especially
plays reflecting the political guidelinesof the government- broadly socialism and
struggle against imperialism - and thus nameslike Brecht or O'Casey topped the
repertoire list. Productionswere well spacedout and in order to fill the gap foreign
groupswere invited, mainly from France,MoroccoandTunisia. In order to tacklesome
of these problems the TNA was decentralisedin 1970 and regional theatreswere
created:TNA - '116atreNationalAlg6rien' basedin Algiers: TRO - 'THatre Rigional
d'Oran'; TRAC - 'Th64treR6gionald'Annabaet de Constantine'. The TNA gathered
 27

together most of the people in the 'Troupe Municipale d'Alger' and the 'Th6atre du
FLN' - six directors (Alloula, Hachemi Noureddine, Allal Mouhib, Hadj Omar, Mustafa
Kateb and Rouiched) and eight actors in 1963. Up to 1978 there was only one director,
Hadi Omar, and thirty-five actors. After a good start and in spite of big efforts to
its
publicise plays through radio, the pressand even television, the TNA failed to attract
large audiencesexcept for concerts of Andalusian music or folk music. The irony was
that a maddah performing in Port Said Squareright opposite the Opýra d'Alger would
Ln
gathermore two hundred people which was a larger audience than the TNA.

The experience of the TNA was very important in that it provided a paradigm
against which the trends of the Algerian theatre as a national art form after
Independence(namely the amateur theatre, the theatre of Kateb Yacine, Abdelkader
Alloula and Shmane, Benaissa) could be measured and assessed. 'I'liere are several
reasons why this major institution should have failed where the theatreof the generation
before 1946 succeeded. The most prominent and pertinent include the fact that, as
discussedearlier, Algerian audiencesespecially in Algiers, could not conceive of going
to the theatreif the bill did not include music and dance as well as the play. Bachetarzi
and his friends had to adapt to this situation throughout their careers: "This prejudice
prevailed for a long time and it did not encouragethe performance of major plays. It
had certainly harmed the Algerian theatre and it took many years to eradicateit - in fact,
it has still not completely clisappeared.
"36

The previous generationhad createda large theatrepublic respondingto its

demandsand cateringfor its taste- so why shouldthe Opdrad'Alger in the handsof the
Algerianshave failed to attractlarge audiences?A full answerto this problem would
require a complete sociologicalstudy of in
theatregoers Algeria, but there are some
obviousreasonsthatcan be easilyidentified. A large sectionof the new generationwas
not acquaintedwith the theatreand the TNA failed to reachthem, or even hangon to
thosewho had a first tasteof drama. On the other hand,therewas a myth surrounding
the Opera d'Alger - people used to see in it (and to a certain extent still do) the
exclusive place for
of culture andentertainment the Frenchandthe ilite. The TNA has
not tried to demystify this social label attachedto the Operad'Alger nor to transform
the other theatresleft by the French. It stubbornlyusestechniquesand the proscenium
archwhich arestill allen to the majority of Algerians. Most productionsrevolvearound
adaptationsof foreign plays, the themebeing the struggleagainstimperialism and the
socialistrevolution, while the few Algerian plays fell into sterile moralising about the
revolution or somesocial taboo. Furthermore, it wraps itself in
up the obstinate idea
that thereis a lack of playwrightsor a lack of interestin the dramaof potentialwriters.
Yet the publication of plays both in Frenchand literary Arabic never stopped,indeed

36 Ibid, p. 47.
 28

both famous and interestingwriters, including Assia Djebbar, MohamedDib, Tahar

Owettar,NoureddineAbba, Djamal Amrani and MustaphaHaciene,never had their
playsperformedon the Algerian stage.A factor which wasoutsidethe responsibilityof
the TNA, was and still is censorship,which the Tunisian critic MohamedAziza -
spealdngabouttheArab Ibeatre - describedin extremelypreciseterms:
The [Arab] dramatistfinds himself in a situation where he is
faced with a strongerpolitical authority, and with a uniqueomnipotent
party which hasbecome the in
norm most Arab countries. Therefore, he
seemsto haveonly two attitudesto adopt:eitherkeepout of the way and
practice self-censorshipor follow the "movement", that is the official
guide-line.37

In view of this theTNA hadno otherchoicebut to be totally committedto party

politics. However, any evaluationof the TNA cannot be totally for
negative even if it
failed in certain areas,it certainly made a big step forward in acting techniquesand
brought interesting works to the Algerian stage such as Don Juan (MoRre), The
Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare), The Plough and the Stars and Red Rosesfor
Me (S.O'Casey),Mother Courageand her Children - The ExMfion and the Rule -
The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Brecht). Another achievementto be praisedis the
in
creation, 1965,of the 'Institut Nationald'Art Dramatiqueet de Chor6graphie',which
is the fruit of the prolongedefforts of MustaphaKateb, who strongly believedin the
Algerian theatre. He believedin the young generationand sawin it the bestpotential
for thedevelopmentof dramain thecountry,hencehis ideato createan institutefor that
purpose. Unfortunatelyhis dreamdid not materialisefor in 1974the dramasectionof
the institutewasclosedfor undisclosedandmysteriousreasons.

After decentralisationin 1970, the regional theatresof Oran and Constantine

were more successfulthan their counterpartin Algiers. While the INA stagnatedor
evendeclined,they turnedawayfrom the translationand adaptationof foreign plays to
collective writing. Alloula in Oran and later others in Constantineintroducednew
methodsand techniquesof production. They put an end to the prosceniumand the
traditionalEuropeanstage,and gearedtheir theatretowardsmore flexible productions,
so as to perform anywhere- in caf6s,schools,factories,cinemas. Their enterprisewas
slow to take off, but proved to be successfulto a certain extent. In other words, the
successor failure of the TNA, or the Algerian theatreas a whole, is linked with the
conceptof dramaand theatreand its intrinsic dynamicsand mechanisms,as much as
with its social and artistic rapportwith society. Present-daytheatreactivity showsthat
thereis a definite shift in audiencesfrom theTNA to the moresuccessfulnew trendsof
the threekinds describedbelow. Hasthe TNA becomealien to the Algerians? Are we

37 Aziza, Mohamed- Regardssur le Th6fitre Arabe Contemporain, Maison

Tunisiennede FEdition, Tunis, 1970,p. 20.
 29

back to squareone, to the situationof the twenties,with the French theatreand the
pioneersof the Algerian theatre? The is
answer clearly positive and the comparison
evidentlytrue.

The Amateur Theatre - Laboratory and Pulseof Algerian ScocietY

The main focus hereis the amateurtheatreafter Independence, although a few

did
groups exist before 1962. Ile two main youth organisationstook the lead: JFLN -
'Jeunessdu Front de LiberationNationale',and SMA - 'ScoutsMusulmansAlgdriens'.
Their theatrical activity was limited to sketches,short plays and sometimesto plays
basedon the armed struggleor the 'glorious' Arab-Muslim past. From 1964many
amateurgroupswerecreatedthroughoutthe country;they emergedin a periodof almost
total cultural stagnationwhen the TNA was unable to cover the whole country.
Howeverthe main reasonfor the emergenceand the quick expansionof the amateur
theatreis more socio-politicalin nature- new social, cultural and political problems
aroseand people saw in the TNA a cheappurveyorof entertainment and leisurerather
thana catalystto translateandexpressthe preoccupations of a developing country. The
result was that new forms of expressionwere sought to cater for the later concerns.
Many young Algerians (generally under 25) from different walks of life took the
initiative to createtheatregroupsto expresstheir views on stage. There are now more
than 100 groups throughoutthe country and none of them has benefittedfrom any
financial or materialhelp from the governmentuntil very recently. Exclusively based
on the initiative, enthusiasmand charismaof young individuals, the experienceof the
amateur theatre was to give a new and important dimensionto the Algerian theatre;it
haswidenedits scopeand,to someextent,changedits course.

Didacticism or Agit-prop Theatre?

This amateurtheatreis totally committedto the strugglefor socialism. Its aim is

to identify with the workersandpeasantsand to educatethem;all the themestackledby
the different groupsare entirely basedon social, cultural and economicproblems,as
well as on the struggle'oftheThird World andcolonisedcountries. -me overaUpicture
which emergesfrom the various plays is the emphasison the strugglefor socialism
is
which seenas the only answerto the problemof Algeria and,in particular,to thoseof
the poor classes;and on the international scene, the continuous struggle against
imperialism and international capitalism which -are shown as the main cause of
problems and backwardness of the Third World. The amateurtheatre gave a fresh
impetusto theAlgerian stageandin twenty-fiveyearsof existencethe groupshaveheld
four conferencesandeighteenfestivals.
 30

Pulse of Algerian Society

Collective creationhelpedthe amateurtheatredeal with most social, political

and cultural problems: all burning issues were approachedwithout prejudice. No
political speech,newspaperor magazine, T.V. or radio programme had ever tackled
openly and objectively the situation of Algerian women, juvenile delinquence,
but
corruption,or abuseof power, the amateurtheatremovement had done so. The way
theseproblems were analysedand presentedmade the amateurtheatrethe pulse of
Algerian society. However, this was only true of the period before 1971-72,because
to
new major political events were affect the amateur theatre it
and give a new
dimension.Indeed,the introductionof the 'Agrarian Revolution',the Tharte Socialiste
des Entreprises' and free health care redirectedthe whole of the theatrical activity
towardsthesethreeissues;mostplays were henceforthbasedon the new division and
distribution of land, involvementof workersin the managementof factoriesand the
issueof free healthcare. The result of this was disastrousfor the amateurtheatrefell
into propagandaanddeclamationof slogans.Ilese new areasof interestgraduallyput
an end to the in
outstandinggroupswhich wereoutspoken their choicegf social issues,
- PQ
q.
and of high standard. Harassmentby the party - the FLN - finalirpaid to all their
a
effortsto survive.in theseadversecircumstapces.

The New Amateur Theatre or the Art Of Declaiming slogans

The successof the expenmentsprior to 1971-72led to new groupssproutingup

in every comer of the country - in universities,schools,factories,youth clubs, social
clubs amongst others. After that period, however, Algerian youth saw the 'Agrarian
Revolution' and the Tharte Socialiste'as the major achievementsin the strugglefor
socialism. They sawtheir task in this struggleas that of an avant-gardeto protectand
defendthe rights that hadalreadybeenacquiredby it. Thesewerethe 'Acquisitionsof
the Revolution' to use the currentexpression.They took for grantedthe idea that the
amateurtheatrewastotally integratedin the 'toiling masses'andso they producedplays
for peasantsand workers. The resolutionadaptedat the Amateur17heatre Conference
held in Saidafrom 31 March to 11 April, 1973 defined the natureand the object of
collectivecreationasfollows:
This type of creationboth strengthensthe spirit of ftiendship and
mutual cooperationwithin the group, and raises creation to a higher
standard. This allows for a betterand richer exchangeof ideas and for
self-criticism and evaluation. It will also help improve the forms of
expressionand content, avoid the risks of erroneousinterpretationby
eachcontributorandcorrectthem- socialisethem 38
...

33 Benctimered, Kamal - "PremierSdminairedesAmateursde 116altre:Quandle

Th6ltre s'interroge",in AlgirieActuali(6,22-28 April, 1973,pp. 16-17.
 31

At the sameconference,leadersand membersof different groupsagreedto

definetheir theatreas:

the democraticexpressionof a youth which is awareof all the

... facing Socialist Revolution in its different Its
problems the stages...
major role is to participatein the educationof the masses. The role
should,in no way, be playedoutsidea social,democraticandprogressive
content. In other words,it mustcontributeto raisethe cultural standard
of the masseS. 39

Positiveaspectsof collective creationcan be identified in most of thesegroups

but the political consciousnessthey aim to raise regarding the progression of the
socialist revolution remains the ideal and their contribution towards improving the
cultural standard of the people continues to be a project: the reality is that very few
groups develop along the lines defined by the conference or in accordancewith the
standardsput forward. The experiencesof the period after 1972 have proved very poor
in artistic terms - both in form and content. A poor knowledge of theatre, the low
political, cultural and intellectual standardof membersand their deficient understanding
of socialist ideology has led to the declamation of sets of slogans in the place of true
drama. Abdelkrim Djaad, a reporter of the weekly newspaper Alg6rie ActuaII16
writing about the twelfth Amateur Theatre Festival held in Mostaganem,summedup the
situationasfollows:
It all consistedin gettingon the stageto pour out one or several
messages, totally ignoring any form of stagedirection. So much so that,
at times, all performancesfell into sterile speech-a jumble where
is
everything mixed indiscriminatelyandwithout any fear of the ridicule.
Truly, the amateurtheatreis in bad shape. We have, throughoutthis
festival, noticed the dreadful rapprochementof this young theatrewith
the theatreof KatebYacine. Thus,we can seethe influenceof the author
of Mohamed, Prends Ta Valise in every play. One can profit from
such influence only if one has adequateintellectual potentials and
appropriatepolitical training...The averageagedoesnot exceed18. Ile
membersof this theatre are studentsor young workers who are still
learning and developing but who also have at the moment the
overwhelmingdesireandneedto act on stageandexpressthemselves. 40

Most new groups,therefore,fail to convey their messagebecausethey confine

themselvesinto an easypatternof declaimingslogans.However,evenif standardshave
fallen in recentyears,the amateurtheatrewill certainly improve thanksto its regular
andrich contactswith the public; indeed,this experiencewhich is basedon collective
is
creation, seenmore as a collective activity than as a show. The activity is both
entertainingand educationaland bearsan independentcharacterin that the audience
learnsfrom the group andvice-versa.With experience,permanentcontactsanddebates

39Ibid.
4oDjaad,Abdelkrim - "Renforcerlesrangscest bon, structurerc'est mieux", in
AlgfrieActualitf, 2-9 August, 1978,p. 11
-
 32

with their public, the amateurgroups will improve their artistic knowledgeand the
quality of their work.

A Laboratory

The Algerian theatre has never witnessedas many experimentsand as deep

In
researchas with the amateurtheatre. the latter, once the subjectmatter is decided
uponthe play takesshapethrougha long processof experimentsandadjustments. 71be
languageusedis alwaysthe ordinarycolloquialArabic which, becauseof its limitations,
is enrichedand 'kneaded'into a standardlanguage,this includesthe useof Frenchand
literary Arabic phrasesand dialoguesas appropriate. The groups usually split into
teamsand carry out surveys into their subjectmatter. For instance, the group TWtre
et Culture' of Algiers carriedout a large scalesurvey in different strataof society, both
rural and urban, for the play Algerian Women is
which about the plight of Algerian
women. Music is extensivelyusedeither on tapes,records,or played live on stage. It
varies from classical, through country and westernor middle eastern, to local music.
Constantlybearingin mind that the receiveris the ordinary person,theatretechniques
actingor otherwise,are used appropriately. Actually the artistic natureof the amateur
theatreis evidentbecauseof its essence:it is primarily committedto a kind of theatre
for
meant andconcernedwith the working classandordinarypeople. Ibis implies, to a
the
certainextent, useof popularmaterialandaesthetic forms which are translatedand
in
expressed a theatre accessibleto all. Whilst recognisingthe amateurtheatre's
weaknesses and immaturity it still remainscloseto the realitiesof the country for it is
aboveall the spontaneous expressionof a youth disillusioned,disappointedandmainly
disgustedwith propaganda,injustice and abuseof power. Unlike the professional
theatre, "The amateurtheatrewas andstill remainsfor manya socialpractice,an outlet
for the contradictionslived by the childrenof the war of liberation who are at present
exposedto a processof changeneverequalledbeforein this counny."41

Furthermore,the generalage and social compositionof the amateurtheatreis

dominatedby youth: 60% students(both secondaryand high education),30% workers
and 10% unemployed42. This major characteristicrevealsthe vitality and concernsof
youth,thus, "We can guessthe needto speakandto understandwhich arehiddenwithin
this youth."43

It must be noted, however,that the enthusiasmor disappointmentexpressed

abovereflectsthe success
or failure of the theatre
amateur in its evaluation.

41 Balhi, Mohamed- "Quatreparadoxespour un thdatre",AlekrieActualit6 19 - 25

March, 1981,p. 10.
42 Ibid.
43 Ibid.
 33

Two Examples of Amateur Theatre

Although there were several interesting groups throughout the country, the two
groups which epitomise the nature of successfulamateur groups are 'Le Th6atre de la
MER' and 'Theatre et Culture'. They both give detailed accountsof the characteristics
and mechanismsof their theatrein programmeshandedout during performances:

1) Th6fitre et Culture

The author participated in 1969 in the survey on the play La Femme

Alg6rienne and in debates,held after some of the performances. The experience was
very successfuland the rapport establishedbetween actors and audience was so fruitful
that many scenes and lines in the play were changed several times thanks to the
comments and contribution made by people from different walks of life. The
programme notes pointed out that their work was a 'collective creation' continuously
developing from the original conception of a play to its performance. Everyday the
members of the group met with friends and regular spectatorsto work on the project,
but once the play was completed, it was never definite, for the group insisted that: "The
main concern is to explain to the audience that what they have seen is only one
alternative, and that the play will be completed through debateswhich take place after
eachperformance."44

2) Le Theätre de la MER

This group was createdin the late 1960's and ceasedits activities in the mid-
1970's. It was more active than 'Th6atreet Culture' and producedmore plays. 71ey
worked on two levels: one full-length play of 90 minutes and a few short plays,
produced and performed every two months. This theatre saw itself as, "... a
combinationbetweena training schooland a theatreresearchcentre"45,with the main
concernto work towards,
A scientifictechniquefor a popularAlgerian theatre;which meant:

1) A type of actingdevoidof any illusion of reality.

2) Simplebut variedacting no dazzle,no frills.

-
3) All actorsweara basiccostumeandoneor severalfittings so that the
characterwhich is represented
standsout clearly.46

44 Introduction in programmeshanded beforeperformances.

out
45 Ibid
46 Ibid.
 34

Thus the actors aimed to stimulate the spectator to think and criticize, to make
comments,and even to join the actors, for once again they insisted that, "In the end, the
solejudge is and always will be the "47
working people.

It seems that both groups had a binary conception of theatre practice,

particularlythe 'Theatre de la TvER'. They had the merit of being able to makea swift
and smooth fusion of Algerian techniqueson the one hand, and Brechdan and
'Happening'techniqueson the otherhand. Ile influenceof Brechtwasfelt in the sense
that principles like identifying with the characters,or seeingthe theatreas magic and
the 'fourth wall' are rejected. The Algerian techniqueswere those of the ma&kh
encompassing all the skills and intricacies of a one man show and the halqa in terms of
architecture or shapes of the stage. Unfortunately, neitherof the two groupssurvived:
themembersof 'TMAtre et Culture' split because of the lack of amenitiesand financial
aid; the 'ThdAtre de la MER' had signeda contractwith the 'Minist&e du Travail et des
Affaires Sociales' to perform in technical collegeS48.In 1971 Kateb Yacine was
allocateda special budget by the sameministry to lead the samegroup which had by
then lost most of its founding members,under the name 'Action Culturelle des
TmvaiUeurs'.

A Great Pioneer in Contemporary Algerian Theatre: Kaki

AbdelkaderOuld Abderrahmaneknown as Kaki is at presentmanagerof Te

TheatreRegional d'Oran'. He is consideredby Algerian critics as one of the most
interestingand original of the few contemporaryAlgerian dramatists. He took an
interestin dramain his early teensand startedhis theatrecareerat the ageof 20 when
he foundeda workshoptheatre'Le TheatreLaboratoire' in the 1940's in the town of
Mostaganemnear Oran (Western Algeria). His concept of drama and hence the
experiments he carriedout and developed over the yearsare a unique and outstanding
experience in the history of Algerian theatre,
particularly in the cultural desert
of post-
IndependenceAlgeria. While theTNA indulgedin the adaptationof foreign playsanda
sterileandexcessivepraisingof the revolution,Kaki setout to createa theatremoulded
in the traditional cultural heritage,namely in oral tradition. Three major aspects
characterise his theatre: shi'r malhun (rhymed verse),halqa49 His
and maddZýh- plays
are all epic poems,structirally divided into short sequences,
which deal with historical,
socialor political matters. The language is
used that of the traditionalpoets, the bards,

47 Ibid.
48Thesearecollegesfor technicaltrainingrun by the sameministry.
49 halqa - meaningring or circle. The in
spectatorssit a circle round the ma h.
dd5.
Thereis alwaysexchangeof wordsandcommentsbetweenthe madgh andthe
spectators.
 35

the madd5h and the maddaý27t`,which is an elaborate and sophisticated form of the
Algerian vernacular in terms of syntax, vocabulary and original innovation in the
transposition of the techniquesof the halqa and the madd56 on the modem stage. The
transposedmadda-ýkeeps his traditional role by introducing the story, commenting on
in is
particular episodesor events, the action which enacted behind him and directed by
him like an orchestra before its conductor. We believe that this technique is a major
contribution to Algerian theatre in particular, and to theatre in general, for KAIhas
succeededin combining, in a smooth and subtle way, the techniquesof the madda-ýand
the halqa, of Stanislavsky and Brecht, of the 'happening', of the 'Theatre of Shadows',
and of the Greek chorus and chorus leader.

The first of the aboverelatesto the useof traditionalmaterial,the secondto the

acting technique - of identifying with the character by the actors behind the maddah, the
third to the alienation effect, the fourth to audience participation, the fifth to the
projection of the shadowsof the actors on to a screen,and the sixth to instanceswhen
the action is switched to centre-stagegathering the actors as a chorus and the maddaý as
chorus leader. Furthen-nore,the action is backed by percussion on traditional drums
back-stage. Unfortunately Kak-i has not been paid the tribute he deservesand he is still
denied the status of a great dramatist on a national scale although his name is very
popular in the west of the country and his experiments stimulated similar ones among
amateurgroups, on Abdelkader Alloula, and particularly on Yousef Seddiki the famous
Moroccan dramatist who usesKak-i's technique5lto perform in large market places like
Jama' Al-fna in Marrakech or even in football grounds. Kaki is certainly an important
man of the theatre in Algeria but he doesnot stand out as a playwright.

Conclusion

Although the Algerian theatre still suffers from a lack of playwrights and
it
amenities, hasdevelopeda dimension(bothin form andcontent)which is specifically
Algerian. Aesthetics and content are picked and brewed in the national cultural
heritage,and in present-dayproblemsand issuescommon to the ordinary people. In
commentingon the first generationof the Algerian theatreup to 1954, Arlette Roth
pointedout:
There is one aspect,however,which seemsto characterisethe
Algerian theatre...it was not born out of translatedworks from the
Westernrepertoire. It was stimulatedby the Middle-Easterninitiative

50 maddapt - feminine, plural of madc04 - women singers who usually perform at

weddings.
51 In a short essay- "La chansonde gestesur la sceneou Pexperiencede Ould
AbderrahmaneKaki" - printed by the University of Oran in 1981, Sidi Mohamed
Lak-hdarBarka reported an interview with Kaki who had assertedthat Seddiki (who is
also his friend) startedexclusively with his techniques.
 36

and by the French productions which were in fashion in Algiers, but it

had tried from the beginning to develop original plays by drawing upon a
traditional heritage. Tle translation and adaptation of classical works
startedmany years later when it had developed and became an institution
which neededto produce more.52

The theatreof the FLN and the TNA up to the late 1960'sdid not bring many
changes.The historic contingenciesof both periodsbeforeandafter the armedstruggle
channelledthe Algerian theatre towards the glorification of the guerillas and the
mystificationof therevolution.
It is worth noting that neither the war of Independencenor the
following period brought any changes. The plays which glorify national
awareness and the struggle of the patriots remain trapped in an
overwhelming moralising... 'I'lie structural conditions which paralysed
the old theatrehave not yet changed.53

It seemsthat the different theatre experiences- the first generation,Kaki and the
Amateur Theatre - have two things in common - struggle and searchfor identity. This,
in fact, is a reflection of the problems and preoccupations of Algerian society.
Bachetarzi and his friends struggled to found a theatreand createa public for it and they
also fought against various constraints imposed by the French authorities and Muslim
fundamentalists. Even allowing for the political and socio-cultural conditions of the
time, the didactic characterof the first is
generationtheatre rather mild. Furthermore, if
Bachetarzi insists, as he doesin his Mimpires, on the educational and militant aspectof
his theatre, it is only to defend it against the label of 'bourgeois theatre' given to it by
somepost-Independenceleft wing intellectuals:

But it was not 'form' which characterisedour theatreit was its

$content',it hasneverbeenbourgeoisin the sensethat we did not have
any idea aboutthe art of the playwright who writes to expresshimself.
We thoughtof theatreasa megaphoneto amplify the people'svoice and
to clarify it in orderto get a betterawareness
of people'sproblems. The
authormust fadeaway beforehis audience.All this leadsto a theatreof
combat.54

If Bachetarziand the Moutribyia operatedmainly in towns for financial and

otherreasons,the amateurtheatreis non-commercialand hasreachedlargerurbanand
rural audiences.It has the greatmerit of having furtheredcollective creationand has
broughtaboutmanyinnovations. Indeed, "Throughthe participationof all membersof
the group andoften includingthe spectators,collective creationfostersthe epic form of
theatre...andenhancesthe didacticaspectof this kind of theatre."55

52 Roth, Arlette - op. cit., p. 167.

53 Ibid. p. 101.
54 Bachetarzi, op. cit. p. 401.
55 Wrah, Ali - "Experience de cr6ation collective dans le thd5tre a1g6rien",in Europe,
no. 567-568, July-August, 1976. pp. 176-179.
 37

Furthermore,it has partly solved the problem of the lack of playwrights through
collective creation and paved the way for a new and dynamic type of theatre. It has
even influenced professional theatre, particularly the regional professional theatres of
Oran, Sidi Bel Abbes and Constantine which started to write and produce plays
collectively. The 'TMatre de Constantine' is so far the most outstanding and the most
prolific. Success here is assessedmainly on the ground of audience appeal and
attendancebecausecollective creation does seem to have its limitations. This, in fact,
led two experiencedmen of the theatre,AbdelkaderAlloula and SlimaneBenaissato
give up collective creation and resort to their own creative talent which has proved
highly innovative and successful. However,the numberof successfulproductionsis
limited and the audiencesare growing largerand moredemanding,thus - shortsupply
despitehigh levelsof demand.SlimaneBenaissastatedthat KatebYacine,Abdelkader
Alloula, the Mi6atre de Constantine',and himself cannotmeetthe demand, "...what
can we do? We arejust four drops in a desert."56

Indeed, four theatresbasedin different cities, who travel throughout the country

- when the material and financial support is available - can in no way meet the
increasing demand. They always play to full houses whenever and wherever they
appear. Despite all the efforts it is making and the material and the financial support it
is getting, the TNA is still trapped in the sameproblems and is unable to reach or attract
a large public.

To promote professional theatre and the TNA, in particular, the ministry of

culture introduced a theatre festival - 'The National Festival of Professional Theatre' -
in 1985,which is to be held every year,organisedand administeredby the TNA. ne
first three festivals attractedlarge audiencesand each performanceplayed to full
houses.Theseeventsareexceptionalin the cultural desertprevailingin the capitalcity
and in the country in generaland have provedthat thereis a big demandfor drama.
They have alsoproved that the TNA still fails to meetpeople'sexpectations;the TNA
productionsdid not get a favourableresponsefrom either the audienceor the press.
AbdelkaderAlloula with the TRO ('TheAtreRdgionald'Oran') was the exception:his
AI-AjNýad,(The story of the GenerousPeopLe)won most prizesat the first festival; it
wasrestaged for the secondfestival and Al-Khubza (Loaf of Bread), which was first
in
produced 1972won the first prize at the third festival. Kateb Yacine was invited to
the first festival only and was excludedfrom the other two events;a new version of
PalestineBetrayed waspresented.SlimaneBenaissawastotally ignored,yet, the irony
is that, on the fringe of the third festival, his play Bat;u-r Ghrag (A Shio Sank) which
was programmed for oneweek,wasperformedfor five weeksby popularrequest.

UNI'VERSil
LIBRARY
56 Interview we had with Benaissaon January 12th, 1988.
LEEDS
 38

As we shall see, in the works of Kateb Yacine, Slimane Benaissa and

Abdelkader Alloula, successful contemporary Algerian theatre is formed through the
exploration and integration of cultural and social factors relevant to a popular audience.
It is in this respect that the theatre exemplified by these three playwrights and other
amateurmovements has succeededand the operations of the establishment(TNA), by
comparison,failed.
 CHAPTERII

KATEB YACINE

i) A Restlessand militant life

Born bn August 6th, 1929, in Constantine, the eastern provincial capital of

Algeria, Kateb Yacine belongs to a family of strong Arabic and Islamic culture. His
father was 'Oukil Judiciare' (attomey-at-law) well read in both Arabic and French.
Yacine first went to Koranic school in S6drata,another easterntown where his father
was working, but was soon to experience a significant turning point in his early
childhood when he went to a French school -'lions' den, for many Algerians - at the
ageof seven. His father decided that Arabic education through religious teachingswas
uselessand that Yacine should learn French, the dominant language of the time, and
also the languagewhich could securehim a good future. Thus Yacine was cut off from
his very dear friend and companion, his mother, with her stories and games. His father
was moved to Bougaa (formerly Lafayette), a little town in Kabylia, and Yacine went to
the 'Lycde Eug6ne Albertini' in S6tif until 1945 when he was 16. The demonstrations
of 1945 and the ruthless French reprisals were a tragic milestone in the history of
Algeria and a major turning point in the life of Kateb Yacine. On May 8th, 1945, the
population took to the streets in Guelma, S6tif and Bougaa and Yacine found himself
among the demonstratorsin Setif:
I felt the strengthof ideas...
I found Algeria full of Anger
I went with the leaflets
I burned them in the River
I drew a plan on the sand...
A plan for future demonstrations.
I shall fight I
... ...

He was arrested. The experience of prison was for him of the utmost
significance, a bitter-sweet, tragic-happy revelation: "It is also at that time that I
accumulated my first poetic urges. I can still remember some insights I had.
Retrospectively, they are the most beautiful moments in my life. I had discovered the
two things I cherish most: poetry and revolution. "2 When he was releasedfrom prison
he was neither allowed back to the lycee, nor was he interestedin further studies. So he
left Setif and started travelling in eastern Algeria, mainly between Annaba and
Constantine,where he met new people, particularly Ben LouniSSi3,and the woman he
loved dearly, Nedjma the name which was to be the title of many poems and his first
novel., His literary career started in 1946 when a bankrupt printer (limprimerie du

I Kateb,Yacine- Nedima, Paris,Editionsdu Seuil, 1966,p. 180.

2 Romi, Yvette - "Le Maghr6binerrant",in Le Nouvel Observateur, no. 114,18 - 25
Janvier,1967,p.31.
3 KatebYacinefound in BenLounissia friend anda mentorwho is transposedin
Nedjma as Si-Mokhtar.
Reveil')4 in Annaba published his collection of poems - Solilgques The eagernessof
.
Algerians to buy the work of an Algerian poet (even illiterate people) enhancedhis
nationalist position and encouraged him to become militant. In 1947, he went to Paris
for a short stay and came back to Algiers to work for the left wing paper Alger
R6publicains,as a reporter. He left the paper after two years and took different jobs: he
even worked as a docker at the port of Algiers for a time. When his father died in 1950,
he went again to France to look for work which took him from Marseilles to Paris
through Lyon, among other towns. When he reached Paris in 1952, he met Armand
Gatti, the French dramatist, and was soon surroundedby a circle of like-minded friends.
He had already published a few poems and was working on others which appeared
mainly in the French'periodical Esprit. Once in Paris he gave up looking for a job to
lock himself in different chambres de bonne on the top floors of Paris apartment
buildings, or some shabby hotels to work on his first novel Ned inm and his first French
play Le Cadvre EncerclO. Yves Benot, the French critic believes that it was at that
time that Kateb acquainted himself with the works of Faulkner, Dos Passos and
Dostoievski.' "There was more reading to do - Faulkner, Dos Passosor Dostoievski, as
if to extract some secretsfrom them.7 Ned ima was published a year and a half after the
start of the Algerian war of independencein November 1954. War meant exile and
more wandering; he travelled widely in Europe, Scandinavia, Belgium, Germany,
Yugoslavia and Italy before going to Tunis and then living in Florence for a year.

The first versionof his first play Le Cadavre EncercI6 appearedin Esprit: the
first act waspublishedin December,1954and actstwo and threein January1955. It
was performedfirst in Tunis in 1958,then JeanMarie Serreauproducedit during the
sameyear in Brussels. The play was not allowed to be shownin Franceuntil 1967
it
when was producedat the TNP ('TheAtreNational Populaire) under the title La
FemmeSauvage. In fact this productionwas an adaptationcombiningparts from Le
Cadavre EncercI6 and Les Anckres Redoublent-de F6rocite. The final versionof
the play was published in 1959 in a trilogy, Le Cercle des Repr6saillesswhich
comprises Le Cadayre EncerW, La Poudre d'Intelligence (a farce), Les Anckres
Redoublentde F&ocitC anda dramaticpoemLe Vautour.

in 1962until 1970,KatebYacinealternatedbetweenliving
After Independence
in FranceandAlgeria. During that periodhe publishedhis secondnovel, Le Polygone

4 Thereis no referenceto the nameof the publisher.

5 Alger R6publicainwasa left wing paperpublishedin Algiers andheadedby Henry
Alleg; it wasforbiddenin 1955whenEdgarFaurewas 'Pr6sidentdu Couseil' in France.
It reappearedin 1962with theAlgerianindependence be for
to suppressed good in 1965
by the Algerian government.
6 Publishedin Esprit no 221,Decembre1954,pp. 689-706,andn0222,Janvier1955,
pp. 74-100.
7 Benot,Yves - 'Voeuvre de KatebYacine:Po&ie et Write d'Algdrie (1956-1966)",
in La Pens6e,no 132,Avril 1967,pp. 102-114.
8 Kateb,Yacine- Le Cercle desRepr6sailles,Paris,Editionsdu Seuil, 1959.
 41

Efoile in 1966; he was also approachedand asked to take high positions in the
government but turned down all propositions because of his dissatisfactionand
discontentwith the policies beingcarriedout in the country. He becamevery restless
and felt that he was running dry in his literary career,but 1967 was to be another
turning point in his life, anotherimpetuswhich determinedand paveda new path for
him: a shortvisit to North Vietnam. "In a word, I was a sick man when I arrived in
Hanoi. I cameback cured.. So, what I saw in Vietnamwas for me a refreshingand
stimulating experience,the beginning of a revival. "9

He had beendeeply affectedby the squabblesbetweenthe Soviet Union and

China, which led to a breach in relations betweenthem. As a result, his strong belief in
socialism and his optimism over developments in both countries had been shattered.
But his trip to Hanoi was a cure, for it raised his hopes again. He was enchantedwith
the progress of socialism in that country, so much so that the Vietnamese struggle for
freedom and socialism was to influence his later works. Back from Vietnam he started
work on another play L'Homme aux Sandales de Caoutchouc. (The Man Wit
Rubber Sandals)'O to be published in 1970. The same year he made another trip to
Vietnam (where he met General Giap and the Prime Minister, Phan Van Dong) and to
the Palestinian campsin Lebanon. The struggle of the Vietnameseand the Palestinians
was of prime importanceand significance to Kateb Yacine who had in fact been
affectedby and interestedin eventsin Vietnam since 1947when he was reportingon
foreign affairs in Alger R6publicain. He had alreadystartedsketchesof a future work
on Vietnam. Thus "LlHomme aux Sandalesde Caoutchouc is the outcomeof an
awakening"" and the conflicts in both Vietnamand Palestineare "two remarkableand
exemplary struggles which led to the writing of two plays"12,the second play
uncompletedat that time and dealing with Palestine. LIHomme aux Sandales de
Caoutchoucwas also a first contactwith the Algerian public for Algeria bearsa great
similarity with Vietnamin terms of struggleagainst'imperialism' and struggleto build
socialism,hence:
This revelationgaveme a new strength. The way I wantedmy
country to be was a kind of birth on Vietnamesesoil... [the play]
expressesmy vision as an Algerian in the full senseof the word. There
arenow two spheresof interestfor Algeria: VietnamandPalestine...The
play comes at a time when the Algerian people are in a state of
emergency. This is an opportunity for them to find themselvesand
mobiliseagain13

9 Du Theil, JeanMarc Martin - "Kateb Yacine - Avant premiere - "Ce que j'ai vu au
Vietnam a ete pour moi I'aube d'une renaissance",in Lettres Fra! KWses nO- 1410,
17-223 Novembre 1971, pp. 16-17.
10 Kateb Yacine - LHornme-aux Sandales de Caputchouc, Paris, Editions du Seuil,
1970.
11 Du Theil, JeanMarc Martin, op. cit., p. 16.
12 Ibid.
13 Ibid.
 42

The play was to act as a one way ticket to Algeria and then in 1971 Kateb
Yacine wrote and produced his first play in Algerian Arabic or Arabe populaire (to use
his words) with 'Le Th6atre de La Mer'. Mohamed, Prends Ta Valise'4. This
discussesthe Algerian emigration to France, another important present day issue. The
play was the realisation of an old dream and the fulfillment of a long term and anxious
desire to write about the topic in a way that was popularly accessible. "I have come
back to what I always wanted to do: a political theatre produced in a language that is
broadly accessibleto the largest public possible. From now on, I am going to use two
languages:French, but mainly vernacularArabic. "15

Kateb Yacine broadenedthe scopeof Le THAtre de la Mer so that Moham

Prends Ta Valise was performed not only in technical colleges run by the 'Ministere
du Travail et des Affaires Sociales' like previous plays, but was also taken throughout
the country to schools, factories, villages and the 'Villages SocialistesAgricoleS'16The
play gained tremendoussuccessin France and Algeria and Kateb Yacine was allocated
a special budget by the same ministry to found the new group, 'Action Culturelle des
Travailleurs' based in an old flat in Bab El Oued, a densely populated quarter in
Algiers. Becauseof his convictions, Yacine now found himself, as before, in an ideal
situation, for Algeria was experiencing an unprecedented economic, social and
ideological revolution which happenedto meet the aspirations of the "perturbateur" -
the disturber of illusions. Believing in a radical socialist revolution in Algeria but eager
for his freedom, he has a propensity to avoid and criticise dogma: I want to disturb
illusions at the very centre of upheaval. The revolution itself must also be
revolutionisedfor it alsohasits habits."17

Kateb Yacine - the Algerian 'Amazigh'18

With Mohamed, Prends Ta Valise, Kateb Yacine had another 'refreshing'

experience for he identified with the broad mass of the poor and deprived people,
particularly the peasantsfor whom he always had the deepest sympathy and
understanding.His most exciting andilluminating experiencewith the peasantswasin
in 41ý
prison 1945:
It is preciselythis large massof peasantswhich was absentin
history. Everyonetook his own way to find himself. I can remember
that it was in 1945that I startedto understandand that I discoveredthe
Algerian peasant.Why? Becauseone doesnot chooseone's friends in
prison. The majority of the prisonerswere peasants. At that time I

14 Unpublished.
15Du Theil, JeanMarc Martin - op. cit., p.17.
16 Housingestatesfor the workersof agriculturalcooperatives.
17Romi, Yvette - op. cit., p.31.
Is Amaz7ghis the Berberword for 'free', hence'the free manof the free land'.
 43

discovered that the peasantshad a greater inner wealth and that their
world was richer than the world of educatedpeople.19

For the next three years after 1971, the play was to be his "battle-horse, a play
in
expressed the language of the common man. "20 Actually this quotation illuminates
two major issuesin Yacine's theatre. First, the language medium which, he thinks is of
paramount importance to
and which he in
constantly refers every interview. "If I want
to be understood by the common people, it is in their language that I must address
them. "21

Second,he conceivesof his theatrein terms of righting, combatand struggle.

'nere is a recurrent terminology of war in his plays, in interviews and in speeches.
Bearing in mind that Arabic, that is literary Arabic, is officially the 'National Language'

- the Government's 'battle horse' and that Islam is the religion of the state,it is difficult
to see how it is possible for Kateb Yacine - an outspoken opponent of the same
language and the same religion and attacking many policies - to be sponsoredby a
department of government yet being able to carry on his 'battle' or his agitation(
"perturbation"), or even to be free at all. The situation is explicitly contradictory in
terms of logic but not implicitly for there are political and ideologicalcontingencies
which act in Yacine's favour. Indeed there are political tendenciesin the country
brandedas revolutionarywithin official policies - such as the 'Three Revolutions',
agrarian,industrial andcultural - which happento meetsomeof Yacine's revolutionary
ideas and visions in a legal and legitimate context and act as a buffer againstany
pressureor constraintdirect or indirect. However, this doesnot exclude the fact that
Yacine is harassedor hamperedin his task: his plays were and are still bannedfrom
appearingon television, radio and the TNA; even today they are not programmed
throughthe channelsof the RTA, the Algerian Radio and Television. Kateb Yacine
wasalso banned many times from giving public lectures in
or makingspeeches public.
Yet, ironically the first time after Independencewhen the TNA hada full house (except
for some music festivals) was in December1976 when the theatreof Kateb Yacine
performed, for the first time, the play La Guerre De Deux Mille Ans (first producedin
November,1974). A specialpermissionwasgrantedfor Yacine to usethe TNA thanks
to a specialweek of supportfor the peopleof the WesternSaharaorganisedby the
party. But the successof the play was followed and matchedby the prohibitions
mentionedabove.

19 Lemmouchi Ammar and Tlili - "A Batons Rompus" - interview with Kateb Yacine at
a SecondarySchool in Sedrataon May 21st, 1973.
20 Diemai,A. - "KatebYacine:Dansma languede chaquejour" in La &ýý
(Oran),6 Mars 1973.
21 Du Theil, JeanMarc Martin - op. cit., p.17 (andrepeatedin otherinterviews).
 44

In 1974, he produced La Guerre De Deux Mille Ans22 an historical play

mainly about the struggles in Algeria, Vietnam and Palestine. In 1976, he produced a
revised version of the play to highlight the tragedy of Palestine. He first entitled it La
Guerre De Deux Mille Ans - Version Palestine, then changed it to
Maghd9ra (Palestine Betrayed)

In the summerof 1976,he was invited to take chargeof the theatreof Sid Bel
Abbes in WesternAlgeria which meant better material and housing facilities for all
membersof VAction Culturelle des Travailleurs'. Was this suddenand mysterious
generosity to help him in a genuine way, or to keep him away from Algiers?
Substantialevidenceis not availableto assesseither but the moving to Sidi Bel Abb6s
certainlyreduced and limited his scopein termsof reachingmoreregions, Algiers being
geographicallythe centralpoint. Consequently,he found himselfmore or lessconfined
to the west of the country, but not tied down, for his group would still travel
occasionallythree or four hundredmiles to perform in central or easternAlgeria.
Pressuresandrestrictions havenot ended:he is still often bannedfrom for
performing a
certainperiod of time, sometimesup to six months. The troubleS23 in the countryabout
Berberculture andthe trueidentity of Algeria asopposedto 'Arabism' of which Yacine
is a prominentand staunchmodempioneerandchampion,led to more harassment and
the banning both of the groupfrom for
performing more thansix monthsand of Yacine
from speakingin public. But he kept fighting, always bearingin mind the land of
Amazigh,the land of the free men, to score a major point by performing a revised
version of Mohamed, Prends Ta Valise, entitled Al-Khubza AI-Murra (Bitter
Bread), in Tizi Duzou,capitalof Kabylia, during a 'mini festival' to celebratethe first
anniversaryof the Kabyle revolt in the springof 1980. In spiteof all theseconstraints
which certainly have some impact on the group as a whole and ending in frustrations,
KatebYacine managedto producefour plays after Mohamed, Prends-ta Valise : La
Guerre De Deux Mille Ans in 1974, Falisiin Maghd5ra (Palestine in
-R-etrgay-ed)
1976,Malik AI-Gharb (King of the West) in 1978and Al-Khubza Al Murra (Bitter
Bread)24in 1981. All these plays have had a resoundingsuccessthroughoutthe
countryand in France, in
mainly amongstudents,youth general,workersand left wing
intellectuals. But thereis alcohol andhashishin Yacine's plays,the charactersswear,
the 'bourgeois' and religious figures are attackedand ridiculed, and people revolt.
Kateb Yacine has always been open in his attacksagainstreligion and government
policies. This obviously meetswith angryreactionsto which he is not unaccustomed.
Indeed,his early works which were written in Frenchhad alreadybrought him many
enen-des mainly amongMuslim fundamentalistsand conservativeAlgerians. Now the
enemies have grown larger in number bringing together 'bureaucrats', bourgeois,

22 Unpublished but an extract in French appearedin Europe. No. 567-568, Juillet-

Aout, 1976, under the title "La gandourie sansuniforme", pp. 86-87.
23 Demonstrations which took place in Kabylia and Algiers in the spring of 1980.
24 Unpublished.
 45

governmentofficials and religious leaders. However, the most outspokenand dominant

opposition is among religious people: present day Algeria is witnessing an
unprecedented Islamic revival essentially due to and encouraged by the Islamic
revolution in Iran. But all these difficulties and hostile reactions are in a way good
publicity, which is both an impulse to Yacine's theatre and an extra dimension to the
myth surrounding him. The hostility and the disdain of the establishmentis, however,
matched by the people's esteem for him and the pride they take in having a major
Algerian dramatist. Ironically and despite the successand reputation he has in Algeria,
it is in France that he was awarded Te Prix National de Litt6rature, in 1986 for his
latest publication, L'Oeuvre en FragmentS.25

25 Kateb, Yacine - L'Oeuvre en-Fragments, inedits litteraires et textes

retrouves,
rassembldset pr6sentespar JacquelineArnaud. Collection "Litt6ratures" de la
Bibliotheque arabe,Paris, Sindbad, 1986.
 46

ii) PALESTINE BETRAYED

Cast in order of appearance:

Rabbi Jewish soldiers
Chorus Arabs of Palestine
Moses Sultan (of Egypt)
Merchant Nassar
Man Sultan 'Abdallah
Merchant'sguard Courtiers
Rabbi'sguard General
Mad man PalestinianPeople
First Drunkard Bunqiba(of Tunisia)
SecondDrunkard Wasjila (his wife)
Muhammad People(ofTunisia)
English Officer Policeman
Mufti Police officer
Chorusleader Students
'kisha (Muhammad's wife) Kissinger
Beggar Mrs. Sadat
Father Dinar Assad
Esther (Moses' fiancee) Sadat
Nazis Arab SultansandEmirs
Hitler Palestinians
Arabs Arab PresidentsandKings
Jews Palestinianchorus
The Fanatic Egypdanchorus
HerbertSamuel Workers
France First man
America Secondman
England Third man
Ir
'Abd Al-'Aziz (King) Fourthman
Roosevelt Two soldiers
The GandurPeople
MosheDayan

Props:
- Costumerail, about six foot. long with costumeshanging. It standsup stageand
remainstherewith all otherpropsthroughoutthe performance.
- Three trunks with props, behind costumerail.
- Broom -2 trays - small ladder- flags andemblemsrepresenting France,
England,
America,Nazi Germany,Arab States...etc.- Different costumes- Banjo,darb5M (or
tabla = drum),pipe.
Note: Many stagedirectionsaremissingin theoriginal text. All stagedirections
appearingin our translationarebasedon theoriginal text andon notestakenby the
translatorduring rehearsalsandperformances.
 47

TABLEAU 1

(The Great Rabbi enters followed by the chorus, each one of them holding a book. The Rabbi
psalmodises,the chorus repeatsafter him.)

Chorus "Hinneh mah tov u mah naim

Shevetakhim gam yak-had!"26
I am woundedbut not aware
Said our prophet Moses!

Voicesfrom theChorus He spentall his life sweepingthedesert.

lbat's Mosestheroadsweeper.

Rabbi in the Sinaiuntil he sawa bushlit by

Our prophetMoseswasa shepherd
God.27

Chorus Shalomour Rabbi!

(TheRabbi still psalmodising crossesthe chorus throwing punchesleft and right. )

Voices from the chorus Our rabbi hasgone mad.

He thinks we're sandbags.

Rabbi Our prophet Moses was a shepherdin the Sinai until he saw a bush lit bY
God. Itwas and it was not burning.

Chorus It wasandit wasnot burning!

Rabbi Moseshearda voicecomingforth from thebushwhich waslit by God.

Chorus Lit by God!

Rabbi No Jewshouldapproachfire on Sabbath.

Chorus ShalomRabbi!

Moses DearRabbi,pleasepayme. I havebeenworicingfor a very long time for

you,herein thesynagogue.

Rabbi My son,you will bepaida hundredfoldby God.

Moses Then I must die to live.

Rabbi No mentionof moneyin thehouseof God!

TABLEAU 2

(Mosesgoesto sleep. Therabbi setshis broomonfire.)

Moses Fire! Fire! Fire!

Rabbi Miracle! Holy miracle!

The broomof Mosesis buming.
It is fit by God!

Moses My broom!

26 Thesetwo versesarein Hebrew,meaning:How pleasantandhow delightingis

sitting together with brothers. From the Bible - Psalm:
133,1. The first versein Arabic
rhymeswith the first versein Hebrew.
27 In the text 'stick'.
 48

Chorus The broom of Mosesis lit by God!

Moses My broom!

(The chorus carries Mosesin triumph)

Chorus Long live Master Moses!

Moses My dearbroom!

Chorus Long live our prophetMoses!

Moses My new broom!

Chorus Long live our prophet Moses!

Moses Let me have my broom back!

Rabbi Go my children. Tell the people, Tell all the believers.

That our prophet Moses is back,
That he is among us now.
Hurry my children, Hurry!

Chorus Our prophet Moses is back!

TABLEAU 3

Merchant Dear God, protect our prophet Moses!

Chorus This man is rich and highly respected by the rabbi. Let him in.

Rabbi Rejoice merchant! Rejoice! Our prophet Moses is back. He is among us

here in the synagogue!

Merchant Rabbi, I promise you that this synagogue will be the richest temple in the
world. (To the chorus) My children, by order from our prophet Moses and
in order to please him you are as from now employed in the synagogue.

Chorus Long Uve our prophet Moses!

Merchant Hurry gettwo trays. Putoneat my feetandtheotherat therabbi's.

Chorus And theprophet?

Rabbi Theprophet...no,no hedoesn'tneedone.

Merchant He's right. Thereis no need.

(Thetwoguardseidtand comebackcarryingtwo trays)

TABLEAU4
Chorus I amwoundedbut not aware
Saidour prophetMoses!

Man I've cometo seetheprophet.

Rabbi Theprophetis listeningto you.

Merchant Comein! Comein!

 49

Man Prophetof God, my wife, my children and I live in one room only. Well,
we live on top of eachother. What do you think I should do?

Moses Geta catanda dog

Man A catanda dog?!

Moses A goat and a sheep...

Maa YesI cangetthem.

Moses And twentyfour rabbits

Man Twentyfour rabbits!It's a lot.

Moses And finally get a tortoise.

Man That's aH?

Moses That's all. Listen, put them all in your room. They Must Staywith you for
sevendays and sevennights. Come back next Sabbath.

Man Yes Master!

(On his way out he is stoppedby two guards.28 They are standing behind the rabbi and the merchant
who are sitting. There is a short spacebetweenthem to suggestthe entrance to the )
synagogue.

Merchant'sguard For thestate!

Rabbi'sguard For thesynagogue!

Man (leavessinging) I amwounded!I am wounded!..

(The action stopsfor afew secondsto suggestthepassageof time. The man comesback.)29

Moses Well?

Man I spentthemosthorribleweekin my life. Thedogkeptbarkingand

fightingthecat for sevendaysandsevennights. The sheepwassick and
thegoatatemy provisionOfSalt.The tortoiseis alwaysout, shunning
everybody.And therabbitsarcdriving memad. Oh! Thoseareworse
thanthechildren.

Moses Getrid of thedog,thecatandthetortoise

Sell thegoatandthesheep.
Kill therabbitsandhave
A big dinnerwith your family
ComebacknextSabbath.

Man YesMaster.

Merchant'sguard

Rabbi'sguard For the state! For thesynagogue!

(Entera madman.)

28 The guards are asking for money becausethe merchant and the rabbi have decided to
charge a fee for people who want to seethe 'prophet'.
29 In the text - 'a week later.
 50

Mad Man 30(goesto Rabbi)

0 friends of God! 0 WrCLched!

Rabbi Walk in.

MadMan Prophetof God,I havecometo visit you.

Moses Comein, comein,

you bule vermin3l

MadMan I wassleepingin thestableandall of a suddenI hada vision. ThenI was

feverishandstartedto rave.

Moses Didn't you feel as if someonetouchedyou tenderly on your forehead?

Mad Man Someonetouchedme?

Moses Very gently.

MadMan Maybe. -

Moses You were saying that this happenedto you in the stable.

Mad Man Yes, yes.

Moses That must be the tail of your horse,that's all.

Mad Man If I had a horse I wouldn't sleepin the stable.

Moses All prophetsbegin like thiS.32

Actually it is a holy horse
Visiting you in the future,
Hurry and enrol in the cavalry.

Mad Man May God protect you Prophet!

Merchant's guard

Rabbi'sguard For thestate! For thesynagogue!

(Themadmanleavesslowly;enterfirst visitor)

Man 0 friendsof God!

Mad Man (frombackstage)0 wretched!

Moses Nowtell me,don'tyoufeelyourroomis morespacious?

Man A big relief anda big differencewith thepreviousdays.

30'Me literal translationis 'sonsof dogs'. In Algeria beggarsaddresspeoplethus,'0

friendsof God, please...' or '0 believers...' Thereforethe contradictionin the text is
interestingbecausethe authoris implying thatthe 'believers' or 'friends of God' are
'bastards'.
31 'Iliere is rhymeandalliterationin the text. The literal translationwould give: 'visit,
visit, o sparrow'. The word sparrowdoesnot fit in the text andis usedfor rhymeand
alliteration.
32 Meaning'all previousprophetsstartedtheir careerin stables'.
 51

Moses You solve problemsby complicating them morc.33 If I were you I would
sleepout in the open air.

Man Everytime I Cometo ViSiLthe prophet I find the merchantand the rabbi by
the door. I'm up to the neck with debts,my wife left me and my children
roam the streets. But I can say that I haveseenthe prophet, our prophet
Moses,the Prophetof God.

Merchant'sguard Ibis way out! For thestate!

Rabbi'sguard Forthesynagogue!

(All edt singing "llinneh mah tov u mah na'im... ", Mosesstayson stage.)

TABLEAU5

(Enter two drunkards)

Moses Sothis is my job: to lie all the time for the benefit of the merchant
-in the
synagogue!togetherwith a mad rabbi.

First Drunkard This is a sacredwine!

SecondDrunkard This is a divine herb!34

First Drunkard So, we are employed

SecondDrunkard And wage camers! To our prophet Moses! (he drinks)

Moses If I was still Moses the roadsweeperI would join them.

(Enter Rabbi)

Rabbi Oh! Oh! Oh my God! T'hey're,drinking! Tbey're smoking! On Sabbath!In

the Synagogue!Mosesbeat them!

(Thetwo drunkardsrun out)

Moses Whathavetheydone?

Rabbi Theyhave'brokenthelaw. Beatthemwith your stick. Whatareyou

waitingfor?

Moses My stick...Soit is not a godlystaff. Now I understand

you. You, bastard!

(Hebeatstherabbi andexits,running)

33 Literally 'mix it then it clears up'. Ilis is a common adagein Algeria, meaning that
if someoneis wrapped up in problems he should not worry much becausewith time
things improve.
34 Herb means hashisLD, ivine: typically Algerian, said of anything very pleasant.
 52

TABLEAU 6

(Enter the two drunkards)

First Drunkard Our prophetMoseshasgonemad,he beattherabbiandstolehis donkey.

(Mosescomesbackrunningwith thedonkey)

Moses Everybodyknowstherabbi'sdonkey.TheJewsamafterme-,I must

disguise.

(EnterMuhammad)

Moses Hey, you! aren'tyou Moses'neighbour?

Muhammad Moses?Whereis he? All theJewishneighbours;

arewaitingfor him at his
doorstep. He musthavemessedit up.

Moses As you arehis neighbour,whatdo you think of him?

Muhammad I like him but I suspectheis a Zionist.

Moses Mosesis not a Zionistandhe hasdonenothingwrong. Hejust wentto the

marketandaskedmeto leavehis donkeywith you.

Muhammad Goodold Moses,he still trustsme.

(EidtMoses- Enter thetwo drunkards.

)

(Muhammad thedonkey.Thetwodrunkards
pushes seehim)
TABLEAU 7

First Drunkard That's therabbi'sdonkey.

j
SecondDrunkard AnpVs theArabthief.

Muhammad Huffy up,run away. Oh! stupiddonkey!Alright then,you'll haveto deal

with themon yourown,I canrun fasterthanyou.

(Thetwo drunkardsagreewith eachother.)

First Drunkard You takecareof thedonkeyandI run after thethief.

SecondDrunkard AlrighL

Muhammad Mosestheroadsweeperfooledmeagain. JustbecausetheySawmewith

his donkeythey'reaccusingmeof stealing.How amI to gethomenow?
Well, I mustdisguise.

Moses shalom!

Muhammad assala-m!

Moses assa0n? He mustbean Arab who haslost his way.

Muhammad shalom?Whereis thiswanderingZionist going?

Moses Wbereareyou going?

Muhammad Home-
 53

Moses Your home?

Muhammad Yes

Moses Wheredo you live?

Muhammad There.

Moses Whereis 'there'?

Muhammad Justhere.

Moses Whereis he going? I think...

Muhammad He's following me.

Moses Whew!We certainlyhavearrived.

Muhammad That'sthevillage(Theygo to sleep. Oneminutelater theyare wokenby a

cockcrow.)

Moses GreadGodsentmethis cock.

Muhammad Wheredoesheýthink he is runningafterthatcockwhich mustbemine?

Maybehewantsto buy it.

Moses I've cometo invite you to eatchicken.

Muhammad I wascomingto invite you.

Moses Good,but you'll invite mewhenyou arein your hcmse.

Muhammad I amin my house.

Moses Comeon. you mustbe mad. What's your village?

Muhammad Nestine, andyours?

Moses Israel.

Muhammad If this cockcouldspeak.he35wouldsay

Moses Israel.

Muhammad Palestine.

Moses Lsrael.

Muhammad Palestine.

35 We areusing 'he' insteadof 'it' becausethereis no neutralpronounin Arabic - there

is only the feminineandthe masculinelike French- andalsobecause'cock' is
in
personified the text.
 54

TABLEAU 8

(Enter an English Officer)

EnglishOfficer Stopitl On behalfof theBritish CrownI orderyou to leavethiscock.

Moses It's my cock.

Muhammad It's mine.

Moses 7be cockbelongsto me.

EnglishOfficer No it's England'scock.

Muhammad And this is my village.

English Officer No it belongs to England.

(TheEnglishOificerandMosesshakehandsandconspireagainstMuhammad.
)

Mosesandthe Englishvillagel Israelivillagel

EnglishOfficer

TABLEAU 9
October Demonstration36

(ThechorussingstheInternationale)

Chorus Artisans,peasants andthepeople'sarmy

Took thepowerin Russia.
Workersandpeasants arejoining fists
Only strugglecanbring socialiSih. 37
Artisans,peasants andthepeople'sarmy
Havebroughtdownthereignof feudalism.
TheSovietWorkersCouncilstook control
immediately
And theroadto freedomandgloriousera
Wasopenedbeforehumanityandthepoor
toiling masses.
Ilds is a worker'sfirst joining a
peasant'sfist
Only strugglecanbring socialism
Ibis is a worker'sfist.
Glory to all thosewho arise
For Revolutionis a gloriousaCLAgainst
the lawswrittenby thehandsOf the
-
feillists andthecapitalistswines
This is an intemationalrevolution
TheFrenchsailorshaveraisedthered flag
And arrestedall theirofficers.
Strikeafterstrike,thunderwill
Clearthe fog andmaketheseedsgrow.
Workersandpeasants arejoining fists
Only strugglecanbring socialism.

36 We do not know why the authorhasusedthis tableauat this stage.

37 In the text 'socialismcomesonly with struggle'.
 55

TABLEAU-10
(Muhammadstealsolives in the Mufti's garden)38

Muhammad Hardlife, horribleandhardlife!.., I live on theMountof Olivesbut I'm

reducedto stealolives...Onionsl..Tomatoes!..whata marvelousgardenl
MosesandJesusenteredit once,why not Muhammad?

(EnterMufli)

Mufti Who = you?

Muhammad Muhammad.

mufti Muhammadwho?

Muhammad Zit7un.39

Mufti You arein theMufti's garden.

Muhammad Sorry,I thoughtit wasthegardenof AUah-40

Mufti What hasit got to do with Allah?

Muhammad Abight, ahighý I'm going.

Mufti Stopthere! I wantto know whatyou werenosingabouthere.

(Enter Chorus)

TABLEAUll

Chorus We wantbread! We wantworkl Let's go to theMufti.

Chorusleader Long five Mufti Seff Adcrintradj At?X01

Chorus Seyf Adin Hidj Ari7ml (bis)

Muhammad This is theChiefMufti of Palestine.He ownsall theland42in theregion.

Chorus DearMufti we arestarvingandfood is rottingawayin your fields. Please,

give mea job. Ile Zionistsarebuying the bestlandandwe are left with
no bread,no work andno homeland.

Mufti My children,I do sympathisewith you,yesI do understand

yourproblems.
Thatis why I amdefendingyou beforetheGreatNationsandtheArab
Sultanshavecommittedthemselves to helpyou.

38-14The word in the text meansboth 'garden' and 'field'. In this tableauasin others
Muhammadgetsthe nickname'M-ub-Zifuln'.'MUý' - shortfor Muhammad,it is
particularly used in the slangof Algiers. 'Zittn' means olives. 11us the author
associates between Muh5mmad andolive to give the new characterthe name
MuhammadZitiln.
39 13.
see
4oWe haveoptedfor 'Allah' insteadof 'God' to keepthe Islamic connotationandthe
irony of this tableau.
41Ij1dj MuhammadAnýn Al-Husseini- appointedMufti of Jerusalemin May 1921
and President of the Supreme Muslim Council in January 1922.
42 In the text,the word is 'all the fields' - implying 'all the land'
 56

Chorus Long Eveour Muftil He is thebestleaderin theArabworldl Long live

our muftil He is defendingusl

Muhammad Themufti is defendinghis landnot you.

Mufti You heretic!

Chorus You heretic!

Mufti Ignomnd

Chorus Ignorand

Mufti Traitor!

Chorus Traitorl

Mufti Scoundrel!

Chorus Scoundrell

TABLEAU12

(Enter '2isha, Muhammad's ulfe)

'Asha I am hungry! I am starving!

Muhammad Join me, eat.

'Isha Are you pulling my leg? I'm not a goat to eat raw olives.

Muhammad Thank you dear God but your olives can't be as good as the Mufti's onions.

'Xiisha Well, well! so you were hiding thesetomatoesto eat them by yourselfl

Muhammad Pity on you Tomatoes! When olives and onions fall on the ground they
can be picked, not you Tomato, if you drop you drop dcadL

'Aisha You can eat one, but where shall I cook the others?

Muhammad What? Is the pot broken?

'Xisha You know it's not our poL

Muhammad Whosepot is it then?

'Isha Last time I borrowed it from the neighbour.Now it's your turn to get it
from her husband.

(Muhammad
goestowardMoseswhois sitting upstageto get thepot.)

Muhammad assaltimu'aleykMoSeS!
43

Moses shaloml

Muhammad CanI borrowyour pot?

43 'Peacebe uponyou' meaning'hello'. This is the way all Muslims andArabsgreet ý

each other. We haveusedassaramualeykandshalomas they arein the text to keepthe
flavour of thedialogue.
 57

Moses Here,takeiL

(Muhammad
startsto eat,thedonkeyjoins him.)

Muhammad Who invitedyou?

'Isha Let him cat,that'stherabbi'sdonkey.

Muhammad DamntheTabbiwhoeducated you scaredme,if you werethe

yoU44.1
muffi's donkey tell I
youcould where got thesetomatoes from.

takesthepot backto Moses.)

(Muhammad

Muhammad Hereis your poL

Moses You left onetoinato.

Muhammad Your pot waspregnant.This is whatit gaveyou,congratulations.

Moses Justcrazyl

Muhammad Canyou lendmeyour donkey?

Moses It is the rabbi's donkey; if they seean Arab riding him I'll lose my job at
the synagogue.

Muhammad ListenMoses,I needyour donkey

Moses The donkey'slost,I don't know whereheis.

(Soundof donkeybraying.)

Muhammad What? Comeon! I just heardhim bray.

Moses Comeonl You behevea donkeyandnot Me?45

(EnterRabbithreateningMoses.)

Rabbi Moses,Comeherel You know Moshe46, our MasterMoseswasa

shepherdin theSinaibeforehe foundedtheStateof IsraeL I wantyou to
takecareof my donkeyandstayawayfrom theArabs.

(All edt. )

44 Beautiful aliterationandassonance in the text with the words rabb (Goý) - rebbi
(rabbi)- rabUa*k (educatedyou).
45 Literal translation.This is takenfrom a Johatale. We shall mentionanddiscussthe
differenttalesusedby KatebYacinein the text analysis.
46We havekept the Jewishnameasusedin the text.
 58

TABLEAU13

andMosescomebacksinging.)
(Muhammad

Muhammad Palestineis like a spinningtop.

Hereis a Jewwith anArapwhop47

Moses Hereis a Jewwidi an ArabWallop4s

Palestineis like a spinningtop.

Moses It's time for themeeting.

Muhammad WhatshallI do with thisdonkey?

Moses And what shall I do with this one?

Muhammad Let's take them with us.

Moses It's a secretmeeting.If we getarrested?

Muhammad We'D teU them it's the donkeyswho createdthe U-Meunion.49

Moses Well, if you think of it, the true worker is the donkey.

Muhammed To havea goodfriendis nice.

Moses A good friend hasno price.50

TABLEAU14

(Enter'Asha crying)

Muhammad What'sthematter?

6v
Asha My fatherhasdied.

Muhammad Look, we arehusbandandwife, we mustboth sharejoy andsorrow. SO.

go andmournyour fatherandlet me chatwith Moses.

('; Lha eidtcrying)

Muhammad I can't sell my donkeyeitherdeador alive. I can't sell my wife, but I can
sell my house.Businessis business.

(Enter'Isha carryinga largepot. Muhammadtakesitfrom her handsandputsit on her head.)

'Aisha What'sthematterwith you?Are you mad?

Muhammad Businessis business.Farewelldearhouse.Timeshaveforcedmeto sell

you. But I mustpaintyou rust.

47- 23In the text - 'A Jewanda cr-azyArab' - 'A Jew anda pennylessArab' with
alliteration,assonance in
andrhyme thewords 'spinning top', 'crazy' and Ipennyless
Arab'
49 22
see
49 This is a very bitter attackon the leadersof Algerian tradeunions. 111is is
sequence
in
alsoused the writer's otherplays.
50 In the text - 'why did I mix with him to sell my coatI and,'why did I associatewith
,
him to sell my jumper'. T'hewords 'coat' and 'jumper' aretransliterationsof paletot
andtricot, they areusedto keep therhyme. The connotationof the is
verses good
friendshipbetweenMuhammadandMoses.
 59

is paintinghis houseandsinging. Entera beggar.)

(Muhammad

Beggar 0 friendsof God! 0 wretchedl(to Muhammad)

- Listenl

Muhammad Yes?

Beggar Comedown!

Muhammad I'm busy!

Beggar I told you to comedown!

Muhammad I alreadytold you I'm busyl

Beggar I'm telling you again,comedown!

getsdown)
(Muhammad

Muhammad Whatdo you want?

Beggar Charityplease!

Muhammad Comeup with me.

(Both on the ladder)

Beggar Pleasegivemea penny.

Muhammad May Godhelpyou! I'm personallystuckwith my own problems.

Beggar Why did you call meup then?

Mohammad Why did you call medown?

beatsthebeggarwhorunsaway. EnterFatherDinar)
(Muhammad

TABLEAU15

FatherDinar5l Is thishousefor sale?

Muhammad Yessir.

FatherDinar I give youonehundreddinarsfor it.

Muhammad Businessis-notmy trade. My grandfatherwasa blacksmithanda farmer,

he left usTHIS...

FatherDinar What? Thisold nail?

Muhammad it's all my fortune. If you're

This rustyold nail is theonly thing I possess,
buyingthehouseyou mustleaveit asit is.

FatherDinar Whatkind of madness

is this..?

Muhammad Takeit or leaveiL EVeryftg is for saleexceptmy grandfather'snail.

51 In the text A Dinilr: BD meaning 'father of... ' and Dinar is the currency name used
in many Arab countries. Here the name refers to the characterof the rich Arab
merchant. We were faced with the alternative of using 'Father Shilling', 'Father Penny'
or 'Father Sterling' but we thought 'Father Dinar' fits better because'Dinar9 reflects the
identity of the Arab merchant.
 60

FatherDinar , Let's go to signthedeeds.

Muhammad But on one condition, the nail must be mentioned.

FatherDinar Might let's go.

TABLEAU16
(Enter Rabbi, Mosesand Esther hisfiancle. )

Rabbi(singing) My children,I'll let youa house

Fromthegreedyman52
My childrenI'll let you a housefrom FatherDinar.

(To Father Dinar)Father Dinar, do you have a housefor sale?

FatherDinar Yes I have a housefor you.

Rabbi An Arab'shouse?

FatherDinar A housebehindSolomonTomb. It usedto belongto a vagrantby the

nameof Muh Ziffun. But you know thatI'm exposingmyself to danger.If
theArabshearthatI'm tradingwith theJews,they'll kill me.53

Rabbi I know (He pushesMoses aside) Let me inLroduceyou Esther. Moses'

fianc6e. She's looking for a house.

FatherDinar Oh I'll do anythingfor beauty!54

Moses Indeed Whatelse?

..
TABLEAU17.
(Enter Hitler with Chief Mufti of Palestine. Somemembersof the chorus stand aside to play the role Of
Nazis).

Nazis Heil Hider!

Hitler, Thestruggleagainstcommunismis the first priority.55

Nazis Heil Hided

Mufti (Singing) Hider cameuponuseh! (bis)

Hitler cameuponus,0 Godbe with us.
IslamandArabism,ArabismandIslam
Half theworld belongsto us. As for theJews
Hider himselfwill exterminatethem56

(Hitler and theMufd shakehands)

Nazis Heil Hiderl

52 The word in the text means'broker' in Algerianbut it hasthe connotationof

'greedy'.
53 The authoralludesto Palestinianswho soldpropertiesto Jews.
N In the text 'for the sakeof beautyI try very hard'. The authorhasbeenconstantly
sarcasticaboutthe Muslim clergy andtherich.
55 In the text 'it is the first duty'.
56 In the text 'Hitler will exterminatethemon his own'.
 61

Chorus(Singing) Hider cameuponusch! (bis)

Hitler cameuponus
0 Godbe with us!

TABLEAU18

Mufti. Deathto theJews!

Arabs Deathto theJews!

Rabbi Deathto the Arabs!

Jews Deathto the Arabs!

(BattlebetweenArabsandJews)57

Muhammad Hit meMosesandshowtheArabsthatI'm not a Jew.

Moses Whatdo you wantmeto do? TheJewstoo think I'm an Arab.

Muhammad They'resettingfire to your house.

Moses Yoursis alreadyburning.

(Theystart to singa lamentsong.)58

You left melamentingandcrying

And my tearsareuseless.Please
Helpmefriends! Helpmeneighbours.

Arabs Deathto theJews!

Jews Deathto theArabs!

Thefanatic Whereis thatsonof a bitch who frequentsMoses?

Chorus Mosesranaway.

Thefanatic I'm lookingfor Muhammad.Doeshe live roundhere?

Chorus Yes. He doesn'tlive far from here.

Chorusleader You hold this wall andI'll go to call him.

The fanatic Thewall?

Chorus This wall is very old andit mayfall. What'sthematter?Comeon, hold it.

The fanatic Abight, go anddon't be long.

57 We do not know which battle is

the author referring to but there were riots in 1929
and mainly between 1936 and 1939known as the Arab Revolt.
58 The words and tune are from a popular Algerian song entitled "PleaseFriends".
 62

TABLEAU19

(EnterMuhammad)

Muhammad Why areyou puffing andstruggling

59
And yourbackagainstthewall is breaking?

The fanatic I'm holding the wall because it may crumble. And I'm waiting for Moses'
neighbour, that scoundrel.

Muhammad If you haveto hold thewall, why don't you useyour stick asa support?

Ile fanatic Do you diink it's a goodidea?

Muhammad Let's see.(He takesthestickandbeatshim.)

The fanadc (screaming) ON Oh! Oh!

Muhammad You see,thereis nothingwrongwith thewall.

Soleaveit for it doesn'tneedyou at all
And don't be afraid,your religionwon't fall.60

TABLEAU20

Moses 0 Wall! 0 WaU!61My dearWaH, you are the only t1fingleft for me in this
religion! 62

Muhammad Hello! Hello Moses! You beefleface,give usa kiss!63

Moses You arealwaysleaving,alwayscomingback,alwayswanderinglike a

mosquitoA4

Rabbi 0 Wall! 0 WaU!Moses!0 Walft 0 Wall!

Muhammad Comeon, stopplayingthefool!65

Rabbi Shutup you hereticandgo away! You shouldshowrespectfor a placelike

this. This is thewall whereour ancestorsusedto lament. (He turnsW
backandstartsto lament).0 Wall! 0 Wall!

Muhammad Sticksout! Tflesin!66

(Enter Herbert Samuel)

Herbert Samuel (to Rabbi) Let me introduce I Sir HERBERT SAMUEL, BRITISH HIGH
myself'. am
COMMISSIONER in PALESTINE! 67

Rabbi This is a sacredwall.

59 Literal translation. This is another Joha tale.

60 Literal translation.We believethat the authoraddedthe phrase'don't worry about
your religion to keepthe alliterationandthe assonance.
61 Wailing Wall.
62 In the text assonance betweenthe wordsdin (religion) anddunia Oife).
63 Literal translation. Very poor andmeaningless line. 'you beetleface I is addedto
...
keepassonance andrhyme with Moses.
64 In the text 'you left andyou camebackandyou're still turning like a beetle'.
65 The in
word the text derives from the word ýý( which gavemarabout in French
and English but with the meaningof soothsayeror mystic.
66 Literal translation.
67 Samuel Herbert Louis First British High Commissioner of Palestine(1920 - 1925).
-
 63

HerbertSamuel shalom!

Rabbi shalom!

Muhammad He is bothEnglishandZionisL He waslamenting,now he hasbecome

High Commissioner.68

HerbertSamuel(to MuhammadandMoses)Your presencein thedemonstrations69provesthatyouare

dangerous
agitators.You havetwenty-fourhoursto leavethecountry.

Rabbi You claim to be a Zionistandyou deportMosesyour Jewishbrother?

HerbertSamuel Moseswill go andcomeback. It's obviousthatthis is just a coverupYO

(The rabbi wavesgoodbyeat Moses. Herbert Samuelreplies.)

Rabbi Shalom!

HerbertSamuel Shalom!

Moses Shalom!

Muhammad So. t1lisis it! You're colonising me!

Moses Speakto the rabbi.

Muhammad Do you think I'm a fool? As soonasI turn my backyou takemy house.

Moses Whatdo you wantmeto do?

Muhammad Well theycandeportme,theycanput mein jail, but my rootsarehereand

hereI shallstayanddie.

HerbertSamuel That's thecriminal!Arresthim!

TABLEAU 21.
Rabbi Everylandyou touchwith your feetis yours!71

Chorus Everylandwe touchwith our feetis ours!

Rabbi NobodycanreSiStyC)U!
72

Chorus Nobodycanresistus!

Rabbi "And thoushaltconsumeall thepeoplewhichtheLord th Godshall

deliverthee, thyneeyeshallhaveno pity uponthem."79

Chorus And our eyesshaUhaveno pity uponthem.

68 11iis is a very good play on the words 'Iarnent' and 'Commissioner'

which we are
unable to bring into English.
69 Op. cit footnote 32.
70 Ibis is an Algerian idiom, its literal translation is "let me cover the sun with a sieve".
71 Deuteronomy Ch. 11, v.24 and JoshuaCh. 1, v. 3.
72 Deuteronomy Ch. 11, v. 25.
73 Deuteronomy Ch. 7, v. 16.
 64

Mufti (singing) Walk on thelandof Godthemosthelpful

Be thesoldiersof theLord of theUniverse
Palestinebelongsto usandnot to strangersJ4

(Enter English Officer, Moses,Muhwnmad and the cock.)

Jews Israel!

Arabs Palestine!

EnglishOfficer(toa Jew) 71iisArab is afteryou.

Jews Ismel!

English Officer (to an Arab) The Jews are the causeof all our problems.

Arabs Palestine!

Mufti Let thescoundrelwho hasharmedthecockanswerme. And if you like its

legsaddmoreSpiCeS.75

(Entertwo oricers representing

Franceand theU.SA.)

France My Englishcousinhasnot invitedus to thebatdeý76

America He eatsthe beatencock by himself and he sells the winner.

France I told you he wants everything for himself.

America We must get the U.N. involved in this.

England Muhammad,if you werenot a c9wardyou would fight for independence.

'Xisha Hit him Muhammad!

England Moses,you'regoingto win. Justgive metime to tametheArabs.

Rabbi Comeon Moses,give him a goodpunch!

Jews Ismel!

Arabs Palestine!

America Stopit at once! I orderyou by law to separate

thesecocks!

England You haveruinedmeyou scoundrel.

America Don't soil your reputation.Let theArabsandtheJewsfight for you.

Cock-fightingis a sin on sacredland.

Chorus Ooh! Ooh!

America Cock-rightingis over. We shaUswitchto sport,boxing,punches.

Voicefrom thechorus TheOrganisationof theBig Nationsorganisesa big matchMuhammad

Zirun vs Mosestheroadsweeper.

74 Theselines arefrom an Algerianpatriotic anthem.

75 Liteml translation.
76 Literal translation.
 65

Jews Israel!

Arabs Palestinel

Rabbi You know Moses,I trained to becomea boxer ever since I was a child but
in the end I choseto be a rabbi. This is my family tradition, we're all
rabbis from father to ancestor. And if you come to think of it this rink77is
not a synagogueand you're not a boxer78alone againstthe Muslims who
the more you hit them the more they want.

Mufti "0 you whohaveattainedto faith! If you help(thecauseof) God,He wiU

helpyou,andwill makefirm your StepS. *79

Chorus SeyfAddEn1ýlidjAmll (3 times)

England 7be Zionists must not let the Arabs win their independence.

France The Arabsmustkeepfighting Israelif we wantthemto forgetour presence

in theircountry.

England Agreed.

America Let me referee80the match becauseI'm American that is I'm new and they
don't know me yet.

(Thematchstarts. TheJewswin.)

'Aisha 0 Muhammad!

(Muhammadturnsround. Moseshits him.)

Arabs Allah!

Chorusleader Whatamess! They'reonehundredmillion Arabsandfive hundred

million Muslims,andtheylost!

'Aisha The Arabsarenotproperlyarmedbut theJewsaresuppliedfrom Eastand

West.

America Moseswon in thefirst round.

Jews Israel!Israel!Israell

Arabs(crying) Oh! Oh!

America Don't worry I shallorganiseothermatchesfor you.

France Goodidea.81

England We'll getrich.

VoiceEromchorus America,FranceandEnglandarehappywith their plan. Their interestis

to sell arms.

77 'Rink' is transliteratedin-thetext. It is alsousedin Algerian.

78 'Boxer' in the text is the transliterationof the Frenchword boxeur,alsousedin
Algerian.
79 The Koran, ch.47, v.7- Translationby MuhammadAsAsee bibliography).
so The transliterationof the Frenchword arbitreis usedin the text. This word Passed
into Algeria.
81 In the text the word usedmeans'it's sticking' implying 'it's great'.
 66

America,EnglandandFrance Now we're goingto sell you arms!

Jews Israel!Israel!Israel!

Arabs(in a dirge) He washit with theKoran

Thenstunnedby MosheDayan
He washit with theKoran
And got his skull brokcn.82

TABLEAU22

Arabs(singing) Whereto, whereto Oh 'Abd-Azi:z?

Moses WheredoesthisSultancomefrom?

Muhammad This is a great Sultan. We have brought him on a special ship83and to

sparehim any changeto his habits in the desertwe have pitched a tent for
him on this very ship so that he can relax and breathethe fresh air just like
what he is usedto in the desert.
0,
Moses I've never seensuclthing.

Muhammad Well, you see,the Presidentof America, the greatestcountry in the world,
is himself coming to meet him in the sea.

Roosevelt Very pleasedto meetyou!

'Abd AWAI Me too.84

Roosevelt WhatcanI do for you?

'Abd Al-'A: 7iz It is you MisterPresidentS5

who.wishedto seeme.

Roosevelt TheJewsliving in my countrywantto go backto Palestine.

Abdulaz-16 Impossible.

Roosevelt TheJewswill bejust a few amidtheArabs. Theywill help themin

everything,especiallyin agriculturewheretheyprovedvery successful.

'Abd Al-'Aziz You gavetheJewsmillions of dollars. If you hadgiventhemto theArabs

theywouldhavedonethesameif not more.

Roosevelt ThecriminalHiderexterminatedseveralmillion Jews.

'Abd Al-'AZiz Well, you shouldexplainto thosepeoplethatthegenocideis not the

responsibilityof theArabs. You havesuppliedthemwith arms,thenwhy
don't theygo andfight Hider insteadof harassing
our in
brothers Palestine.

82 In the text 'he hit him with the Koran and broke his head.'
83 Ile word for ship is babM,from the French word vapeur, and 'vapour' in English.
Hen'Ce,bateau a papeur or steamship.
94 Literal translation.
85 The Algerian particle si is short for sayyad meaning mister, sir, gentleman. It is
always used in Algerian as a mark of respect.
 67

Roosevelt Tle FreeWorld relieson yourExcellencyspeciallyyou astheGuardian86

of Mecca,theSacredHouseof GodL
'Abd A]-'A; Fiz Impossible, Palestine is a sacred place for the Arabs.

Roosevelt Let's forget about this. I've come to talk about the war. We needa few
harboursfor our warships.87 We're also interestedin a large basefor our
warplanes.

'Abd Al-'A; Fiz I am willing to help you Mister Presidentbut I don't want any foreign rule
like in Egypt, Syria or Iraq.

Roosevelt As longasI ampresidentof AmericaI will not allow anyattackon the

Arabpeople.

'Abd Al-'A:1 We won't sell an inchof our landbut you mayrentthenecessary areasfor
a periodof five yearsafterwhichyou'll leaveusa partof thearms.

Roosevelt And we askyou not to attackour friendsandyou mustpushbackany

enemyattack.

'Abd AVAI And on yourpart you musthelptheArabstowardsindependence.

Roosevelt After the war there will be no more colonialism. As for Syria and Lebanon
De Gaulle haspromised their independenceand I shall remind him of his
word. Now let's talk oil, gas, business.88 I give you four dollars a barrel
and build a 750 kilometre pipe line.89 As a token of my friendship, take
my chair, the only dearpossessionI've ever had in my life.

(He gives him the wheelchair.)

TheGand-ur
People90 "His (seatof power)oversprea4theheavensandthe earth,andhe aloneis
91
truly exaltedtremendous".

Chorus Whereto, whereto 0 'Abd Al-'A; Fiz?

TABLEAU23
MosheDayan TheArabsareconfused.TheEnglishhaveagreedwith usandtheyare
alreadyleaving. Theyagreewith usto kick theArabsout of Palestine.

England(to MosheDayan) Takethesearmsanddon't saya word.

MosheDayan "But because

theLord lovedyou,andbecause He would keeptheoath
whichHe sworeuntoyour fathers,haththeLord broughtyou out with a
mightyhand,andredeemed you out of thehouseof bondage,from the
handof PharaohKing of EgypL"92lbank GodtheMost Powerful!

96In the text 'Guard'. The authorusesthe word 'guard' insteadof 'Guardian' either
for the purposeof irony or he did not think of the title givento the King of SaudiArabia
as 'King andGuardianof theTwo SacredPlaces'.(MeccaandMedina). He is called
the 'Guardianof the Two.SacredPlaces'(115risAl-,Varamayn).
87In the text 'shipscarryingarms'.
88Transliteratedin the text.
89In the text the word 'pipe line' is the transliterationof theFrenchword nyau.
90 'Gandur' from GandiTra,a traditionalmen'srobe with wide shortsleevesanda long
V neckwom mainly in North Africa. The authorstereotypesthe Muslim clergy and
theruling classesof theArab world in theserobesandturbansround their heads.
91The Koran ch.2, v.255,in AssadMuhammad,Qurlih, Dar Al-Andalus,Gibraltar,
E.J. Brill, London, 1980.
92 Deuteronomy,ch. 7, v.8.
 68

Jewish soldiers 7bank God the Most Powerful!

(MosheDayan addressesthe people ofDeir Yassinein Palestine)

MosheDayan Orderto thepeopleof Deir Yassine:you havea quarterof an hourto leave

your homes.

(TheJewishsoldiersfireandkill manypeople)

Xisha TheykiUedcvcryone.

MosheDayan This is whatis awaitingall of you if you don't leavePalestine.

Arabsof Palesdne(singing)
How often have I wondered
About the PalestinianRevolution
About the blood of young men
Gushing and soaking the whole country!93

TABLEAU24

Chorus (singing) Speedup flying carpet!

I'm longing for the Nile.
I've travelled much
And now I rind the way
Home too long! 94

FatherDinar Your Majesty,only engineersfrom Japancandealwith thebuildingof the

newcity. GreatBritain The
will purify our seawater. United States
will
dealwith theagrarianreform.Finally staunchofficersfrom Hider's timC95
will organiseour army.

(TheSultanfallsasleep.FatherDinar andNassarcarry him to his bed.)

Nassar His Majestyis fired,I'm takinghim to his bed.

FatherDinar I mustdo my duty too.

)
(Theyput him in his bed. FatherDinarfinds moneyunderthebed. Surprised,hegoesto NaSSar.

Nassar Whatis it?

Father Dinar The Sultan keepsa lot of money under his bed. Come, take a look, the bed
of this rat is full of money.96

Nassar Takethis moneyandgold with you andgo. Takethe Sultanto theFrench

Riviera.97

FatherDinar (aside)This is a coupd'Itat...

(to Nasser)7bis is a coupif bal?99

9371beauthorhasadaptedthe wordsto the tuneof a popularAlgerian songcomposed

just after Independence in 1962. The tide is "How much I wonder"by RabahDariassa-
The last two versesin the text read- 'And the bloodof youngmenis dripping and
flowing everywhere'.
94Lines from the EgyptiansongBusarAI-Riý ("The Flying Carpet")by Farid Al-
Atrash.
95 Literal translation.
96Literal translation.
97Transliterationof Me d' Azur.
98 Transliterationof coupdYtat. We optedto keepthe Frenchword.
 69

Nassar No, this is just a little scorebetweenus. Oncein Europe,give him the
moneyandthegold. And tell thepressthattheFreeOfficersnever
toucheda hair of theking. We arenot communists. 99

Chorus(singing) Speedup flying carpet!

I'm longingfor theNile!

Nassar 100
I amNassarandyou areNassar.

FatherDinar And oneof usis a loscr.101

Chorus I havetravelledmuch
And now I rind theway
Hometoo long!

TABLEAU25

(EnterMuhammad.He goesto steep.)

Mufti (callingfor dawnprayer.) "ABahuAkbarl AllMu Akbar!..Prayeris betterthansleep!*102

Muhammad Thereis nothingwrongwith sleep.

'Asha Getup, it's dawn!

Muhammad Later!

'ýLha You told meto wakeyou. Comeon,get up!

Muhammad Later!
ýisha
'; Get up! This is theright time to jook for work.

Muhammad Later,I said!

Aisha Later?

(Shegetsa pail of waterandpoursit on him.)

Get up!

Muhammad Bitch! I askedyou to wakemenot to stardeme.

99 Transliteration of communiste. The word is used in Algerian.

wo We have kept the second 'Nassar' which in fact is a word meaning 'victoriOus' to
keep the alliteration in the text.
10, Literal translation.
102Lines from the call for prayer at dawn.
 70

TABLEAU 26,

(MuhammadZifiln goes out. On his way he meetsSultan "Abdallah and his men. It is their hunting day.)

Sultan May God protect us!103Why should we meetwith this miserableface

in
early the morning? I hope he won't bring us bad luck in our hunting.104

GenerallOs It's a badomen!

Sultan Put him in jail!

Muhammad TheSultanandhis courthavearmsto huntandwe thepeoplehavenothing

to liberatePalestine.

Sultan 13Ytheway,haveyou thoughtof releasingthevagrantwe metthis

morning?

General He refusesto go yourMajesty.

Sultan Whatdo you mean?

General He refusesto go, he wishesto seeyou.

Sultan Bring him in!

General YesYour Majesty!

is broughtin.)
(Muhammad

Sultan Here,takethis money.This morningI wasafraidthehuntingstarted

badly. But praisebe to Allah, I haveneverhada betterday.

Courtiers Praisebe to Allah!

Muhammad I don't knowwhobroughtbadluck to eitherof us,you or me.

Sultan Tlis timeyou areforgiven. But I don't wantto seeyour facein this
Idngdomanymore.

(EidtMuhammad)

TABLEAU27

General BenGourionandMosheDayanhaveagreedwith us,we cantaketheland

theyhavedeportedfrom Palestine.
of thepeasants

Sultan We mustretaintheJordanRiver for ourselves.

Geneml So far BenGourionhasleft us only theWestBank.

Sultan It's not enough,we needtheroadto Haifa.

General HerecomesGeneralDayan.Commander-In-Chief
of theIsraeliarmed
forces.Let's discussit with him.

MosheDayan shalom!

103Literal translation. Phris-eoften utteredbeforeanythingor anybodythoughtto be of

badomen.
104In the text - 'and we aregoinghunting.
105The word is transliteratedin the text andcommonlyusedin Algerian.
 71

Sultan assala-m!I amgoingto prayfor Palestineandexplainto thepeopleour

newpolicy.

PalestinianPeople(singing)
And thetreacherous leaders
SoldPalestinein thename
Of Arab Unity!106

Muhammad Brothers!Brothers!Are thereanyPalestinians

amongyou?

Palesdaian
People We areall Palesdnians,
refugees,exiled...

Muhammad You're in trouble!

General The King!

Chorus Long live the king! Long live King 'Abdallah Al-Hashimi, descendantof
our prophet Muhammad! Long live the king! 1017

Sultan A11ahu
Marl
Geneml A115huAkbar!

People A113huAkbar!

Muhammad Thank you King of Jordan for the money you gave me this morning. I like
hunting too, so I b-aught a gun with your money.

Sultan Thereis no Godbut Allah

Muhammad of AHah.108
And Muhammadis theMessenger

(He kills the Sultan.) 109

Sultan Ah! (Hekills Muhammad.

) I 10

People Allah! My Shoes!My shoes!III

TABLEAU28
MosheDyan Israel! Israel!

Jews Israel!Israel!

Ambs Nassar!Nassar.

Nassar Nadonalunityl

Arabs Nassad

106Sangon the tuneof "How muchI wonder"op.cit. footnote63.

107Abdullah Ibn Hussein- First king of theHashemiteKIngdomof Jordan.
Assassinated on July 20th, 1951, ashe wasleavingAl-Aqsa Mosquein Jerusalem.
108"llere is no God but Allah, Muhammadis the Messengerof Allah" is the
Euphoniousutteranceof the basicformulaof the Islamic faith; alsoreferredto asthe
'testimony'.
109Assassinationof King Abdullahop. cit. footnote83.
110This is a confusingstagedirectionbecauseMuhammadreappearslater. In Other
versionsof the play we haveseen,thereis no suchact.
M Tle peoplearerunningto pick up their shoesbecausethey wereprayingin the
mosque. 11is is a cynical descriptionof thereactionof the peopleto the killing.
 72

Nassar Arab unity!

Arabs NassadNassarlNassarl

EnglanýtoFrance) TaketheSinai.

France I'll supplyyou with planesandwarships.

Jews Israel!

Arabs Palestine!

America So,thematch112hasstartedwithoutme,andI am thereferee!

Ceasefire!

EnglandandFrance Ceasefire?

England Don't stop,keepf iring.

France Go on,charge.

MosheDayan The Sinaiis for me.

America Stop it, you have soiled the Blue HCIMCLI13

England 14my friend.

Theyarebarbariansl

France Theydon't wantto stop.

England Well, sincetheydon't wantto stop,we shallsendtheparas-I15

France Oursarealreadythere.

MosheDayan The Sinaiis for me.

Nassar The swinesareconspiringagainstme;theyhavealreadyreachedport Said.

Soviet On behalfof theSovietUnionI orderyou to ceasefire. If you don't I shall

fire a missileat you.

England l 16
What? Are you goingto give in to Russia?

France We arestronger.

America Thematchis over,I havea meetingat theclub, theClub of theBig

Gods...

England Who havetheatomicbomb!117

MosheDayan What? Do you think Nassa won't havehis revenge?

America Don't worry,I shallhavea wholearmyon Arab territoryunderthecover

of theUN..

112The word 'match' is transliteratedin the text.

113Referringto the United Nationspeacekeepingtroops.
114In the text sKrefdjplural of sufe-jwhich is the transliterationof sauvage.The word
hasacquiredanothermeaningin Algerian,thatof naughty,horrible,rough...
115The word is transliterated,it is alsoadoptedin Algeria.
116In the text 4's (Russia).
117Transliterationof la bombeatomique.
 73

MosheDayan Israel!

Jews Israel!

Arabsof Palesdne(singing)
Backedby RussiaandAmerica
He knockedhim downtreacherously
7benlookedat him disdainfully.118

Jews Israel!Israel!

Arabs NassadNassadNassar!

Muhammad Yesyou areNassarthevictoriousandI amMuhammadthewretched.

Nassar Let megive oneblow!

Arabs Let him give oneblow!

Nassar Theprophetandhis discipleswill backme.

Jews 7be prophet and his disciples will back thern.

(The battle starts, Moshe Dayan devises a stratagem and wins. Nassar runs away leaving his shoes
behind.)

Muhammad(singing) He gavehim theofficer's defeat

And left him run barefeet
Oh, heknockedhim down.

TABLEAU29
(Enter Bunqibal 19followed by his wife Wassila.)

People(singing) 0 B-unýiba,your fortune

Hasbroughtusmisfortunel2O

Wassila.A groupof peopleget roundB!7nqibaandstart by7atinghim.)

(EI-11

Muhammad(to
groupofteople) Whatareyou doing?

People We areinflating thepresident.

Muhammad Is thisyourjob?

People We couldn't rind a differentjob,so we keepinflating thepresidentdayand

night,nonstop.

Muhammad Aren't you afraidhe

People Yes,we actuallywanthim to explode.

Muhammad I don't think hewill.

118The wordsrhymein the text. The last verseliterally means- 'And stoodat his
head.'
119The authoris againplaying on names.It is obviousthat the characteris President
Bourguiba. The slight changeof Y into W givesthe namea funny meaning,thusthe
becomes
president 'BUnq*7iba'
that is the 'pecker'.
120On the tuneof a Lebanesesong"M Ghzeyyel"sangby Fayrouz.
 74

People Goodthingstakefime.121

(Enteran American)

137u'nTiba Americais sendingusdoUarsl

People Dollars!Dollars!Dollars!

(The Tunisian police beat the people who want to show the truth and unveil the traitor. )

Policeman(beatinga man) Here,takethis!

Man (screaming) Oh! oh! oh!

People 0 BZniýiba,thedollars
Are for you and your darlingI22

(singing on the sametune)

BUnýiba Thereis no war of liberationin SouthVietnam.Americais not againstthe

independenceof thatcountry.

(Thepolice comedown again on thepeople and tell the president to be harsh and punish hard.)

Policeman(to colleague) Slaphim!123

People Long live PresidentBýn(Tiba!

Long live thePresidentof theFreeWorld!

(Student'senthusiasmencouragesthe people.)

Students So,we nowreceivethefriendsof Israel!

(Thepeople becomeaware after the studentsenthusiasm.

)

People is a traitor.. deathto the traitorl

137uniiba

PoliceOfficer MisterPresident,thestudentsandthepeopleareburningtheAmerican
Embassy.

B7un(Fiba Get thepartyleadersandbum someJewishshops.Put thestudentsin jail..

People(singingon thesametune)0 B7uncji%a, be damned.

124
For you're not ashamed.

TABLEAU30

(Deathof GamalAbdulNassarPresidentof theRepublicof Egypt.)

Jews (crying) 0 Wall! 0 walll

Ambs(crying) 0 Nanul 0 Nassad

121Algerian proverbmeaningthatif onewantsgoodresults,a goodoutcome...etc, one

hasto wait andbe patient.
122In the text the versereads'For the Wib andthe lpl; lba'. Habib is the first nameof
Bourguiba,it alsomeansthe 'beloved' - habi-bais the feminin; of Wib. However,the
president'swife's real name is Wassila. *
123In Algerian the word alsoimplies noiseproducedby the slap,thusa hardand
harmful slap.
124The secondversereads- 'damnationfollows you' - andrhymeswith BUnqiba.
 75

MosheDayan Cryl Moan!Lament! Why areyou wailing?

Jews We are not the only ones,the Arabs are also crying.

MosheDayan Whathappened
to them?

Jews TheylostNassar.

MosheDayan Nassaris dead?(lie laughs)Ha,ha,ha!

Arabs(crying) 0 Nassar!0 Nassar!

(EnterSadatwith his wife)

TABLEAU 31125

Chorus(singing) Nassaris dead,herecomesSadat

Sadatthe womanizer
Sadatwith Kissinger
Are singing and dancingaway

Kissinger (singing and dancing) Theseare small steps

Comealong and dance
Come along fathead
Run away from hell 126
We'll cover you with dollars.

Mrs. Sadat Dollars! Dollars!

Assad 0 Sadat,youareverybad
Iliere is no moretalk to add
Help! Help! Help!

Sadat You Presidentof Syria

No moretalk,andno hysteria
If you wantto understand
Comeanddancewith our friend.127

Kissinger YouCommander of theFaithful

YouKingHussain thejoyful',128
Takea fewstepsto theright(bis)

Arabs(singing)129 Assadand Sadat

Sadatand his ladies
Sadatand his luxuries
His cannonsand his planes.

Mrs. Sadat Cometo Egypt,you aremostwelcome.

Sadat Let me givea blow.

125On an Algerian folk musictune. The typeof musichereis meantfor dancing.

126The word in the text alsomeans'fire. Ilis may imply the USSRasEgypt had
strong links with Moscow.
127The versesrhymein the text. We haveadded'hysteria' andchanged boss'by
'friend' to keepthe rhyme.
128We haveaddedjoyful to keeptherhyme.
129 The same tune asthepreviousone but it
sangon a slowertempoto make a dirge.
 76

Chorus I shallgivea blow thepriesdWay130

andsavemy neck.

Moshe Dayan(addressingthe Jews)

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, "To your
-
descendantsI give this land, from the river of Egypt to the River
Euphrates,the land of the Hittites, the Gir'gashites, the Amorites, the
Canaanites,the Per'izzites, the Jeb'usites,and the impotents." 131

Jews My God! They'reall Arabs?

(EntertheMufti with Arabs)

Mufti(singing) Walk on thelandof Godthemosthelpful!

Be thesoldiersof theLord of theUniverse!
Palestinebelongsto usandnot to strangers!132

(Fighting betweenArabs and Jews)

Mrs. Sadat You haveliberatedtheSinai,0 darling!133

Arabs(singing) He is perplexed,one-cyedMosheis perplexed

He is perplexed,one-eyedMosheis perplexed
134
TheFreeWorld is pcrplexed.

(Kissinger helpsDayan stand up)

Arabs Punchhim! Comeon, more!

(Sadat walks back. he doesn't want to fight. Moshe Dayan attacks; Kissinger pretends to stop the
fighting. )

Mrs. Sadat Darfing!

Palestinians (Singing)He gavehim a blow in Rama4an!

We thoughthewasthewinner,
But now he is theloser,
He fell on his head.

TABLEAU32

(ArabSultansandEmirsin negotiationswith Kissingeraboutoil.)

Voicefrom chorus Theyamtradingthepeople'swealthat theexpenseof thefreePeoples.

T'hey'rehavinga goodtime.

130The authoris makinga very interestingallusion. The word in the text isiblba plural
of ia-lib which in standardArabic meansstudent.in Algerian,it originally meant
'studentin Islamic studies'but acquiredthe meaningof 'Koran teacher'or 'a manof
the clergy'. This refersto the 1973war with Israel which coincidedwith the Yom
Kippur andthe tenthday of Ramadan.
13,Genesis- Ch. 15,v. 18to 21. We do not know whetherthe authorhasusedthe
Frenchor the Arabic translationbut he hasnot kept the orderof the namesin the Bible.
He hasalsoleft out the following names:the Ken'ites, the Ken'izzitesandthe
Kad'monites. He addedthe word 'impotents'in allusionto presentclayArabs.
132
op.cit. footnote49.
133Transliterationof theFrenchmon chdri.
In is
134 the text theverb used 'to shit' with themeaningof 'diarrhoeal. Ile allusionis
to the constantmaterialsupportgiven by theUSA to Israel.
 77

Arab Sultansand Emirs(aside)This is the tiMe for OiII35

And our weaponis oil
Let's put the price up,
Let's put the price up.

Kissinger You little sultan, you were living

On broad beans136 and cooking oil,
I gave you oil and you becamerich,
Now you have turned into a monster showing your teeth
But don't worry, you'll get enough of the whip.

Palestinians And thetreacherous leaders

SoldPalestinein thename
Of Arab unity!

Palestinian Hymn

If they attack the refugeecamps

I shall not surrender.
Even if they kill hundredsand thousands,
I shall not surrender
What to expect from the Arab leaders?
7beY have not liberated Palestine.
But they are laughing at me
Never, shall I surrender
And in Tal Azza'tar and Nabatieh
Never, ever shall I surrender
Cut me up, break my ribs
Come on, beat me up.

Assad(singing) SyriaenteredLebanon!
SyriaenteredLebanon!137

(speaking) Enoughis enoughYassarArafatl

Kneeldownandit's over
Enoughis enough!

)
(Massacreof thePalestinianpeoplewith theconsentof Arab SultansandPresidenul3g.

Palestinians(singing) In Tal-Azza'tar,we haveseen

ArabUnity
In thebloodof youngmen
Gushingandsoalcingthewholecountry!

(Kissingerand theArab PresidentsandKingsdanceon thebodiesof thevictims.)

135Transliterationof the Frenchp9trole meaningcrudeoil.

136This refersto theEgyptianhabit of eatingbeanswhich hasbecomea matterof
prejudice and irony in Algeria.
137Syria intervenedin Lebanonon 31st-I st June1976. The Arab Leagueconvenedan
urgentmeetingof foreign ministers in Cairoon 8th T6ne 1976. Ile meeting decided on
A"'fwck KeepingForce'- the Syrianarmyin Lebanon.
138The massacres of Tal-Azza'tar took placein August 1976. The author refersto the
'Cairo Meeting' hencetheArab interventionandthe massacres which followed.
 78

Chorus (singing) Assad and Sadat,

Women and luxuries,
Canonsand bombers.
This is the clan of the officers
Who run away bare feet.
7be land of Palestineis deserted,
The land of Lebanonis dead.
Damn Assadand Sadat,
Sadatwith women
Comfort and luxuries
And all sweetthings
Assadand Sadat
With pretty girls
In flashy cars
With nice drinks
Enjoying life
The swine is having a good time139
Sadatand the ladies.

(EnterAssadandSadaleachonethinkingof whatto do in casetheyseetheKing of Mecca140angryand

upset.To makethingseasyforhim theypretendto showhim theright way.)

Assad Dear cousin you are upset,why be upset?

Geneval4l is the right place for the right people
Dear cousin, why be upset?
Come to Geneva!

Sadat Dearcousinyou areupset,why be upset?

Genevais theright placefor theright people
Dearcousin,why beupset?
Cometo Geneva!
Dearcousinyou areupset,why ý--upset?

(Enter the Palestinians who are aware that they are carrying the heavyburden.)

Palestinianchorus Arabismis like a brokenbrick.

Islamdestroyedit further
AddinganotherArabismwith Europe
All madein America.

TABLEAU33
Egyptianchorus Whenthesundrownsin theoceanof mist
Whenthewaveof darknesssweepstheworld
Whensightfadesin theeyeof thosewhocansee
Whenyour way is lost in a mazeof linesandcircles
You thatwandersandseeksandunderstands
You haveno otherguidebut theeyesof words.142

(Workersfromthetoiling masswhichworkshard andwatersthelandwith its sweatbut hasno right to it

are complainingaboutthehigh costof living.)

139Therearethreewordsin this versebut we areunableto readthe third word. The

versereads: 'The dog is living...' We haveoptedfor 'having a good time' to keepthe
meaningof 'good life' in the song.
140Meaningthe King of SaudiArabia. The authoris ironic here.
14,The Algerian phrase,'to haveshoulders'means'to haveconnections'.The author
usesthe word 'shoulders' to keep therhymewith 'upset' and 'Geneva' which is
transliteratedfrom the French'Geneve.
142Songby the Egyptianpoet andsinger. SheikhImam.
 79

Workers Sadathasincreased
thepriceof breadandoil.

First man Not only breadand oil, but bread,oil, sugarand meat.

Secondman Evencigarettesl43
andpararinI44.

(Mrs. Sadat walks in the middle of the crowd. Sheis recognised. A man points at her.)

First man That'sthewife of Sadattheswine.

Secondman What'shername?

lbird man Jihýh.

Fourthman Jilran.thepeoplearestarving!
Thepeoplearenaked,theyhaveno clothes!

Chorus Jifran, the people are naked!

Jifran,the peopleare hungry! (They demonstrate)

(Enter Sadat with two soldiers ready to shoot.)

Sadat Fire!

(Chorussingsandcallsfor therevolution.)

Chorus Deprivedworkers!
Chainedworkers!
Enough!enough!
Only grenades andbullets
Will bringan end.
This is a worker'sfist
Joininga peasant'sfist
Only strugglewill bring
Socialism!145

143The word usedin the text is 'smoke' which is the generalword for cigarettes,
tobaccoandsmoke.
144The Frenchword gaz (gas)gavegFz(parafinor crudeoil) andgaz (gas)in Algerian.
Parafinwasuntil recentlyusedthroughoutthe countryin oil lampsandportablestoves.
145KatebYacinehaschangedthewordsof the Internationalebut kept the tune.
 80

iii) Commentary

This play was first producedin 1976 as a revisedversion of La Guerre De

Deux Mille Ans, a play aboutthe history of Algeria andits different struggles.It also
includedsequences about Vietnam and Palestine. Its original title was La Guerre De
Deux Mille Ans - Version Palestine,thenit was changedto FalisiTnMaghdgra but it
is generally referred to as La Palestine. It is still performedin Algeria but with
changesin contentcorrespondingto new eventsin Palestine. Despiteits continuous
successthe play was never shown on Algeria television or broadcaston radio, the
reasonsbeing essentiallyreligious and political - Kateb Yacine's attacks against
religion, religiousleadersandArab leadersor Arab r6gimes.

Plot and Structure

The main theme of the play as suggestedin the title, is the betrayal of Palestine,
not the betrayal of Arab Palestine as one might be tempted to think on first
consideration, but the betrayal of both Arab and Jewish communities. Moses and
Muhammad are both good friends and neighbours suggesting in a schematic way the
kind of relationship that existed between the two communities and which has been
replaced by open war. The play suggests that both communities are victims of
religious, economic and political manoeuvering. The connivance of the clergy and
capital on either side in their own interests aims to use religion to manipulate both
communities and to create a confrontation. The conflict intensifies as outside elements
prey on the country. The Zionist movement with the help of Britain and the United
States and the sense of European guilt over the massacresof the Jews in the Second
World War, establishes the state of Israel which leads to more violence inside the
country and confrontation with neighbouring Arab countries. War breaks out and
escalatesas Britain, France and the United States interfere in order to sell arms. They
intervene every time a conflict breaks out to sell more arms. In the process, the Arab
leaders, manipulated by the United States and acting in their own interests betray the
Palestinians. The result is that the two communities have been completely torn apart
thus creating two separate entities, one under the name of Israel and the other, the
Palestinians persecuted by Israel, imperialism and its allies including some Arab
countries. The wandering Jew is replaced by the wandering Palestinian.

Mie play involves 61 characters,somereal and somefictitious in 33 scenesof

unequallength. The historic eventsare neither chronologicalnor do they follow a
linear pattern. Ile play, as a result, lacks coherence.Kateb Yacine constantlyshifts
the action forward and backward,in spaceand in time. The spectatoris swungfrom
oneperiod to another,from one situationto anotherthroughfast changingsceneswhich
work almost like a puzzlethat he has by
to solve establishingthe links betweenthemin
orderto reconstructthe main themeof the play andits ultimatemessage.
 81

The play operateson threemajor levels:religion, economicsandpolitics. First

it suggeststhat religion is a creation by men for the exploitation of other men and thus
works hand in hand with capital for the samepurpose - Rabbi and Merchant use Moses
and the synagogueas a means to make money; Mufti, the rich landowner, diverts his
people's attention who are starving through Islam and promises; Moses is not paid for
his work by Rabbi and Muhammad stealsolives in Mufti's garden, both victims being
used as symbols of their respective communities. Furthermore, religious leaders like
Rabbi and Mufti are also political leaders. The playwright thereby, implies that
religion, capital and political leadershipwork together if they are not one and the same
thing - Mufti is a religious leader, a rich landowner and a political (nationalist) leader.
Although leaders engagetheir communities in conflict they deal in business with each
other: Father Dinar buys a housefrom Muhammed and sells it to Rabbi who will rent it
to Moses and his fiancee.

The charactersare either fictitious like Muhammad, Moses, 'Isba, or real like
Sadat, Kissinger, Moshe Dayan, or even countries like America, France, England and
used as symbols or stereotypesto representan attitude, an action, or a situation. Thus
the involvement of foreign powers - Britain, France, the United States and the Soviet
Union (in one instance only) and of Arab countries, is portrayed through schematic
-
charactersand scenes. For instance the conflict between Arabs and Jews is represented
asfollows:
Cockfighting: andconfrontationstirredby England,watchedby France
riots,massacres
andstoppedby Americawho wantsto "moveto sport,boxingand
punches"andorganises:

Boxingmatches: betweenMuhammadandMoses,thatis betweenIsraelandtheArab

countries.Muhammedis no longera Palestinianbut an Arab. The
successive'matches'in the 'boxingring' correspond
to thesuccessive
warsin theMiddleEastwhichareorganisedby the 'cousins'America,
England,andFranceandrefereedby America.

Hussein,Assad, NassarandSadatrespectivelyrepresentJordan,SyriaandEgyptunited
againstIsraelbut this unity hasshownits efficiencyin themassacre
of
Palestinians
in Tal-Azza'tar. In Tableau32,for example:

(Massacreof thePalestinianpeoplewith theconsentofArab SultansandPresidents)

Palesdnians
(singing)

In Tal-Azza'tarwe haveseen
Arab Unity.
In thebloodof youngmen.
Gushingandsoakingthewholecountry.

ý The sameArab leadersexploit their people and are at the head of repressive
governments.11ey are attractedto the Americandollar, as suggestedin the characters
of Sadat and BCunjiba and their wives. 'Mus the whole issue seemsto be a game
 82

organised by America and dictated by the dollar, in other words, by the interests of the
ruling classes.

What the play seemsto highlight is that the struggleof Palestiniansis the same
strugglethroughoutthe world andconcernsall the poor,colonisedandexploitedpeople.
It is, therefore,a classstruggleon the internationallevel. This is a recurrentthemein
Kateb Yacine's plays, althoughthere are more precisereferencesto other struggles.
The play about Vietnam,L'Homme Aux Sandalesde Caoutchogf.makesreferences
to Algeria, Palestine,Black AmericansandAfrica and La Guerre De Deux Mille Ans
or MohamedPrends Ta Valise alsocontainsimilarreferencesandcall for revolution.

Source of the Pigy

It seemsthat Kateb Yacine had undertakena tedioustask of documentationin

preparing this play. In fact, he is known for carrying out thoroughresearchfor his
plays. He travelled to Vietnam and worked for three years for L'Homme Aux
Sandalesde Caoutchouc He also visited Palestiniancampsin Lebanonand worked
.
for about the same time for Palestine Betrayed. This work covers history books,
newspapers, magazines and reviews, radio and television recordings, film
documentaries, interviews,literary works, folk literature,music,poetry, anecdotes,the
Bible and the Koran. In the caseof PalestineBetrayed he essentiallydealswith the
history of Palestineand the Middle'East. He has borrowedversesand references,for
instanceto the Burning Bush and to Mosesand his rod, from the Bible. He has also
usedversesfrom the Koran.

The historical materialhe hasselectedis of two kinds: well known eventslike

riots, wars, political, military andreligious figures and less known facts
or concealed
which official history, mainly in the Arab-Muslim world avoidsmentioning- suchas
U! dj MuhammadAmilnAl-Ijusseini a wealthynationalistextremist,Mufti of Jerusalem
andPresidentof the SupremeMuslim Council'46whowasbehindseveralriots andanti-
Jewishmassacresin the 1920sand 1930s. His extremismled him to supportNazism
and meet Hitler in 1941. Another aspectwhich is rarely mentionedis that Herbert
Samuel,the first British High Commissionerof Palestine(1920-1925)was a fervent
supporterof Zionism. 71iisinformationis condensedand compressedin hurno'. 3rousor
satirical scenes,a good numberof which are transpositionsof stories about Joha the
folk tale hero.

In popular oral tradition Johais an ambivalentcharacter. He is naive, idiotic,

simple and silly but he is also sly, clever, witty, shrewd and cunning. If he appears
simpleand behavesfoolishly it is to deceivepeople,usually the sultan, the rich or the
priests. He alwaysactson behalf of justice his
and enemiesarealwaystaken in. Johais

146EIectedin January1922.
 83

also famous for his seethingreparteesand remarks. Ile facetiaeof Joha are, with
minor differences,commonto manysocieties:
On the eastern coast of Africa the facetiae of Djoh'a are
attributed to AbQ^Nuas. But our hero is known in Nubia (Djawh'a), in
Malta (Djah'an), in Sicily and Italy (Giufa or Giucca). We also find him
in Albania (Giucha). However, in Yugoslavia, Armenia, Bulgaria, the
Caucasus,Georgia, Russia and Turkestan people mainly know him as
Nasr al-D^inKh6dja. 147

Kateb Yacine first usedJohaunder the name - 'Nuage de Fum6e' ('Cloud of

Smoke') - in La Poydre d'Intelligencel4g a farce with an arranged succession of
sketchesbased on facetiae of Joha which the playwright reshaped and adapted to the
themeof the play and to his new hero. He thereby created 'Nuage de Fum6e' a Marxist
philosopher engaged in a perpetual struggle against the Sultan (feudal system), the
Merchant (the rich), the Cadi Oudge- legal system) and the Mufti (Islam). In all works
published after La Poudre d'Intelligence - sketches published in magazines and
newspapers149and L'Hornme Aux Sandales de Caotchouc and in all unpublished
plays performed in Algerian Arabic - 'Nuage de Fumee' becomes Muhammad a
character who shifts within the play between a symbol representing the people - an
exploited worker, an ordinary citizen or a peasant- and a revolutionary. Most sketches
in his early works published in French reappear in all the later plays in Algerian with
some slight changes. The following table indicates the plays where the facetiae of Joha
and some sequencesin Palestine Betraygd appear: (PI - La Poudre d'Intelligence
HSC - LHornme Aux Sandales de Caotchouc; MPV Mohamed Prends Ta Valise;
-
G2 - La Guerre De Deux Mille Ans.)

147Dei eux,Jean- Djohla. Hi'er ef Aulourd'hui, EditionsNaaman,Sherbrooke,

Qu6bec,Canada,1978,p. 16.
148In Le Cercle DesRepr6sailles,Paris,Editionsdu Seuil, 1959.
'
149Mainlyin the Frenchliterary magazineEsprit.
 84

Sequencesin:

PalestineBetrayed Title$ of other plays with Original Facetiae

titles of tableauxI50

TableauI G2. The Boxing Rabbi

Tableaux2,3 &4 G2. The Returnof Moses Tableau4: &)Johaand

SweeperandProphet the Poor Man b)Johaand
the Man Who Had a Dream

Tableau5 Consc.iaJ%
GI MosesBecomes

Tableaux7&8 of Palestine
G2.Coloodsation

Tableau9 MPV.HSCandG2

Tableau10 MPV andG2.Muhammad Steak

Olivesin FatherDinalsGarden

Tableau12and PI Johaandthepregnant
TheSequenceof the PoLJoh&andtheYoung
donkey Man

Tableau13 MPV andC2.Muhammad and

Moses:FriendsandNeighbours

Tableau14 PI andG2 JohaandtheBeggar

Tableau15 Pl. HSC.MPV andG2

Muhammad andtheNail Joha'sNail.15I

Tableau16 G2 - FatherDinarSells
Muhammad's Houseto Rabbi

Tableau'17 G2.HitlerTakesPowerand
Mufd ReliesOn Himto Uberate
Palestine.

Tableau19 GI ReligiousRiots

Tableau19 GI TheFanatic JohaandtheWall

Tableau20 G2.TheWailingWall

Tableau21 G2.TheMajorPowersOrgairrise
andBoxingMatches
Cock-Fighting
betweenMosesandMuhammad.

Tableau22 G2.PresidentRoosevelt Offers

His Arinchakto 'Abdul'&UZKing
of SaoudiArabia.

Tableau23 G2.Massacresof DeirYassine

(Paltstineý

Tableau24 G2.Coupd'Fiatin EgypL

150Titles of Tableauxin Mohamed, PrendsTa Valise and La Guerre De Deux Mille

Ans appearin handoutsgivenbeforeperformances
151Hasbecomean idiom for someonedeterminednot to move
 85

Tableau25 and26 PI andG2

Tableau27 G2. Executionof King Abdallsh

of Jordan.

Tableau29 G2.PresidentBourrequibatI52
DeniestheWarof Uberation
in SouthVietnam.Betrays
Palestine
andActsSeverely
AgainsttheStudents.

It appearsclearly that out of the 33 scenesin PalestineBetrayed 26 with 7 Joha

anecdotesare borrowed from previous plays. The new scenes which Kateb Yacine
addedappear mainly at the end of the play. MohamedXrends Ta Valise also borrows
a great deal fromLa Poudre-d I Intel I igence, LIHomme Aux Sandales de Caotch
Le Polygone Etoile153and other published sketchesand in turn La Guerre De Deux
Mille Ans'borrows from all the previous works. It seems,therefore, that eachnew play
is a revised version of the previous one with a selection of scenes and added new
material. All works, starting with L'Homme Aux Sandales de Caotchouc, are part of
what Kateb Yacine calls "La Fresque" (The Fresco) a continuous creation of additional
sketchesincorporated in plays dealing with 'the struggles of peoples throughout the
world' and portraying new developmentsin world events. Consequently the plays are
never completed in a definite and final form. For instance, the version of Palestine
Betrayed in this study has been altered many times and some scenessuch as the one on
Bounqiba, have been removed and others added as a result of new developments over
the Palestinian issue. Thus Kateb Yacine argues that: "We are engaged in a kind of
theatrewhich raisesnew problems. The texts we have establishedare approximate texts
because situations change, develop. Political theatre involves such incessant
changes."154

- The is
other sourceof material music and song. The authoruses well known
songsandtunesin Algeria, bothAlgerian andotherArab songs.He keepsthe tunesand
changesthe lyrics when appropriate,using new words to portray or commenton a
situation. The songsare often short and contain only two or three versesand/or a
refrain,aswith the songs"T'heFlying Carpet"and "Tal-Azza'tar".

152KatebYacineplayson late PresidentBourguiba'sname. It becomesB7unqiba in this

play.
153KatebYacine.Le PolygoneEtoiM, Le Seuil,Paris,1966.
154Allesandra,Jacques"Le Thditre RevolutionnaireAlgerien" in Travail Th6fitral,
32-33,December1979.
 86

Function

Palestine Betrayed, like all Kateb Yacine's plays, is political in nature and is
anotheraspectof his "theAtrede combat". He has alwaysfelt deeplyconcernedabout
PalestineandVietnamas well as over the tragediesof otherpeople. His earlyrebellion
againstcolonialismandhis condemnationof the evils andinjustice sufferedby Algeria
are also expressedfor Vietnam,Palestine,Black Americans,SouthAfrica and Central
and Latin America. Mostefa Lacheraf,a major Algerian intellectual and sociologist
writes aboutKatebYacinein the following words:
The intensity with which Kateb Yacine had always felt the
painful sufferingof the Algerianpeople,wasequalledonly by that which
neverceasedandwhich still continuesto move him deeplyand motivate
him about the Vietnamesetragedyand the inten-ninablemartyrdomof
the Palestinianpeople. Just as was the casewith Algeria, he doesnot
translate these colonial tragediesinto conventionalor circumstantial
literature. With LIHomme Aux Sandalesde Captchoucand Palestine
Trabie [The Man With Rubber Sandals and PalestineBetrayed he
remainsthe only Algerian andArab playwright to haveprobedso deeply
as to reachthe most sensitivereality of imperialismand its monstr.ous
Israelireflection,the evil shadowof Westernhegemonies, enemiesof the
Third World.155

KatebYacine feels that the struggleis not over in Algeria and that the Algerian
people, although concernedabout Palestine,should know the real and objective aspects
of the Palestinian tragedy. Ibus, in talking about his play on Vietnam (LIHomme Aux
Sandales de Captchotic and also referring to Palestine,he has statedthat:

The play expresses my vision as an Algerian in the full senseof

the word. 17hereare now two spheresof interestfor Algeria: Vietnam
andPalestine...The play comesat a time whenthe Algerianpeoplearein
a stateof emergency.This is an opportunityfor themto find themselves
andmobiliseagain.156

The statementand the purposeof the play are explicit andcall for a continuous
struggle. It suggeststhat the struggleof the Palestiniansis not isolatedbut concerns
everybodyand thus is of an'intemationaldimension. The 'enemiesof the Palestinian
people',of the working class,henceof the 'Revolution' are namedand the mechanisms
of their strategiesunveiled andexposedin a successionof satirical sketches.Thus the
play startsby unveiling the natureof religion andits aims as well as the 'true' role of
the clergy. Both Islam and Judaismare shownto servethe interestsof a minority, to
keeppeoplein ignoranceandpoverty andexploit them. All the first scenesinvolving
Rabbi,Mufti, Merchantand FatherDinar religion and capital on one hand,and on
- -

155Lacheraf,Mostafa- "KatebYacine,sousLe DoubleSymbolede la M6mOire

Cr6atriceet du SouvenirPartag6",in ActualRede I 'Emigration, No. 72,14 January
1987,pp. 22-27.
156Du Theil JeanMarc Martin, "KatebYacine Avant-Premi6re "Ce quej 9,31- vu au
-
Vietnama 6t6pour moi Paubed'une renaissance". -
in Lettres Frangw No. 1410,17-
23 Novembre1971,pp. 16-17.
 87

the other hand Moses, Muhammadand people - ordinary people, membersof the
working class- areexplicit in intentandcomment.

Islam, Judaism, Zionism and England 'have created a conflict between

in
PalestiniansandJews'. ThenZionism with theinvolvementof the threesuperpowers
the Nfiddle East are shownto plot againstthe Palestinianand Arab peopleswith the
connivanceof someArab governmentsfor their own interests. Somesketchesexpose
or allude to the disunion of Arab governments,their treason,the oppressionof their
peopleor their submissionto theUnited States.
This manner of proceedingfrom the unwontedis one of the
author's favoured pedagogicalstrategies. It urges the spectatorto
reconstruct,by himself, with the information he already has the link
betweenthe different political realities. Ile potentialsof discovering
and understandingconsequentlybecome limitless. The spectatoris
neverpassive. His imagination is constantlyprovokedandhis emotions
channelled.157

It seemsthat KatebYacine'saim hereis to inform the spectator,to teachhim the

real nature of the Palestinian struggle so that he can understand the mechanisms of
politics and exploitation and react in joining the struggle. The averagepeople in the
Arab World and even in the Western World are misled into believing that the conflict is
between Arab and Jew. The author aims at correcting such attitudes in exposing the
dividing role played by Islam and Judaism in the conflict as well as that played by
Zionism and imperialism. The spectator is also informed about other facts which
official history tends to cover up and is expected to condemn them as the playwright
does. The Mufti of Palestine was a rich landowner, a religious extremist whose racism
led him to support and meet lEtler. In an analysis of L'Homme Aux Sandales de
,
Captchouc which in fact also applies to subsequentplays, Denise Louanchi writes:

Kateb proposesa political readingof history by multiplying the

evocation of facts generally kept silent which he juxtaposes with
'historical' facts. The history lived and madeby oppressedclassesand
peoples calls on the oppressors'official history to account [for its
acts]...[Palestine Betrayed) . is, therefore, a revolutionary and
deliberatelypolitical play... It invites the proletariatin all countriesto
think about the stakeof a strugglewhich, althoughdistant,is still their
strugglebecause,in the end,it is a classstruggle-158

Kateb Yacine hasrepeatedlystatedin interviewsthat his "theatreof combat"is

aimedat the workers:
Audience is not somethingin the absolute...Here theatremust
make Revolution, since we have extendedour field of action to the
workers, since we are awarethat we are addressingthem... It is very

15"Baffet, Roselyne- Tradition Thefitrale et Modernitk en Algerie, LHarmattan,

Paris, 1985,p. 134.
158LouanchiDenise- "Un Essaiden6itre Populaire:L'Homme Aux Sandalesde
Caoutchoucde KatebYacincý,in "HommageAKatebYacine", specialissueof Kalim
No. 7, Office desPublicationsUniversitaries.Alger, March 1987,p. 193
 88

importantto define an audience,one's audience...that is why we do not

want to addresswhatpeoplecall the generalaudience. 159

Palestine-Betrayed is certainly a very successfuland popular play in Algeria

andamongthe North African communityin Francebut whetherit achievesthe author's
in
aim reaching 'the people' (the his
workers)and reflects claim that his theatreis "un
theitre populaire", a theatrefor thecommonpeople,for the workers,is, aswe shallsee,
ratherdebatable.

Language

Since Kateb Yacine returned to Algeria to start theatre in the vernacular, he

constantly defines his theatre as "un th9dtre dans la langue du people", a theatre in the
languageof the people. For instancehe arguesthat:

I have come back to what I always wanted to do: a political

theatreproducedin a languagethat is broadly accessibleto the largest
public possible. From now on, I am goingto usetwo languages:French,
but mainly vernacularArabic." 160

"If I want to be understoodby the commonpeopleit is in their

languagethatI mustaddressthem."161

However,it is worth notingthat KatebYacinedoesnot write Arabic or Algerian

Arabic as such. His plays are createdcollectively, with the actors of VAction
he has alreadywritten in
Culturelledes Travailleurs'.162He often translatessequences
Frenchand the actorscontributeby suggestinglines, wordsor phrases.Ibis collective
approachhas not produceda homogeneouslanguagein comparisonwith the French
used in his'early work, nor is this languagerich becauseof the low standardof
educationof the actorsandtheir lack of commandof traditionalculture or the language
it uses. Therearemanyinstanceswhere,in orderto keeptherhyme,wordsareusedout
of context,P-.j. in Tableau 20, to keep the assonnance'Usa' in M-usa(Moses) the
following words are used:khanfu-sa(beetle) bRsa(kiss) and namý*mosquito)- We
-
havein fact translatedliterally the lines concernedto point out this linguistic weakness.
At the sametime, thereare sequences where the languageis colourful and witty as in
the scenewhereMuhammadborrowsthe pot from Mosesor at the boxing match. Ile
overall impression is of an unevenuse of language. The is
play then helped by its
thematiccontent and its highly satirical sequences.The claim that the languagethe
playwright usesis the languageof the peopleis ratherdebatable.He arguesthat he uses

159Interviewin thedailynewspaper La Wpublique (Oran),7 November1972.

160Du Tleil, JeanMarcMartin- op.cit. p. 17.
161Ibid. Statement in otherinterviews.
repeated
Ile grouphasmovedto Sidi Bel Abbe's(Westernalgeria).Now knownas'Le
162
TbditreRegionaldeSidi Bel Abbes'.
 89

"the languageof the people, the languageof the street".161 Judging from our own
knowledgeand experienceof Algeria, this is rathervague. What is 'the languageof the
street'?one may ask. Furthermore,unlike the playsof Benaissaand Alloula, Palestine
Betrayed is less accessibleto other Arab audiencesoutside North Africa, precisely
becauseof its languagewhich usesa typically Algerianvocabularyextensively.

Performance Devices

Kateb Yacine's theatreis very flexible and doesnot rely on settingsor many
stageprops. In Palestine Betrayed the stage is bare; there is only a costume rail with
costumeson it and three trunks holding props behind it. The performance starts with
live music played on a banjo, a darbuka (drum) and a pipe, with the actors singing and
acting short extracts from the play to 'warm up' the audience. The musicians play
downstageright and remain there throughout the performanceexcept when they join the
other actors to play small parts. Lighting is elaboratewhen the performance takesplace
in a theatre and minimal or not used at all if it takes place in other venues. Each actor
plays up to six different characters. Changesof costume and removing or wearing new
props to representnew characterstake place on stage, either beside the costumerail or
behind it. Ibis, the playwright says, prevents the spectator from identifying with the
character.

One major aspect about the play is that the charactersare divided into
'oppressors'and 'oppressed'. Ibus all the 'costumesand props are wom by the
oppressorswhereasthe oppressedwear ordinary, casualclothes.Muhammed,Moses
and Choruswearjeans and tee-shirtsor plain shirts,but Mufti and Rabbi wear robes,
respectivelyrepresentingthe traditional Muslim and Jewish clergy, FatherDinar and
Merchantwearsilk caftans,America,EnglandandFranceweareitherhatsor shirtswith
their respectivenational emblems,while Hitler wearsa wig and a moustacheand a
swastikaon his right arm.

Ile acting techniquesof both sidesalso operateas opposites. The oppressors

speakon a commanding,threatening,forbidding or soft, sweethypocritical tone. They
often use raisedvoices,-whereastheir oppositesspeakwith gentler and more humane
voices. The former areSFhemadsed into stereotypesand puppetsand thus move in a
mechanicalway (thereis a greatdealof mime) but the lattermovein a morenaturaland
flexible manner.

Thereare alsooppositelighting effects:bright lights on the 'oppressors'but soft

lights on the 'oppressed'exceptwhen the chorussingsthe Internationale.However,as
mentionedearlier, if the performancetakesplacein a venuewith no lighting facilities,
the actingarearemainslit all the time.

163interview in EI-Moudjahid Culturel, no. 156,4 April 1975.

 90

Becauseof the highly satiricaland hurno-musnatureof the play, every suitable

performance device is used to generate laughter among the spectators. Thus Kateb
Yacine combines the techniquesusedin conventional comedy and farce and those used
by individual comedians.

Music and song,on the otherhand,contributea greatdeal to the atmosphere of

the play and constantlychange- expressing lament, criticism, commentor joy and
dancing. Becauseof thepopularityof the songsand the tunes,the spectatorsoftenjoin
in the singing,clappingtheir hands.

The general pace of the performance is very fast, particularly the change of
scenes,and is to
spectator constantly exposed new situations. It is left to him to
_thebetween Ile
make the link the different scenes and draw his own conclusions.
combinationof all theseperformancedeyicesis designedto meet Kateb Yacine's aim
of theatreas 'total theatre'andeyeryperformanceasa festiyeparty.

Indeed all the press reviews of his plays mention the festive mood in Kateb
Yacine's theatre,somethingwe haveourselvesnoticedduring performance. Laughter
generatedby the hurno rous and satirical contentof the play, togetherwith music and
songare the main causes.However, one may argue that PalestineBetrayed is a good
play in its own right and showsthe author's great skill and ingenuity in handling his
materialand in the way he compresses decadesof history into one sceneand a major
eventinto'one line. But the spectatorcannotavoid'feeling that the is
play not new to
him. As hasbeenmentionedearlier,it contains26 scenesand7 Johaanecdotesalready
in
used previousplays - mainly in La Guerre De Deux Mille Ans. The authorargues
that he is not repeatinghimself and that such remarks come from 'discontented
intellectuals'. He furtherclarifieshis position:

It dependson what repeatingoneselfmeans. We haveproduced

somethinglike four or five plays. Their themesare not the same.
Perhapsthe form is the same,perhapsthe languageused is the same,
perhapssong is used to a great extent... But there is a whole world
betweenthis and repetition. It seemsto me that it is one of those
questionsthat only certain intellectualsask. The intellectualsare not
happy. I do not care. They are not happy becausethe man who wrote
Nedima no longer writes novels like Nedima; he no longer writes in
French, he no longer writes for them, he - addressesthe people, he
addresses the workers.
In fact, they say this becausethey haveno ideaof what a political
work is. My answeris that if repeatingoneself meansstruggling for
socialismof the time, thenI shallrepeatmyself as long asit will take...If
thesepeople think that theatreis leisure, that one must find new little
things to entertainthem, as for me I carry on with a theatreof combat
which will not changeat all, which will neverchange...till my death...
Yes, it is true that I speak about the struggles for national
liberation,Vietnam,Palestine,Angola.. But if this is repeatingoneself,
then they are blind... Yes, it may happenthat we take a scenefrom
 91

Mohammed,PrendsTa Valise to insertit in La Guerre De Deux Mille

Ans. If this is what they call repeating oneself, then they are
formalists.164

This,long argumentis worth consideringbecauseit raisesinterestingquestions.

First, would 'the people, the workers' not lose interest and enthusiasmwatching a
performance of Palestine Betrayed if they had already seenall previous plays and
would Kateb Yacine not ultimately fail to reach his chosenpublic if, as Bergson
suggests,repetition kills the comic effect? Second, and it is perhapstemerariousto
assertthis, there is a fundamental
contradictionbetweenthe playwright's statements and
the aims of his theatreon one hand and the natureof his plays and the techniques he
useson the other. Indeed,it is very unlikely that 'the people,the workers' - the average
Algerian worker - is able to relatecertainscenesto real fact or evento establisha link
betweenscenes.Is he for instanceableto relateMoses' broomburning to the burning
bush? Is he alsoableto relateMufti's singing"Hitler cameuponus..." to Hitler coming
to power andtheir meeting,or the Internationaleto the 1917OctoberRevolution?Even
many educatedAlgerianswould be unableto do so, for Palestine Betrayed requires
some knowledge of the Bible and a rather thorough knowledge of history to be fully
grasped. It seemsthat Kateb Yacine's referential sphereis outside and beyond the
sphereof the he
people addressesand fits the sphereof the intellectuals he wishesto
avoid. Ibis, however does not imply that Kateb Yacine fails to reach his target
audience,nor does it imply that the latter his
cannot understand theatrebecausethe
messagealwaysgetsacrossandeveryperformanceis thoroughlyenjoyed.

164Blidi, Maichou - "Li T'heitreACoeurOuvert",interview with KatebYacinein

Algirie Actualit6 No. 676,28 September-4 October1978.
 92

CHAPTER III

:il Abdelkader Alloula :A Life Devoted To Theatrel

AbdelkaderAlloula was bom on 8 July 1939in the town of Ghazaoueton the

westerncoast of Algeria near the Moroccanborder. As a child he went to a primary
boarding school in Ain El-Berd (ex. Oued Imbert), then to the 'Coll6ge Modeme'
(secondarySchool) in Sidi Bel-Abbes. In 1954 he went to the 'Lyc6e Ardaillon' in
Oran the capital city of WesternAlgeria. His father was a gendarmein the French
police force until 1953 when he decided to move to Oran with his family. Before he
found a new job andin order to feed his family he workedas a public letter writer by
the main post office. It was a year of hardshipand this experienceaffectedAlloula so
deeplythat it had found someechoesin Al-Khubza (Loaf of Bread a play he wrotein
1970., His mother was a housewifelike most Algerian womenof her time, Alloula
stoppedhis studiesin 1956when he was in the sixth form. The decisioncamein 19562
whenAlgerian studentswent on strike againstFrenchrule. After 1956self education
washis only way of continuingto study.
Family and Cultural Background

Alloula acquiredhis first initiation into Algeria's traditional cultural heritage

throughhis aunt. He rememberswith emotionhow his brotherandhimself usedto wait
with excitementfor the evening when their aunt would tell them stories and recite
poetry. The aunt who was a devoutMuslim hadbeenunhappywith her marriagewhich
wasvery short lived she had decided to divorce one week after the wedding. She then
-
devotedher life to, religion and charity work. Her great knowledge of traditional
medicinemade of her the doctor of the poor in her neighbourhood. Because Alloula
andhis brother werevery fond of her and because shehad no children of her own, their
parentsallowed them to live with her until they had to go to school. Alloula tells us
abouther phenomenalmemoryandher wide knowledgeof the nationalcultural heritage
and history, a knowledgewhich involved a goodcommandof language3, religion, folk-
tales,legends,datesof events,local anecdotes,
proverbs,rhymedverse, in short "a very
good knowledgeof Algerian popular culture and its language4. " When he went to
boardingschoolin Ain El-Berd at the age of ten, he was not totally severedfrom the

I Most of the informationgiven here isý'basedon an interviewwe hadwith Abdelkader

Alloula on September24th 1988in his office at the 'Th6itre d'Oran' and a curriculum
vitae he handed to us.
2 The Algerian FLN party which wasleadingthe armedstruggledagainstFrench
occupationhadcalledfor a generalstrike:a oneweek strikefor employeesand
shopkeepers anda oneyearstrike for schoolchildrenand students.
3 The Algerian vernacular.
4 Alloula's phrasein our interview,op. ciL
 93

rich world which his auntrepresentedandwhich he cherished,for his fathercontinued

that initiation by providing him with anotheraspectof traditionalculture. He usedto
take him to most religious festivalsand rituals held in the region particularly to those
held at the sanctuaryof Sidi Ghanemwho is one of his forefathersand wherehis sister
wasthe priestessof the shrine. Apart from their religiousandoftenpaganaspects,these
eventshad a major popular cultural and social significancefor they gatheredlarge
crowdsand offered a wide variety of entertainmentrangingfrom poetry, story-telling,
musicand dance to magic. Although sucheventshave diminished in number in the last
two decadess,they still' attract many people and Alloula is a regular and fervent
attendant. The asu;a-qor marketswhich are held in different villages and towns on
different days of the week and which are the main venuesfor the madd5ý were also
and still are a favourite attractionfor Alloula. The experienceof these social and
culturaleventshasbeenof major importanceto Alloula andhashada strongbearingon
his work, in fact it has guidedAlloula the playwright, director and actor to developa
new form of theatrewhich drawsheavily upontraditionalculturalelements.
Alloula's Theatre Career

The rich experiencethatAlloula hasaccumulatedsincehis childhoodwith storY-

telling, festivals and rituals and in the traditional marketsdevelopeda taste for the
performingarts and a desire to act. In 1955, he
when was at the 'Lycde Ardaillon' in
Oran,he joined a youth theatregroupcalled W-ShaVaib'('Youth') which was part of
the 'Associationde Jeunes',a youth club on Ruede Chanzy.At the sametime hejoined
'MadrassatAl-Fatý'6 an Arabic teachingschoolto pursuehis educationin Arabic. His
first experiencein actingwith 'Al-Shab7ab' in
was role of a girl a collectively written
the
play. A memberof the group who was rehearsingthe role of the girl withdrew one
week beforeperformanceday. I-fis friends thought that he playedthe part so well and
that he had talent for acting which encouragedhim to take other parts in subsequent
productions. The theatregroupusedto organiseseminars,workshopsand talks on the
art of theatrewhich wasa good startingschoolfor Alloula. However, theseactivities
were adverselyaffectedbut did not ceaseas the war of liberationgainedmomentum in
the late 1950s and some membersof the group left or joined the maquis. After
Independence in 1962the 'groupwas reorganisedby Alloula and his friends ar.J given
the nameof 'EnsembleTh6itral Oranais'. Alloula workedwith the new group for one
year only, for 1963was to be a majorturning point in his career. The management of
the '116atre National Algerien' which was foundedin the sameyear, were touring the
country to recruit young talents- Alloula was an obvious choiceand he was offered a

5 71iisis due to the sustainedcampaignagainstthemby the Muslim clergy andby

Muslim fundamentalists.
6 Theseschoolswerestartedin the 1940sby the "Ulima Movement'to revive Arab
cultureandIslam.
 94

job as a professional actor in Algiers. Soon after this he acted in five plays which were
produced by the TNA in Algiers in 1963: The Children of the Casbah and The Oat
by the Algerian playwright Abdelhalim RaYs,Hassen Terro by Rouiched another
Algerian playwright and actor, Life is a Dream by the Spanishplaywright Calderon de
la Barca and Moliere's Don Juan. In 1964 he acted in SeanO'Casey's Red Roses for
Me and in 1965 in Shakespeare'sThe Taming of the Shrew and in Oe Honden (which
was given the title - The Dogs by the Belgian playwright Tone Brulin.

The talent andpotentialhe showedin the theatricalartsearnedhim promotionto

the post of director in addition to his acting career. Thus he directed AI-Ghlila (The
GhouD by Rouiched in 1964, AI-SuIran al-HwaliO(The Sultan Who Could Not Make
Up His Mind) by the Egyptian playwright Tawflk Al-Hakirn and Sikak AI-Dhah
(The Fifteen Strings of Gold, a chineseplay from the Ming dynasty by Zhu Su Chen)
in 1967.

He was dismissedfrom his post in 1968 becausehe disagreedwith the TNA on

theatre practice9 and was unemployed for one year. This resulted in another major
turning point in his career: he went back to Oran to join the 'Th6atre R6gional d'Oran'
(TRO) to write and produce his own plays. He was to give an impetus to the TRO
which was stagnating at that time and be a major contributor to the development of
contemporary Algerian theatre. This substantial contribution ranges from
playwrighting, directing and acting to cinema, television, radio, the training of new
actors, giving talks and undertaking researchin these performing arts which are part of
Algeria's cultural heritage. The following list shows some of these activities since
1969.

He wrote anddirected:-

- 1969: (The Leeches

- 1970:Al-Khub72 (Loaf of Bread)

1972-
- iiad Hom Salim (The Insanity of a Rational Man adaptedfrom Gogol's Diary
of a Magn.

- 1973:Al-Maida (The Tableowritten with the actorsof the TRO

- 1974:Al-Manfu-l (The ield written with the actorsof theTRO

- 1975: Hameam Rabbi (Rabbi Baths and H-ut ralkul-HZt (Egig Small
Fls-hjvmtten with Benmohamed 4 _Fish_Eat

7 All playswritten in colloquialArabic wereneverpublished;evencontemporaryplays

arenot published. The stateownedpublishingcompaniesandthe few privateprinters
believethat thereis no readership,thereforeno marketfor suchworks.
8 All foreign playswereandstill aretranslatedinto Algerian colloquial Arabic
including works from Arab countries.
9 AbdelkaderAlloula did not give us detailsaboutthe dismissal.
 95

- 1980: AI-AgjEal (Sayings

1984: Al-Ajwi'd (][he Story of the Generous People produced in 1985

-
He wrote two scripts which were directed by Mohamed Iftic6ne for the 'Radio
Tel6vision Algerienne' - RTA in:

- 1972:Gorine

- Laffii
1982:
He actedin two films which weredirectedby EI-HachemiCherifin:

- 1969:AI-KiGb (The Dogs)and

- 1971: AI-Tarfa (The Rppgý

He wasalsothe commentatorin two films:

- 1983:9-uziin AI-Kali by Hadjadj. -

- 1985:CombienJe Vous Aime (I Love You So Much by AzzeddineMeddour.

In 1967 he wrote and producedthree programmesin French for the French

language'channel 3' of RTAIOon Sophocles,Aristophanesand Shakespeare.

He is at present senior director at the 'Thdatre d'Oran' and runs the To-
operativede Tbeatre", which is 1,
a workshop theatre specialising n researchand
experimentson traditionalmaterial.
Traditional Culture and Alloula's Theatre

After a long and rich experiencein theatreAlloula has comeback to the world
he hascherishedsincechildhood,the world of thehalqal2andstory-telling. It took him
about twelve years to developan art form which makesfull use of the art of the
madddý. The ; [jv_cjc)owardsthis form startedwith his first play - AWAlag (The
Leeches)which dealswith bureaucracyandabuseof power. It showsHadi H'Mida, a
bureaucratwho hascloserelationswith the local bourgeoisieand who takesadvantage
of his positionto usepublic moneyand servicesto his own benefit13. The ma&06 is

10 The Algerian radio andtelevisionnetwork hasfour radiochannelswhich broadcastin

standard Arabic for 'channel V, Kabyle (Berber) for 'channel2', Frenchfor 'channel
3', andSpanishandEnglishfor 'channel4', the last two sharingthreehoursof
broadcastinga day.
II AbdelkaderAlloula createdthis workshopwith hiendsin early 1988. It is privately
run andis totally separatefrom the 'Th6fitred'Oran'.
12halqameaningcircle or ring, refersto thecircle formedby the spectators roundthe
madda4.
13This themeis recurrentin manyamateurplaysandevenin professionaltheatre
cinemaandtelevision.
 96

in
present this play but his Tole is limited to commentson the behaviour of Hadi H'Mida
and his bourgeois friends. He is in a way the mouthpieceof the common people but he
doesnot take part in the action. The madd5h.is also presentand plays the sameToleof
commentator in. Al-Khubza. (Loaf of Bread) and Hammam Rabbi (Rabbi Baths
-
The first play is about Si-'li a public letter writer who decidesto write a book which he
will entitle Loaf of Brýad- It portrays the poor living conditions of the lower classesof
society and their daily struggle. Ile second play is about the second phase of the
Agrarian Revolution which startedin 1971. It exposesthe problems faced by peasantry
and calls on them to defend the land reform. Most criticS14agree that in all three plays
the role of the maddllý is rather marginal and not fully integrated in the developmentof
the action, a factor which reduces the impact the author wanted to make. They also
point to the foUdike and rather funny appearanceof the nwdda-6who is supposedto
look dignified. This criticism is justified becauseAlloula was making his first attempt
to use the art of the maddF4indrarna. Furthermore,the period from 1968 to 1975 was a
major period of experimentationmainly for the amateurtheatre which was at that time
flourishing and developing in parallel with Alloula's theatre. Also, Alloula had close
contacts with amateur groups which were mainly concentrated in Western Algeria. It
was a period of mutual influence and exchange. Alloula argues that: "... the amateur
theatre is in fact a major reservoir for our national theatre; it is at the same time an
excellent school."Is

Alloula was going through a period of experimentation and he has certainly

learned a great deal from his own experienceand from the amateur theatre. If the three
plays show weakness - mainly in the use of the maddilý - they are still positive
developmentsbecausethey represent both the fruit of many years of experimentation
and the embryonic phaseof his new form of theatre. In fact the lessonsAlloula drew
from the weaknessof his previous plays and his failure to make full use of the ma&06
paved the way to a more mature and elaborateform where the narrative and the maddNb
become the dynamic theatrical forces. When asked about his new form of theatre,
Alloula describedit as follows:

When I speak of the new theatre I think of a new type of arrangement

which is different from the Aristotelian construct. This refers to both the
[national] traditional heritage and to the world's [cultural] heritage...
Through our experiments we have initiated a new approach, we have
thus realised that the classic type of construct was not suitable for us.
We have introduced new elementslike the maddNý. And if, at first, this
gave a folkloric impression, it led us to grasp and understand the
implications... We can say that what we are doing has left the
Aristotelian mould behind. We have dropped all aspects of illusion,
identification and theatrical illustration. Ile result of our investigations

14 Mainly the Algerian dramatistsand the press.

is Annon., "Alloula: Le com6dienimprime la vie au th6atre", in EI-Mau-&-hLid, 25
September,1988.
 97

be
cannot evaluateduntil'the completion of the third part of our trilogy.
Later we shall start a deeper and more thorough research on cultural
heritage,particularly on communication.16

Alloula started this trilogy with AI-AgyEal (Sayings in 1980. The whole play is
basedon the narrative and divided into three monologues: The Resignation,Ghasharn
(worker) and fniiba Bent Bi7zfiFnAl-Asfifs (fn7uba the warden's daughter). The three
monologue-tableauxrefer to the struggle of the Algerian working class. The narrative
structure of the play calls more for listening than for watching because the language
used does not require the support of theatrical devices other than voice and body
movement "nor doesit necessarilyrequire lighting inmost pans of the play." 17 Alloula
considersthis play as a bridge betweenhis previous works and his new plays.

Al-Ajv75-d (! he Story- of the Generous People first produced in 1985, is the

,
continuation of Al-AgmEaland prepares for the third part of the trilogy, Al-Lithim's
(The Veil which Alloula is working on at present.19 Alloula insists that this trilogy
does in no way representa final and definite form of his theatre. On the contrary, he
believes that his continuous personal research along with the work and experiments
undertaken in the 'cooperative de-theatre' (the new workshop theatre he in
runs parallel
with his job at the 'Th6atre d'Oran')'will in
result a richer and more elaborate form or
to
even a new form of theatre. In this respectAlloula's contribution to Algerian theatre
is of major importance becausehe has touched on cultural'areas not yet fully exploited.
It is also a contribution to theatrein generaland in particular to African-a,,J Arab theatre.
It would be therefore interesting to compare Alloula's experience to similar
ý
experiencesin African and Middle-Eastem countries.

16Che'rifOuazaniandBrahimHadj Slimane,interview:"RencontreAvec Abdelkader

Alloula - La QuetedesDires", in Algirie ActualiN no. 1161,14-20January1988.
17AbdelkaderAlloula's opinionin our interview,op.cit.
Is al-lithin is a scarfor veil wom roundthe faceandundertheeyesfor disguise,to
hide the faceandor to protectthefacefrom thedust.
19Alloula wasstill working on theplay whenwe met in September.
 98

ii) The Story Of The Generous People

By

ABDELKADER ALLOULA

Cast:

-NARRATOR
- Four characterscontributingto the story-telling.
The actorstakingthis part will play therolesof:
- RIBDUI IJABIB
-THE KEEPER
CLEVER -
JALLLTL
- and
- MALE WORKER
-TEACBER
- PUPILS
- FEMALE WORKER
The play is in sevenepisodes,namely:
1- THE STORY OF'ALL: kt
2- THE STORY OF RIBULH
3- THE STORY OF QADDUR
4- THE STORY OF'AKLI and MNAWWAR
5- TBE STORY OF MANýIJJR
6- THE STORY OF CLEVER JALLUL -
7- THE STORY OF SAITNA
Note.

There are no stage directions whatsoeverin the original text. nose appeaningin our
translation are basedon notes taken during performances. The ending of the play is not
marked in any obvious way - by action or the actors.
 99

EPISODE ONE: THE STORY OF'ALLXL

-
(The narrator, wearing a red cloak andplaying the banjo, presentsthe story of 'AllaR He is sitting on a
chairfront-stage, left.)

Narrator (singing)

'A1151the roadsweeperis a guy quick with his broom.

Whenhehasswepthispartof thestreetandcollected people's
rubbish
Hetakesa strollin oneof themainstreets
of thecity.
To relaxaftera hardday'swork anddrive awayhis worries- 20
First herolls a cigaretteandtucksit underhis hat.21
Thenpuffsouthischestasif hehadmedalstodisplay.
Crosses hishandS22 behindhisbackandstartsto walkslowly
likea ministerdragging withhimanimportant delegation.
Hestrollsonthepavement witha dignifiedattitude
Andlooksatthegoodsdisplayed in theshopwindowswithcare23
Asif hewaschecking between thegenuine andthefake.
Admiringthewealthproduced by hisfellowworkers24 at theworkshOP25.
'Alra-Itheroadsweeper is a guyquickwithhisbroom.
Whenhehasswepthispartof thestreetandcollected people's rubbish
Hetakesa strollin oneof themainstreets of thecity.
To relaxaftera hardday'sworkanddriveawayhisworries
Heoftenstopsfor visitswhichdemonstrate hisdignityandheed.
Hewalksasidewitha heavystrideto seethingsbetter.
Askinghimselfquestions andanswering themin longspeeches.
Hehardlysmiles,heprefersto putona harshlookinstead.
"Ohthisis tooexpensive eventhoughit is thenewfashion. "
"Ohbutdon'tforgetthatthemanufacturing of suchproduct
is asdifficultandcomplex asmeltingiron. Thepeoplewhomakeit aresurrounded
by fire andterribleheat.
"
"Ohtakecareof thepoorandmakesuretheyhavesomething toeat."26
"I wonderwhygoodsof qualityhavedisappeared. Whydidyouhidethem? "
"Tellmewhythesegoodsareof verypoorqualitytheyaresobadtheymakeyou
believethey'reproduced frommuck. 27
71ey'resobadthattheywouldsadden anddepress theirmaker. "
"Lookat thepoortheirdesires aresmothered andfrustrated. "
'AllM theroadsweeper is a guyquickwithhisbroom.

20 The word wasw& means'evil' or 'evil tqLnptation'and hasa religious connotation.

It is referred to in the Koran in SErah'AN-NAS' (MEN) that is ch. 114, v. 4-5 which
MuhammadAsad (seebibliography) translatedas follows: "...4) from the evil of the
whispering, elusive temper, 5) who whispers in the heartsof men." (p.987). But in
vernacular Algerian it also acquiredthe meaning of - 'worry' - 'anxiety"' and 'doubt'.
21 We have opted for 'hat' although the word in the text means'fez'.
22 In the text- crosseshis arms.
...
23 In the text- 'looks at the shopsfrom a distance'.
...
24 qraynu is mainly usedin WesternAlgeria, it means- 'his colleagues,his friends, his
mates'.
25 warsha means- site, building site, workshop. The author may have translatedthe
French word chantier.
26 In the text - 'protect the poor so that he can find what to put on the table.' The author
is criticising the governmentfor not helping the poor. Indeed there is no social security
for the unemployed or the poor.
27 Tle word in the text also means- 'sewage'. The author is refening to poor quality
goodsproduced in Algeria and sold to common people. Goodsof good quality are
often sold and distributed amongofficials.
 100

After he hasswept his part of the streetand collectedpeople's rubbish

He takesa stroll in one of the main streetsof the city.
To relax after a hard day's work and drive away his worries
He stopsnow and then to rest from the weight of his boots.28
He greetspeopleon his way showingjoy and gladness.
To end his walk he entersthe supermarket, 29with intent and purpose.
And wandersamongthe stalls with their large display of goods.
'AIM the roadsweeperis a guy quick with his broom.
After he hasswept his part of the streetand collectedpeoplesrubbish
He takesa stroll in one of the main streetsof the city.
To relax after a hard day's work and drive away his worries
Thumbs hooked3O on the belt he walks along with a fight step.
He addsa smile and peopleshy away they are afraid of him.
Someof them hold their nosesand say he stinkS31.
Someothersfeel sorry for him and wish him fast recovery.
He continueshis window shoppingstill making commentS32.
"This product looks rough though wrappedyou can tell it's not genuine.
No wonder this is what the private sectorproducesfor the supermarkets.
And the workers have no right to speaktheir mouthsare shUL33
Their jobs are not secureand their labour is just hired."
"Tell me, why are these goods damaged and piled up in corners? "
"Do you know that the workers who produced them are on strike?
The workers of the public sector are struggling to secure their bread
Because cheap imported goods are threatening their jobs. "
"I think we should listen to the workers and follow their advice. "
"They can unite and organise themselves to starve you all. "
'Allal the roadsweeper is a guy quick with the broom.
After he has swept his part of the street and collected people's rubbish
He takes a stroll in one of the main streets of the city
To relax after a hard day's work and drive away his worries.
After the walk and the game with himself34 he fights the cigarette
And rushes out of the city aiming for home.

EPISODE TWO: THE STORY OF RIBDLil

backedby animalcages,as in a zoo. Four actorsand thenarrator stand

(Circularrostrumcentre-stage
around it. They the
present story of Ribýlp.-Ae director shouldfeel free to divide the lines amongthe
actors. Wesuggestthat thecuesare takeneverytimethenameofRib-uNis uttered)
Rib-uhi is known as Rib-uti HaRb, 'the Friend'35. He is a blacksmith by trade and
in You he is old because he is
worký one of the municijýl workshops36. may say
about sixty. He's a bit short and you can see on his body the scars left by the hammer
and the anvil. He has a dark brown complexion. Two front teeth missing and one

28 Transliteration of the French word - bortes.

29Literal translation of the French word - galeries meaning - 'department stores' which
were called - 'Galeries Frangaises'under French rule. After Independencethe stores
have beennationalised and the namechangedto - 'Galeries Algeriennes'.
30 In the text- 'fingers on the belt'.
...
31 In the text- 'he has the smell of dead (or rotten) animals'.
...
32 We have addedthis verse to make the transition and give senseto the next lines.
33 In the text- their voices are strangled'. Allusion to the poor working conditions
... in
and exploitation the private sector.
34 In the text- when he finishes the garne.'
...
35 We have addedthe word - 'friend' - to keep the connotation intended by the author
for the name 'HatTib'-
36 Many workihops and services,i. e. sewageworks, gardensare under the authority of
the municipal councils - official name: 'People's Councils' - in Algeria.
 101

its
shows root. White curly hair: well his hair is so white that when he takes off his
hat you'd think he's wearing a sheepskinwig.37 Blacksmith 'Ril:Zh.i the Friend' is
very broad-mindedand highly appreciatedby his fellow workers, dockersand factory
workers. WeU he is loved by all the poor people. When Ribroi speaksyou feel as if
his words had the scent of a rose or as if they were works of art pouring out of his
mouth and they are so sweet and melodious. This is the result of long years of strife
and hard experiencewhich taught him a great deal about life. His principles and the
things he standsfor are known by everybody. He is constant either in good or bad
times, always the same conduct. Anything he suggests to people is a positive
solution, be it a row over the trade union, a strike for higher wages or neighbours
quarreling about leaking water pipCS38; his is
reasoning clear and far-reaching as if
he had a crystal bal139.His advice always bears fruit whether it takes too long or no
time at all. Even words like'l don't know' or 'I am wrong' sound so nice that people
accept them happily. When people as)-hiswife Mariam about his news she answers:
"The poor man is fired as usual; well he carries the heavy burden of our problemsand
worries.40 When he meetshis friends they keep him long and if he doesn't turn up
they go to his houseand take him out. They enjoy his company so much that they
keep him all night debating matters and weighing up solutions as if he was the
councillor of the poor. He always brings home something with him, food or other
goodsAI Ri6uýi the Friend is extremely affectionate with most people as he is
extremely calm and col.lected, content and humble; yes modest even in the way he
dresses.He usually wears a blue, grey or brown overall on top of which comesa coat.
You never seehim without that coat in winter as in SUMMer42; it's as if that coat was
glued on him. He haslarge hidden pockets in that coat, a relic from the time of armed
struggle; he caUsthem the avant-gardepockets. From time to time he fills them with
sweetsfor the kids but before he hands them out to them he would teasethem IrSt.43
And although his hands were huge he would play with his fingers inside those large
pockets then draw forth sweets like a magician. Rib-ahi feels concernedabout the
problems of the young in the neighbourhood,he often taiks and I istensto themjust as
he doeswith the old.

Recently the young lads of the area talked to him for a long time, they were
complainingabout the zoo. They told him in detail about the terrible living
conditionsof the few existinganimals,how the management are starvingthemand
how every month an animal dies. They told him about the seriousstate of the
monkeywho stretcheshis armsout of the cagebeggingfor food and help,aboutthe
wolf who standson the side of the fenceand howls, and also aboutthe eaglewho
stealthilyedgeshis way towardsthe peacockkeepingan eye on her in caseshe44
forgetshis presenceandsticksher headout of thecage.

37 In the text- 'as if he hadon'hisheaddry figs with ashcolour which makesyour

' ...
T'he figs is .
This
mouthwater. ashcolourof dry due to the flour usedto preservethem.
is a commontraditionalmethodusedin Algeria.
38 Refening to peopleliving in blocksof flats. Becausethereis hardly any
maintenanceandbecausethe buildingsareold, suchproblemsoften occur andcause
quarrelsamongneighbours.
39 In the text- 'Indian mirror'.
...
40 Often usedin referenceto the husbandasthe headof thefamily, the bread-winner
who musttakecareof everything.
41 This is a very commonpracticein Algeria. On their way homemen stopto buy
thingslike fruit, cakes,sweets..etc andit is expectedof themto do SO.Almost every
fatheris met by his childrenin the streetor on the door-stepandasked'Papa,what did
you bring usT
42 In the text 'coat' is the transliterationof theFrenchwordpar-dessus.
43 In North Africa menoften buy sweetsto give to childrenof the neighbourhOO d
-
44 Arabic doesn'thavethe neutralpronoun'it', thingsandanimalsareeithermasculine
or feminine. We havekept the genderasusedin the text becauseof the character's
attitudetowards the animals. Later in he
the text will be addressingthemas friends.
 102

Our friend listened to them with care and told them that he would take the matter in
his hands and promised to do something happenwhat may. The following day he
visited the zoo and saw the starving animals crying from hunger and pain. He heard
the comments of the visitors, how disappointed they were about the zoo and how
sorry they felt for the animals. He also saw some people laughing and throwing
stonesat the monkeys;,he stoppedthem and told them off. After the visit he studied
the matter in depth and decided a strategy. The first stage was to approach the
different municipal departmentsand talk to various agents. The first told him: "I'm
sorry, there is nothing I can do for theseanimals. I have no power and no authority.
you might say I'm as idle as someonewasting his time in a cafV. The secondone
told him: "First, change the trade union committee then we can discuss general
matters". The third said.-"We're stuck with people's problems and mischiefs and you
come here to add those of the animals of the zoo." The fourth told him"Even if we
are lucky to get them some food we can't give them water becauseof the existing
drought." The fifth said: "Mr. Rigu'ýi, you're a very nice and respectableman. You
had better take my advice and forget this matter, it's too hard and dangerousfor you.
It's as if you were carrying a bomb. This is a political matter which concerns the
nation." The sixth said:" You're right, this is an honourable initiative. Give your
advice to the animals and count on me for full support." The seventhtold him"Well
my friend, you should know that we have studied the matter at a very high level; we
are not playing here you know. Yes, we have taken this matter seriously and studied
it in detail. We have come out with the decision to allocate the necessarybudget to
the animals and in future we shall bring them hazel-nutsfrom Greece,almonds from
Germany and coconuts from Kenya." The eighth said: "At least the animals are
housed;but what about me? I live with my wife and six children in a tiny living room
on the roof of a building and what's more, you have to walk on all of us to go to the
toilet." The ninth said. "Indeed, god tells us to protect animals. Oh! Thank you,
talking of Allah you've just reminded me of my prayer.45 Sorry I have to go, it's
prayer time... excuseme, I Must CloSe46the office. The tenth said: "A public garden
which has no figers, no crocodiles, no jerboas and no vipers does not deserveany
attention". The eleventh told him: "You were seen talking to students and pointing
scorn at the statue of Emir Abdelkader.47 There is no doubt they influenced you,
that's why you come here to causeus trouble.48 You want us to, leave important
matters and deal with marginal and insignificant things. Do you want us to lose our
jobs?" The twelfth agent laughed and said: "Thank you very much Mr. Ribu,4i, it's
beena long time since I laughed- Thank you... thank you. I tell you what, you should
go to the cemetery,it belongs to the municipality too you know. Well I hope you go
there and come back with the samejoke as the one about the thirsty monkey or even a
better one." The thirteenth gave him a short answer."Well... I... you see..."

Well. blacksmith'Rib-uýithe friend' didn't give up and carriedon his mission,he

went to talk to the man in chargeof fo4ing the animals.T-hemanreplied: "Yes, it
breaksmy heartto seethe poorthingsstarvinglike that...I did everythingpossibleto
help and savethe pooranimals. SometimesI eventake food from my childrento
bring to them. Unfortunatelyfood is expensiveandmy wagesare low. And what's
more,eventhatlittle bit of food I bring, I do it in secretbecausetheregulationsforbid
this to preventfood poisoninj!

45The Muslims mustpray five timesa day. The referencehereis to the second
afternoonprayer.
46Ile word in the text is typical Algeriandialectfor shut,closeandlock.
47 In the text- 'the horsewho Idcks' - refersto the statueof Emir Abdelkader
...
mountinga horse. Ilie statueshowsthe horsewith his fore-legsoff the ground.
Artistically the statueis consideredasa failure andpeoplemakejokes aboutit. Emir
Abdelkaclris the Algerian chief who led the resistanceagainstthe French invasionof
Algeria in the 1830's.
48 In the late 1960'sandearly 1970's,becauseof their frequentandrepeated
demonstrationsthe studentswereconsideredastroublemakersby the authorities.
 103

(A very short pause. then the narrator shoutsRibDýi's name. Thepresentation continuesas before.)

Ribubi theFriend!
At the endof this long studyour friend,Ribliýi the blacksmithtook a final decision
and thought of a solution which will savethe animals. He organiseda groupof
solidaritywith theyouthsof the neighbourhood.The taskwasto meeteveryevening
andcollect asmuch food as possible,anythingthey could lay their handson, meat,
chicken,bones,wheat,bran, bread,grass,vegetablesand fruit. When it getsdark
Rib'ubientersthezoo,he wouldjump, crawl andgo throughmanyobstaclesto bring
food to thepoor 'prisoners. He hasbeenbringingfood for morethana monthgoing
throughso muchtrouble,runningand hiding behindtreesor in bushesto avoid the
securityman becauseif he getscaughthis importantmissionwill fail. The animals
got usedto Rib5hi andhe becametheir friend as they loved him very much. They
could smell his presencefrom a long distanceand get excited,and when he arrives
theygreethim with joy. Thepeacockopensherfeatherswide like a beautifulpainted
fan; the parrot shouts'hello... hello... hello' and makesa lot of noise;the monkey
danceshappilyandsomersaults in the air andtheduck...oh! theduck quacksso loud
you'd think it's a warmapplause

(Three actors exit and one remains to take the role of M44i miming feeifing the animals. he talks to
-
them.)

RiFu'hi: Hello! Hello my children! Good evening! Here take this. Gently... and be quiet, my
mission is secret. Here... stop your noise... you, stay away... it's not your turn yet...
Here... oh! you got used to jump on me from behind! you'll have to stop this bad
habit... you lot are free, you can fetch food but these... the poor prisoners for the
pleasureof mankind... Here, gently... hush!... behave yourselves, I have enough to
feed you all, so eachone his turn and in good order my children... Let's start with the
monkeys, they're to
closer man in looks look... look how he's dancing... toqy I
...
brought you some quince; I think the lads picked them from Mr. ljaaj Brahim's
garden...Poor Mr. IJ75jBralrim... the burden of his wealth is heavy on his back... yes,
poor Mr. Ifaj Brali"im... Here, take... gently and don't be greedy; you know greed is
bad either in animals or in mankind... Come here my little girl, have some food.. yes
the whole neighbourhoodcan live on Mr. IfaJ BralZm's left-overs... You're laughing
at this monkey; well there is nothing wrong in what I said, is there? well is there?
look, look how he's falling all over the place with laughter... The eagle...oh yes the
eagle... here I am my friend... come on, stand back... stand back from the fence and
fold your wings... here is food for you... Hey! spare my hand! that's my only
possessionyou know... stay back, here is a nice piece of lean meat... you know I had
to get up early to get it from the slaughterhouse49yes sir, that piece of meat comes
...
from the municipal slaughter-house50...look at the monkey laughing at me, look...
you like the word 'slaughter' hey?.. It's the slaughtermanwho gave me all this meat...
and in return he just asked me to grind his knives... He thought I was taking the meat
to my children, so he said 'you know Mr. RiV5541, you're not the only one to have
eagles5l I have six of them and they all like lean meat'... Here have a bit of chicken, I
know you like it... now you're coming back to life.. your neck is straight now-. I'm
coming Fox.. here I am... oh! my friend, you stink, your smell makesme dizzy... here,
you too like meat and here are some bones for dessert. keep you busy; I
your -they'll
know you get bored and fed-up, they didn't think of your leisure, no they didn't bring

49- The authorfirst (30) usesthe word batoir from the Frenchabanoir, thenhe usesthe
properArabic word for slaughter-house (31).
50 See30.
51 This is a characteristicin theArab world. Peoplerefer to their childrenas 'lions',
'eagles'..for boys and'gazelles','doves'...for girls to showtheir pride andsatisfaction.
In Arab culture aspectsof courage,speed,stupidity...etc.,found in animalsare
borrowedto describepeople.
 104

you T. V. setsto watch Egyptian soap operas52and football matches,no... you know,
if I had time I would teach you and your 'friend', your neighbour the wolf to play
cards; I would teach you to play draughtsto passthe time and enjoy yourselves,yes I
would teach you also how to lift your hind leg when you want to pee to stay clean and
get rid of your horrible smell... Here, take some fruit... No these berries are not for
you, I brought them for my friend the weasel; look, there he is watching me and
sticking his moustacheout of the fence... Here take this fox and tomorrow when the
kids come to see you stand up straight, display your beautiful tail and let them take
nice pictures of you... I must go to the peacock and the ducks, they arc making an
infernal racket... silence! Is this a demonstration?... Do you want the keeper to catch
me? I must find a way to keep the parrot and you lot quieL.. Look at the pigeons or
the birds or the ostrich, look how quiet and well behavedthey = and patient too...
Look at the partridge and the guinea-fowl, they're very quiet, aren't they?.. Try to
behavelike them... all right, here, have some more...Where is the maize?...no this is
wheat; good lord! it's incredible, you also find the noisy and voluble and the quiet and
sly among animals!... And here is our clever weasel... h= is some food for you.
Here, take it... dear old boy! How are you my friend? Look, look at him... you're
very good at appearing miserable,aren't you? You're trying to induce me to MR.
some of your desires, I can see it, the way you're tilting your head to the side and
softening your eyes. Oh yes I can see it. If you could speak you would tell me:
"Dearestfriend, tomorrow, if you have time to spareand if you happento be near the
market, could you please buy is
me a pound of cherries, my wife pregnant and she is
craving for them." Oh! you little scrounger! Cherries = very expensive, they're
beyond reach; a pound of cherries costs more than a pair of shoes, come on have
somemaize...yes it's maize...

(Enter the keeper holding a stick.)

Keeper Stopthere!...Stop! Standstill... I saidstandstill, handsup! slowly...Comeon, hands

up!

Ribý4i What's wrong with you poor man? Why are you shoutingat me from a diStanCe?
What'sthematter?Why areyou trembling?

Keeper I saidstandstill!... OnemorestepandI'll throw my stick53at you!

Vabib If you throw your stick at me you might missme and hit the poor giraffe standing
behindme,thenyou'll bein trouble,you will loseyourjob. It's alrightif you hit me,
yesit's alrightif I getwoundedbut thegiraffe...thegiraffeis thepropertyof thestate,
that'stheproblem...

Keeper Handsup I said!...Whereis thebloodywhistle?...Whereis thebloodything?

(RiAY executestheorder andputs his handsup.)

Vabib Sir, calm down and listento me...If you throw your stick at me or useyour whistle
you'll be in trouble. You see.thesedogsand cats,they are my companionsandmy
body-guards,one moveandtheyjump at you; look how they're staringat you ready
to attack...they will tear you to pieces. Jo, believeme and put your stick down...
Let's talk then,don't beafraid,walk slowly.

Keeper Look here,I saidstandstill! Anotherstepandyou'll get my stick*.thereis nothingto

talk about. Whatareyou carrying?

52, The author is referring to people's discontent and criticism of Egyptian soap operas
shown daily on Algerian T. V. at 7 p.m..
53 Ile word zarKral is mostly used in Western Algeria. It also means whip, stick,
baton.. etc.
 105

Ijabib You can come behind me and seefor yourself... come nearer.. come on sir..

Keeper What's in the bag on your right shoulder, weapons?...It's weapons hey?.. You're
carrying a bomb hey?

HalTib No, it's just someprickly pearsand two aubergines.

Keeper Oh! Prickly pearshey?..Goodjoke... yeskeepjoking... The police won't be long to

arrive...just wait... Prickly pears!...Just wait and they'll give you plenty of pears!..
Aubergines?The truncheons andthebootsarecomingsoon!

ValTib SoI'm goingto standlike this,handsup, waitingfor thepoliceto arrive?

Keeper Yes! Thank God! At last we've caught you little hero; this is a great day and I shall
celebratethis event; yes today is the end of all the trouble and worries you caused
us... I said stand still and keep your handsup!... So it's you half man, a dwarf, you put
us in a messand causedeverybody so much bother, so much worry... Is thereanybody
elsewith you?

Hal7ib No, there is nobody apart from the dogs and the cats of my neighbourbood.who
follow me, well I mean they follow the sausageS54I'm carrying... my friends are
outside...Can I drop my hands? I'm tired.

Keeper You can, but watch it... one wrong move and I bring you down. Get ready Mr.
Aubergine man for a good thrashing.

Vabib Look, why don't you put your stick down and come nearer,we can discussthe matter
and talk sense.

Keeper I see! Forgetit if youare trying to fool me...Al-HEshmithe manstandingin front of

you is a man of principle,an honestman,yes a man of integrity...if you havehard
currencyssand if you are thinking of corrupting me. just forget iL.. Come on
straightenup andkeepstill.

Habib I'm far from that,I'm not the type to havehardcurrencyor to corruptpeople. come
on Mr.56AMEhmi, that'sfar fetched.

Keeper Keeptelling Les,I know your kind...you're a spy...yesyou're a spy,no doubtabout

it, it's obvious...You're a spy,a saboteur,an agentof imperialism...andyourmission
is to underminethe revolutionand destroythe country. That's it, your contactis
eitherthroughtheJapanese in the gas plant of Arzew or throughthe Italiansin the
town of Battywa57... And what's more,I think I haveseenyou beforein the Town
Hall by theTradeUnion'soffice.

Hal7ib Calm down Mr. Al-Hashmi,what's this nonsense aboutimperialism,I work for the
municipalitylike you...I'm Rilru4i Ijabib theblacksmith.

Keeper Rib7uhiHabib...incredible...what else? They're right, yes you're definitely a spy...

ýab-ib
Rib7u6i is your better,he is a gentlemanand he is far superiorto you... you

54KosherNorthAfricansausages known
whicharespicy, asmer uez. he French
settlersbroughtthe recipeto FranceandsomeEuropean, .qT
countries.They arealsosold
by somebutchersin Soho(London).
55 Transliterationof theFrenchword devises.
56 the text the abbreviationsTisderivedfrom sayyad(Mr. Sir) Also a mark of
-In - -
respect.
5713othtowns areindustrialtownson the westerncoastof Algeria. lie Japarýese and
Italiansareengineersandtechniciansworking for their respectivecontractorsin
Algeria.
 106

are... straightenup! You're tempting Lneto break your neck. You're not even worth
Ribjui's spit, you traitor... RiFON Ilabib is a giant, he is seven foot high and you are
so smaU,you don't even reach his waist.

liabib Listento me

Keeper Shutup andkeepstill!.. Whatdid you wantto say?

Ijabib Look Mr. A]-Hashmi. I am Rib7uhi1jaGb...I am shortby natureand I look even

smallerto you becausethegiraffe ii behindme...I don't know any Japanese
andany
Italians,I don't knowanyforeignersapartfrom theMaltesewho workswith us.

Keeper Well. actuallyI don't knowRitruhitheblacksmith;l nevermet him becauseI work at

is ;
night, that the truth but they ay he's dark, tau and strong...they also say he's
dignifiedandimpressivebut you...

Hagib I am Rib-uhiIjalTibtheblacksmith,the dark,the hunch-back,believeme I work for

...
the municipalitylike you... Here is my card...look... look at my hands I haven't
...
doneanythingwrong;I've just broughtsomefood for thepoorstarvinganimals.

(He handsa card to the keeperwhojust glances at it. )

Keeper Exactly! It's about food that we are checking on spies. Yes, it's about food that
everybody is concerned...there is an incredible hustle in the Town Hall and the city
council is so worriedL

Habib Oh! Is thatso?..Theyhavewokenup, havethey?

0
Keeper Yes, they have taken a firm stand...Take your card, I can't read... Anyway the
photographlooks like you but don't worry the police won't be long, theywill know
your identityandwhereyou comefrom... I think you comefTomTchadthe way you
look.

Valýib I live just behindthezoo...I amthespyof thepoor...Look brotherI amMUM Ijal7ib

andif you want to beconvinced,if you wanta proofall theladsof theneighbýurhood
will turn up at my signal. They'reall outsidesurroundingthe zoo andwatchingover
mereadyfor a signalto attack.

Keeper Of course! That's why theycomesometimes to distractme,askingmeaboutthetime

or the way to the railway station...It's a whole strategyyou set up hereand 1,like a
fool, keepwatchingthe sky all night for helicoptersto landor spiesto comedownin
parachutes.A war strategyindeed...Now I canbelieveyou'reRitruhiHabib...excuse
me, let me shakehands with you5s...you know Mr. Uagi*bthýey'sayyou're a
champion59 at organisingthings...pleaseforgive me...I'm underpressuremy friend,
I'm underpressure.

Haýib Mr. Al-Hishmi, if you have information tell me why I'm giving them so much
trouble.

Keeper It's very seriousmy friend, I know everythingin detail and I know that everyonein
the Town Hall is extremelyworried.. Do you know, I wasCorningto your houseto
getsomeadviceon this matter.. incredible! What a coincidencem!...I don't believe
you're herefacing me...Mr. HalTibyou got themall thinking, they are puZ7Jed and
worried as they believe the inatter has reacheda seriouslevel... yes sir, they're

58 In the text 'let me Idss you'. Kissing is a common habit in the Arab world for
greeting or apologising.
59 In the text 'a devil' which in Algerian has the connotation of someone very clever.
60 In the text 'destiny' because of the belief in fatalism.
 107

troubledalright,let me startfrom the beginning.7be problemstartedabouta month

ago.

Ijabib Pleasecarryon talking while I feedthe animals;yes 'this is the era of muchtalk and
riddles' as the proverbsays...Look this is the bombyou wereafraid of, it's food for
thepoorgiraffe...so...look at herbeautifuleyes...

Keeper About a monthago I was in bed andI hada dream;in that dreamI waspreparinga
barbecueand the childrenwereall excitedrunninground me. The wife told me to
grill the meat very well so that the fat doesn't upset the children's stomachs.
Anyway,I wentto sleepjust aftersupperandI wasstill dreamingawaywhenthewife
startledme; I wokeup shaking.Shesaidthemanagerof thepublic gardenswantedto
seeme. In fright I saidhe musthavesmelledthe smokeof the barbecue.Sheurged
me to hurry up saying that the managerlooked rather tenseand worried. What
broughthim here? I hopethereis nothingserious.He nevercameto my house.In
that fright I went out in my dressinggownandaskedhim to comein for coffee. He
said he was in a hurry... He askedme whetherI was really feedingthe animalsat
night. I did not deny it; I said: "Yes I gave the monkeya piece of breadand the
peacocka few olives...it's nothing,it's just the left-oversfrom my dinner,I couldn't
bearto seethemstarve..1,'He said:"I'm not talkingaboutbread;theyweregivenmeat
andbiscuits"...Meat?...I didn't know whatto say;thenI sworeto him that we didn't
havemeatat homefor twenty-threedays.

Habib You countedthem.

Keeper Frompay day...As soonas I get my pay I rush to the butcher'sand buy rive or six
poundsof horsemeatfor the kids... He said that the situationwas ratherdangerous
andtherewererisks...Therulesdon't allow thefeedingof animalsby strangers-and
theveterinarysurgeonhaswarnedagainstit... I said"what hasa foreignerto do with
the animalsof this country?" He saidthe veterinarysurgeonis a doctorfor animals
andadded"try to learnyour languageyou* fools"..."Whoeveris feedingthe animals
with meatintendsto poisonthem,I'm sure,andfurthermoreour animalsarenot used
to meatwhich meansthat if they don't die from food poisoningthey will die from
diarrhoea..becauseour animalsare usedto rotten vegetables and rancidbran...you
know Al-Hgshmi,the incidenthappenedat night...and at night you are the only one
on duty, you're the only onein chargeand no oneelse...so watchout anddon't fall
asleep," thenhe droveawayin the official car...I went backto bedhopingto get my
dreamand my barbecuebackbut therewasno way I could go backto sleep;I spent
all night inspectingthe zoo.-Thereare two menwho comefrom time to time andsit
underthe willows; they bring wine with themandtalk aboutpolitics; sometimesthey
give me a glass,they say"it'll warm you up"... But that night I askedthemto leave,
theysaidto me "why do you want usto go away,havetheybuilt a newmosquein the
zoo?" I told themaboutthe situationand the troublecausedby meat. They swore
theyhadnoUng to do with it and that theyonly eat wholemealbreadandolivesand
drink wine. Anyway, two days later they founda monkeyin the femalecage,they
wereembracingand cleaningeachother...the veterinarysurgeonwent mad...They
werepuzzledat how themonkeywent into his neighbour'scageand lockedthe door
behindhim... The ostrich left her shelter,she out for they found her
went a walk;
Strollingand swayingher backnearthe large pond.. a youngostrich was following
her closely,hewaschattingher up...

Hat7ib Well. it's mewho put the monkeystogether,I let but I forgotto
also the ostrichOUL..
closethedoorbehindme...

Keeper You got usall puzzledandworriedMr. Habib... is I

and there a lot more want to tell
you.
 108

Ijabib Forgive me... I was wrong... Look at the poor animals,look how they're following our
discussion, it's as if they want to speak,as if they want to give their opinion... You
see? They too are asking for democracy...Continue, tell me more Mr. AI-Hishmi.

Keeper From that night on I becamemore alert and checked every part of the zoo. But no
matter how hard I looked and inspected,no matter how vigilant I was, I couldn't find
any spy... Pleasetell me my friend, tell me how you managedto do it.

Ijabib My young friends watch out for me from outside. They learned to hoot like owls in
order to give me detailedinformation about your movements.

Keeper Incredible! This is great strategy. So, your friends were watching over the
4watchman'61,they had their eyes glued on me!.. And yet they say the massesare
stupid, they can't organisethemselves...Anyway, food reachesthe animals at night
even in bad weather...we were puzzled and things got worse becauseafter two weeks
the animals went on strike, they refused the food from the municipality... but their
health improved very much and the veterinary surgeonwas so happy that he went on
holiday... yes my friend the animals recovered and became healthy... the monkey
becamevery active and happy, he entertainsvisitors and winks at girls.. and the she-
monkey screams her head off and covers her eyes with her hands every time the
attendantsbring her food. This led one of the poor attendantsto write a letter and
complain about her. The poor man couldn't understandthe situation; he said in his
letter that the she-monkey was induced to pick on him becauseeverytime she sees
him she curseshim and wishes him death62. Some civil servantssaid "they want to
overthrow us, they are causing trouble. Yes it's the zoo attendantswho urged the
animals to strike and they're using this opportunity to get a pay increase"...
Anyway63, a few days later a row burst out among those civil servants and they
started to fight and accuseeach other.. one accusing the other of collecting the eggs
-
of the geeseevery morning; another said "I know you're feeding your family on the
ducks of the state"; another said "we are all helping ourselves64...those who don't
take from the zoo take the meatmeant for ihe animals,and what about the lambs, yes
the lambs for sacrifice on 'Id, the holy 65 day, you remember last year. we all had a
hand in it, we all slaughteredthoselambs in the pubfic garden."

Hat7ib Yes you are right the matter hasgone too far...

Keeper Wait, there is much more...yes it went too far and to cover up everythingthey
gathereddocuments andsentthemto thecouncilfor examination.

HalTib Look at thewolr, he'slisteningto us andlook at theostrich,sheis hiding herheadin

her feathers...So..?

Keeper I'm going to havea look andcomebacksoon,thepolicemaycometo investigate...I

don't wantthemto arrestyou.

HaGb Don't'worry, the ladsare watchingfor us andanywaythey told you aboutthe police
just to blow the matterup andscareyou. If theyareto investigatetheywoulddo it in

61 We haveused'watchman'to keepthe repetitionof watchin the text.

62Allusion is madehereto superstition.
63 Ile phrasebi-enniyyain the text, literally means'with faith' or 'with goodintention'
or 'with honesty'. The phraseis usedwith thesemeaningsthroughoutAlgeria but in the
Westit is alsousedwith the meaningof 'anyway'. This very often
in the text. phrase will appear
64 Referenceto existingcorruptionandembezzlement.
65 Therearetwo holy daysamongothersin Islam Va "Id-Al-Firr which is
called -
celebratedat the endof Ramd5n,the monthof fasting,and 'Id-AI.AdhB,the holy day of
sacrificewhenpeoplesacrifiýethe lamb, a rite in connectionwith Abraham.
 109

broaddaylight,we arenot at war...anyway,carryon...you weresayingthemattergot

worse...

Keeper Yes Mr. HaRb, it got really seriouswhenthe councilopenedthe file on the zoo the
workerssLrted to sendletterscomplainingaboutthedifferentdepartments.Someone
wasaskingwhy they werekeepingthe dovesin cages,he saiddovesare the symbol
of freedomand after all we have fought for freedomourselvesand we are still
f ighting for it.. Anotherone said monkeysshouldweartrousers,they shouldlook
decent..Someone askedfor a pieceof landto build a houseon andin returnhewould
bring an elephantfrom Ethiopiabecausehis brother-in-lawworksthereandoffer it to
the zoo; he said we would smuggle66 it into the country...Anyway, the municipal
councilopenedan enquiryandcalledpeoplefor interrogation... Thecouncilheardthe
mostincredibleandamazingstories...They wereaskingpeopleonly one question-
"Whatdo you think of the zoo?" Oh my god! YOu shouldhaveheardthe answers...
you had- "this is the first time I hearof the existenceof a zoo in our city... do these
animalsbelongto the state? " and - "we shouldbuild a shelterfor the night keeper
right in themiddleof thezoo with a small windowon eachsideso that he can watch
better"...

Uabib If theytakeup this suggestion

you're finished,you'll becomea prisoner.
Keeper Someonesuggestedto put the eagle in international competitions, he would win gold
medals becausehe is a unique eagle, he is strong and can fast for a whole month.
Someoneelse said "the food which is brought in secret to the zoo is foreign food..
that's what happenedin some African countries"...

4abib Yesthe foodis foreign,it comesfrom outside,from outsideft municipality.

Keeper Anotherone said"I havenothingto do with it, I only work for the municipalityand
the food you're talking about,the food smuggledinto the countryis a matterwhich
the
concerns customs because this is "
contraband. And another one said "these
smugglersare theenemiesof the country,they aresaboteurs, theywant to poisonour
animals,theywantto infectthemwith oneof thedangerous diseases from Europeand
let themout to attackour people,so watchouLIwatchout!" This one got applause.
He also suggested to tetherthe animalsinside their shelters. Anotherone told them
"yesI tooka few ducks,but I tookthemto the municipalsummerholidaycamp.well
it's obviousI took themfor our children." Anothersaid"I swearthat I am innocent,
God is my witness,I wantedto take the parrot homeand raise him just for a good
deedand I had appliedto you in writing but you rejectedmy application"...Another
one said "apart from a bit of cinnamon67and some dates68 I took from the she-
elephantI didn't takeanythingelse,I don't like animalsanyway,and if you wantme
to pay for what I took, fair enoughI shall pay but on conditionthat everybodyelse
pays." And anotheronetold them"you know?imperialism...imperialismhasgreat
potentialsand variousmeansfor its operations.Whatcana poorkeeperarmedwith a
stick do againstspies who enter the zoo at night with weaponsand sophisticated
equipment?WeU,he needsa tank69. " Oh Mr. ValTibtheywent on andon... By the
way,on this if
point what they brought me a tank? And do you know? I can't even
ride a bicycle7O...Anyway, the file got thicker and thicker.heavierand heavierand
everybodyin the council and municipality was more worried and more fired; they

66Ile word in the text is trabendumeaning'smuggling' or contraband.It is a slang

word usedonly in Western Algeria. Reference to the excessivesmugglingof goodsin
andout of the country.
67 In the text 'bits of cinnamon'or 'sticks of cinnamon'.
68 In the text the word gharsmeansdatepaste. It is madeof very soft dateswhich are
squashedtogetherwith their stonesandwrappedin goatskin.
69 Transliteratedin the text.
70 In the text bscl-atfrom the Frenchbicyclette.
 110

were all lost.. well even now, at this very moment, even if I arrest you the matter
remains unsolved...Hey Mr. Ijabib, what about sendingthem a letter about the tank?

lial7ib No, not yetýthe animals still need food and care... but you can join us and give us a
hand since our operation is still secret.

Keeper Right away, I'm willing to help you in any way I can.

Habib All the neighbourhood feelsconcernedaboutthe zoo and they're all committedfor
thewell beingof theanimals.We won't dropthematteruntil theyrind a positiveand
fair solution...The zoo is situatedin the poor part of the city and the rich don't feel
concernedaboutit at all, they take their childrento EuropebecauseEuropeanzoos
havemore animalsand offer a wider rangeof entertainment... thereforewe can say
that this zoo is the people'szoo, it's our children'sgardenand you're in a better
positionthanme to know who comeshereeveryday...So, if you want to help us you
mustget up early in the morningbeforethe attendantscometo work and cleanthe
animalsshelters;you mustdo it everyday to keepthe animalshealthyandget rid of
their horriblesmell.

Keeper You cancounton me Mr. Vabib,I shall starttomorrowmorning...I havea ladderat

home,I shalluseit to get to thegiraffe.

HalTib And spreadthenewsthatthe spiesof imperialismhaveceasedtheir operationsin the

ZOO.

Keeper That'seasy,I cando it. I will say "the spiesphonedme andsaid that the workersof
the municipalitywere,too hardand cleverfor them." I will also say that they have
changed their plans,they intend to enter homes,they will mingle with the T.V.
picturesandenter...houses...is thatgood?

HaRb Find somethingacceptable, somethingpeoplecanbelieve-youknow we havealready

startedto build bigger and bettersheltersfor the animalsin one of the municipal
workshops;we havealsomadecontactswith friendsin other servicesto improveand
embellishthezoofor our children.

Keeper GoodLord! Justa few minutesagoyou lookedsmallandnow I seeyou asbig asthe

wall facingme.

HatTib (mimingfeedinga guinea-fowl.)

Here have some more my girl... look this guinea fowl lost all the feathers from her
-
neck because she was constantly sticking her head out of the fence to pick grass,but
now... here look new feathersare growing...

Keeper I mustgo now...duty calls...well you carryon then.

lial7ib I have almost finished, there is only the Turkey-cock...the guinea-pigs...and the
gazelleto feed.

Keeper Pleasecall meanytimeyou needme,don't hesitate...Please.

Habib Ibere are somedockerswho havebeendismissed;someof them havebeenout of

work for morethan ten months;as the celebrationsor the holy day are approaching
we havedecidedto collect donationsfor them...go to your work... I'll call on you
tomorrowor thedayafterandtell you moreaboutit.

Keeper Up to you...Look dearfriend, whenyou arefinishedleavefrom the othersidepiease;

takethe mainalley, the one with flowers,palm treesand fenceson eachside,I shall
openthegatefor you.
 ill

Ijabib Tell the lads I won't be long, tell them also that you delayedme.

Keeper Did I?

Ijabib I meanyou kept me talking... (addressingthe dogsand cats.) Be quiet you, I said
until I finish...priority for the prisoners...you lot can find food outside...comehere
my pretty gazelle... Mariam loves you, you know shekeeps the
asking neighbours for
bread;if they haveanythingleft over they bring it to me and say "take it to your
gazelle"...cometo memy girl... comesymbolof beautyandfreedom.

(Theyeidt- Black out)

EPISODE THREE: THE STORY OF QADDUR

(The narrator sitting on a chair and playing the banjo. lie presentsthe story of QaddZ7r)

Narrator He built high walls and houses

Mortar and bricks took all his energy and sweat
Today is Friday, he leavesthe site to travel home
He can't wait - he is longing for his wife and children.
Qaddlrrpackedhis clothes, he is going to have a rest
He said good-byeto his friends and left happy and proud
Friends, you are lonely, I shall bring you food7l from home, he said.
He got on the bus smiling and his eyesshining with joy.
He built high walIs and big houses
Mortar and bricks took all his energy and sweat
Today is Friday, he leavesthe site to travel home
He can't wait - he is longing for his wife and children
He thinks of Fatima the wife he loves dearly
Qaddirr wants to seehis children to forget the hard work
Qadd6r wants to seehis children and be happy
Warm family atmospherethat's what he wants.
Ile journey is long, not a word, he just sighs
He kept thinking of his little daughterMan*a*ma
Who forgets he is her father and calls him uncle
She calls him uncle like an orphan calls a stranger
She is shy, he gives her sweetsand she goesto him
He built high walls and big houses
Mortar and bricks took all his energy and sweat
Today is Friday, he leavesthe site to travel home
He can't wait - he is longing for his wife and children
He got off the bus and ran aH the way home
But found his housefilled with sadnessand misery
Fatima was in bed4she was ill, she looked white and weak
And little Mariama was doing the housework.
What happened,why this tragedy, where are my children
QaddCrrwas wondering in a stateof shock and despair.
The neighboursoppositeare mourning, the father is dead
'Xisha is helping72,there are many friends and relatives
The little oneswent to fetch water and the eldest is out
He left school and now he is wandering in the streets
Like a vagrant and putting himself at risk
He built high walls and big houses
Mortar and bricks took all his energyand sweat

71 In the text - 'provisions'.

72 In the text taftal- meaning'to roll couscous. Mie way to makecouscousis to roll
semolinagraduallyaddingflour andwaterto obtainpelletswhich arethenrubbed
througha net.
 112

Todayis Friday,heleavesthesiteto travelhome

He can't wait - he is longingfor his wife andchildren.
Thoughtired heput on a happyfaceto cheerFaima
We missedyou shesaidwith a sighwiping hereyes
He leantandkissedheron the foreheadthenwentout
He pulleda packetof henna, 73andput it on herchest
I shalldye my hair with it nextFridayshesaid
Hereis thehousekeeping money,he said,I'm goingto havea bath
And get you somemedicine,I shallbe backbeforethefuneral.
Repairtheroof beforeit falls downandburiesus shesaid.
He built highwallsandbig houses
Mortarandbrickstookall his energyandsweat
Todayis Friday,heleavesthesiteto travelhome
He can't wait - he is longingfor his wife andchildren.
Qaddýrhadhis day'srest,hespentit undertherain
Trying to solvethevariousproblemshis family faces
He hadno timeto play with his childrenor staywith his wife
He got up earlyto startanotherweekof hardwork
His wife lookedat him andwith a smilewishedhim well
HopingandprayingnextFridayhe wouldrest
Hopingandprayingthingswon't getworse.
He built high wallsandbig houses
Mortarandbrickstookall his energyandsweat
He can't wait - he is longingfor his wife andchildren.

EPISODE FOUR: THE STORY OF IAKLI AND MNAWWAR

(Circular rostrumwith thenarratorandfour actorsstandingroundit. Theypresentthestoryof 'Akli and

Mnawwarthesamewayas thestoryofRiba4ij

Narrator There was between'Akli and Mnawwar a strong relationship,a bond of great
friendship;neitherhidesanythingfrom the other and neitherdoesanythingwithout
consultingtheother.

They had a kind of innocent affection for eachother and their friendship was genuine
and sincere. No one could intrude and spoil their relationship. Obviously they would
disagreenow and then in their discussionsbut they never fight. Indeed there was a
great friendship between 'AU and Mnawwar. 'Akli, may he rest in peaCe74, died
more than ten years ago yet the bond of friendship between the two is live and still
exists.

7bere was between'Akli and Mnawwara pledge,a pact. In fact it's that pledge
whichuntil now strengthenedtheir bond. 'Akli andMnawwar worked together for a
long time andhad numerousexperiences;they learneda lot from eachother. 7bey
wereboth workingin a high schOO175,'Akli wasa cookandMnawwara porter. They
liked each other and becamefriends the first weeksafter they met, it was a few
monthsafterIndependence.

73 In this casethe hennais in its naturalform that is dry hennaleaves.

74 'May he rest in peace'or 'Mercy of God be uponhim' is a phrasealwaysusedwhen
someonespeaksof someonedead. It is often usedin this scene.
75 TOnawiyya' - secondary- is the legacyof theFrenchlycee. In this caseit is a
boardingschool. Becauseof the limited numberof high schoolsunderFrenchrule and
up to the mid-seventies,childrenfrom villagesandsmall townswould go to the
boardinghigh schoolin the nearestcity. Thereareno moreboardingschoolsnow as
the governmentbuilt schools(primaryandsecondary)in the mostremoteareas.
 113

AS WC76said earlier, 'Akli is dead but for Mnawwar he is still working and making
himself useful although indirectly. Mnawwar thinks that his friend is still working
with him in the school. 'Akfi was tall and slightly overweight he had a long waxed
moustache77 and a loud but nice voice. He used to speak clearly and with eloquence,
he was also straight. Mnawwar is rather short and ten years younger than 'Akh; he
grew up in the country and he still lives by the values he was taught. There was a
great friendship between 'Akli and Mnawwar. During one of their regular evenings
they talked as usual about their school and its problems, about the parents who didn't
want to organise a meeting on the treasurer who embezzled a lot of money with the
help of the butcher and other suppliers, and also about the stationery. They talked
about various problems and their possible solutions; they sighed with pity and said the
state should play its role in education. To end the discussion 'Akfi stood up and said
that he had an idea germinating in his mind, an idea in the interest of the school. He
said "I'll let it develop78 tonight and tomorrow we shall have a cultural session and
talk about it... I feel a bit tired, my knees are aching and as you can see I had a bit too
much to drink". "Do as you wish my friend, " said Mnawwar then he accompanied
him home. The following day they met as agreed and discussed 'Akli's idea. "I want
to offer my body, I mean my skeleton to the school and I want you to be in charge of
the execution of this wish, " said 'Akli - Mnawwar was shocked, "God save us!
Almighty God help us!... Why think of such ideas my friend, why?... you see brother.
you see where alcohol leads to?... You offer the skeleton, your own skeleton to the
school?... Dear God, Almighty God take this evil idea off my friend's mind... you
offer your bones to the school?... It's more than ten years that we are friends and I
never thought you'd come up with such an idea... If anybody upset you in this school
just tell me... here I am with my cane, yes the forefathers' weapon, it's behind me and
I can stfll use it with great skill you know79... Anyway, who upset you and made you
discard your body? "... - "Let me explain said 'Akli, I will die before long, the time is
approaching8O... from what they told me at the hospital I think my liver is seriously
damaged by wine and it has started to degenerate"81...
"That's just worry and nostalgia brother! "...
-

- "No... nobody knows about this except you. I have considered the question
seriouslyand thoughtthattwo or threeyearsaftermy deathyou dig out my bonesand
gatherthem to makea skeletonfor the school...it will be usedin naturalscience82
classes...As our schoollacks teachingmaterialsmy skeletonwill be usefulfor our
childrenand it's better for the country to use mine rather than import one from
abroad,from France".83

"Almighty God save him! Why should you wish death to yourself? Ilis is
-
thankGodyou'restill in very goodhealthandasstrongasa bull."85
heresy&4..

76 Story-tellersin North Africa neverusethe first personsingular. The pronoundwe'is

usedto makea transitionasin this case(or 'as we weresaying'). Tile natureof their
materialrequiresreportedspeech,hencethe useof 'he, she,they said,did, told...etc.'
77 The wearingof this kind of moustachewasvery commonamongBerbersfrom
Kabylia (north-centralpart of Algeria), usuallywom by middle-agedmen. It is also
worth mentioningthat "Akli is Kabyle andhis nameis usedonly by this race.
79 In the text 'I shall let it brew...'
79 Mnawwaris from the countryandindeedthe canewasusedasa weapon.
90Phrasecommonlyusedandmeaning'the time of death[which is decidedby God] is
approaching. ' Anotherphrase- 'the decisionof deathis in the handof God'.
81 In the text 'it hasstartedto breakslowly into little pieces'.
82Literal translationof the Arabic name. Again a legacyfrom the Frenchsystemwhere
the subjectis calledsciencenaturelles.Ilie subjectincludes,throughthe different
schoolforms, the studyof man,animals,birds,fish androcks.
83Francein the samecontexthasthe meaningof foreign country,abroad,overseas.
94In the text the word literally means'you ignore' hencetobe ignorant, 'ignorantof
God', 'ignoring the existenceof God'.-..etc.
85 In the text 'strongerthanthe Spanishbull'.
 114

-"Ibe end Mnawwar, the end I can see it coming soon. I want to serve more, I want
to be more useful to the school, the school where we worked most of our life... I want
to be of someusein the teachingand training of the youth..."

- "Your nationalistic passionis fantastic,yes it's so strong that it is urging you to offer
your bones...why go so far?... You want us to dig you out of the grave, build you up...
and put you to stand here, inside the school like an ornamnt? 7bis must be the
...
books you read on philosophy and history which turned your head Pleaserepentand
...
come back to God... or, I tell you what, go and have a bottle or two maybethey'll take
this evil idea off your mind." "I thought the matter over and consideredall aspects"...
said 'Akli.

- "you crazy fool, stop blaspheming, God may bring us an'earthquake this very
night... maybe the school will collapseand we all die except you, savedby God..."

-"Another school will inherit and benefit from my bones. You know Mnawwar death
comes to everybody, there are some who expect it to come suddenly and others who
are ready for it... it's a matter of choice..."

-"Incredible! 'Akfi this is incredible,

instead
of leavingyour bonesto restin in
peace
the mercyof the Almighty you want to offer themwhile they'restill sustainingyour
body."

- "After all they are my bonesand I am their owner and what's more, the law protects
private property..."

- "you're right, yes it's your bones...

peopleleave castlesand behind
treasures and
you want to leavemeyour bones. " Mnawwarlookedat his friendandknew that he
was determined,then he said "I'm sorry 'Akli, let me get over the shockand give
myselftime to think aboutthis mattertonight; tomorrow,God willing, we'll havea
gooddiscussionandexaminethequestionthoroughly,you'd bettergo homenow and
havesomerest,try alsoto think more aboutit... 'Akli, sinceyou wish to becomea
public propertyI will not botheryou anymore...We shall,keepthe vertebralcolumn
intactto preservethevalueof thepresent"...

7berewas a greataffectionbetween'AkIi andMnawwar. 77heytalkedin secretand

studiedthe matterover and over again. Everynight theyexaminedoneaspect,they
studiedthe scientific aspectand learnedhow the bones are assembled;from a
phisophicalpoint of view they said that Islam calls for learningand sacrifice;they
alsoapproached theirproblemfrom the legal angle,they lookedin manybooks,they
alsowent throughtM constitutionin detailand found no clausewhich forbids their
project.

'Akli and Mnawwaragreedmore and more and had a better understanding of the
matter. 'Akli wrotea letterthenaskedMnawwarfor his finger,"give us your finger...
comeon brothergive usyour finger",at which Mnawwarreplied- "you arethepublic
property,not me...sendthemyour own finger, after all it's you who are makingthe
donation".

- "Comeon brother.
give usyour fingerI said."

- "You aretheir propertynot me,so sendthemyour own finger...you am makingthe

donationnot me."

- "Come on give usyour ringer.you can't sign properly,can You? So comehereand

put your f ingerprint asa signaturenextto mine."86

96 A practice introduced by i-heFrench for illiterate people. The signatureis the print of
the right index.
 115

Then they setoff to executetheir projectandapproached different departments; the

answersthey got were incredible, answers -like "In The Name Of Allah The Most
GraciousThe DispenserOf Grace,BlessingsAnd PrayersBe Upon The Rast And]
BestOf His Messengers87... to
now answeryour question I say thatit is the Red Cross
peoplewho know about thesethings, they will solve your problem", and - "your
projectremindsme of the pharaohs... our countryis taking anotherdirection...you
shouldsubmita socialreport,a projectthat useful is for the country... think about it
more...you have a large varietyof socialproblems to choose from" - and - "you got
the wrong address,are you trying to get us into trouble with the Departmentof
Museums? " - Someonethoughtthat 'Akli was alreadydead,he said "my deepest
but
sympathy... you will have to wait until there is a ministry for such affairs." They
werealso told - "We are bringing a substantialnumberof skeletons from India. As
you know India is our friend and a developingcountry like us. Furthermorethe
skeletonswe are bringing aregenuine but they are alive,and they can walk too, " - and
- "after the gentleman's death and his burial get two witnesses who must also be dead
to signand statethat the gentleman'ssoul hasreally risento heaven,thenthe restof
theprocedureis simple." The lastagentstartedto complainsaying"I see...you offer
meatto the othersandbring me the bonesto gnaw...they all boughtcars...they all
boughtvillas...exceptme...exceptme...exceptme."

'Akli and Mnawwar didn't give up, they kept insisting until they succeeded. The
administration dealing with the matter accepted the offer and replied officially to
'Akli and at the end of their document they thanked him and congratulated him as
'AkIi the brave militant who offers his body in the interestsof science...After their
congratulationsand their thanks they hoped the skeleton was in good condition and
the life of the donor short. 'Akli and Mnawwar jumped with joy when they received
the reply... then Mnawwar fell to his knees and started a prayer to thank God, and
'Akli rushed to the off-licence for a couple of bottles which he drank straight away
then came back to his friend and said - "now is
my mind at rest, I can die in peace
now... You keep an eye on me just in I
case get dizzy I
or get hit by a car... I am now
the property of the stateand you are my sole and responsibleguardian."

Therewas between'Akli and Mnawwara warm affection...'Akli, Mercy of God be

upon him, died more than ten yearsago and after all this time Mnawwar remains
faithful and loyal to his friend, he still keepsdeeplyin his heart that love for his
friend,thelove whichstrengthens thebondbetweenthem.

(Blackout.the narrator movesto theotherendoffront-stage,theactorsexit.)

87This invocationis alwaysusedby Muslimsjust beforethey startanythingin daily

life i. e. a speech,writing, eating,driving, travelling...etc. We haveoptedfor the literal
translationof the 'Best Of His Messengers' because it is by
meant most Muslims. We
haveadded[The Last] to makethe referenceto the prophetMuhammad.The other
invocationis "In The NameOf Allah The Most Gracious,The DispenserOf Grace,
BlessingsAnd PrayersBe Upon Our MasterMuhammadThe MessengerOf Allah And
Upon All His Family And His Companions".The first part of this invocation"In The
NameOf Allah The Most Gracious,The DispenserOf Grace"is the original invocation
openingthe Koran andstartingall the Surilt (chapters) nine.
exceptS11rahnumber It is
alsoan invocationusedin daily life.
98 Allusion to corruptionandembezzlement.
 116

(A minimal setting representing a class-room. Afewpupils playing. Enter a woman-teacherin a white

-
blouse.)

Teacher89 Pleasesit down...thankyou... Last time we studiedin our naturalscienceclassthe

externaland internalstructuresof the humanbodyaswell asthe cellsandthetissues.
Today we shall study the skeleton...silence,silence,pleasel We shall look at the
numberof thebonesandthe differentpartsof the skeleton...today'slessonis related
to the study of bones...it is short and easy but our school gives it a particular
importancein the sensethat it has in its possessiona genuinehumanskeleton...
silenceplease!...It is a skeletonof a manwho wasa cook in this school. His name
was 'Akli Amezgran,mercy of God be upon him... thereforeour lessonbearsa
particularimportancesincewe havesomethinguniquein its kind...On theotherhand,
Mr. Mnawwar,theschoolporter...silenceplease!..the well knownandrespected Mr.
Mnawwarwill bringthe skeletonsoon...Theporterwasthe cook'sclosestfriendand
now he is the soleguardianentrustedwith theremainsof his friend.Mr. Mnawwaris
knownto everybodyfor he hasan exceptionalart of relatingstoriesparticularlywhen
he talks aboutthe life of his friend 'Akli... Thereforeit would be usefulfor us to try
andconvinceMr. Mnawwarto staywith us andparticipatein our class...silence!The
aim is to makeoar guesttalk aboutthe cook...in otherwordshe will bring his dear
old friend to life, thuswhathe sayswould beusefulfor our lessonasit will helpyou
in othersubjects...silence! Call Mr. Mnawwarandlet's try to inducehim to talk but
let's do it in a clever and polite mannerand avoid confusion...silence!...Here he
comes,take your seats. (Enter Mnawwar) Today our lessonis on the skeleton...
welcome...welcomeMr. Mnawwar!

Mnawwar Goodafternoonmy children!

PUPHS90 (all together) Good evening9l Mr. Mnawwar!

Mnawwar Herehe is well wrappedandcovered,looking decent92 as requiredby religiouslaw.

Your Uncle 'Akli, mercyof God be upon him... well, learnabouthim andget some
knowledge.the countrywill benefitfrom you. Let me get on a chair to uncoverthe
poor man. (He removesthe sheetcoveringthe skeleton. ) Hem he is... hem is the
marvellousman...

Teacher (pointingat an apýontied roundtheskeleton.

)

- Whataboutthis?

Mnawwar This is a cook's apron93..it is the apronhe usedto wearat work and it is the only
thing he left behind...I tied it roundhis waistto coverhis lowerparI94...I wantedhim
to look decent...well it's a goodthing to be decentbut I think you're confusedmy
daughter,thingsaremixedup in your he-ad.

Teacher In fact

Mnawwar Shall we takeit off teacher?All right then...sinceit is for an educationalpurpose

let's removeit. (He startsto untie theapron)Actually he usedto sayfrequently,one
shouldn'tbe shy to talk about thingsrelatedto science...Well teacher,here he is

89 The teacherspeaksin modem standardArabic.

90 For the pupils the author usesal-jamP which means I all' or 'the whole group'. We
have opted for 'pupils' becauseof the context adding 'all together' betweenbrackets
when the pupils respond all together.
91 We have kept the meaning of the greeting in Arabic although we do not think that
classesare held in the evening.
92 The allusion is about the covering of the lower part of the skeleton.
93 In the text 'the belt of the profession.
94 In the text 'I tied it round his waist for decency.'
 117

nakedýI shallcomebackandfetchhim whenyou finish your lesson...You mayget

as close to him as you wish but don't touch him. Teacher,when you finish send
La'raj Ben Difa to call me becauseI want to twist his earsall the way back to the
classroom; he needsto be punishedfor smoking and for calling me "weasel-
face".4addressinga pupil). You think I didn't see you hiding behind the tree?
(turning to the teacher) He was sitting on the pavement,legs crossedand puffing
away...smokinga cigarette...yessmokinga cigarettebiggerthanhim. Anyway,see
you latermy daughter..

Pupas (all togethercalling him back) Mr. Mnawwar!..Mr. Mnawwar!..Mr. Mnawwar!..

-
Mnawwar What'sgoingon?..What'sthematterwith you? Are you demonstrating
or what...?

Pupils (they repeat) Mr. Mnawwar!.. Mr. Mnawwar!.. Mr. Mnawwar!..

Teacher Silence!... Silence!

Mnawwar Do you want me to lose my job? You're makingan uproarand the head-teacher
is
outsidein thecourt-yard.Whatdo youwant?

Teacher Mr. Mnawwar, they want you to spenda little of your time with them and talk about
your friend 'Akli.

Mnawwar 7bey always play this trick on me teacher...thesekids get on my nervesyou know -
they don't like to study and they always find excuses...What am I going to do with
them now?

Teacher Let's talk togetherabouttheskeleton;I speakto themaboutthebonesandyou talk to

themabouttheman.

Mnawwar If I'm not wrong,I think you'reon their side,yes?

Teacher If you leavethey'll makea racketandthereis nothingI cando.

Mnawwar You're not the type to give in or be overpowered...

we know each other well. You
know teacher...my fziendcalledfor the learningof science,he alwaysinsistedon
science...yes, science...but thereis nothingI cancontributein this field...The kids
wantto play, they'restill youngandnot fully awareof theimportanceof learning.

Teacher (addressingthePupils) Shall we let Mr. Mnawwargo backto his work?(Sheputs

her armsup andwavesa 'No' signalto thepupils)

Pupils (all together) No! No! Mr. Mnawwad...Mr. Mnawwar!

Teacher Silence!..Silence!..you see,theydon't wantyou to leave

Mnawwar You're behind everythingteacher...Shall we let Mr. Mnawwar go?... - and you
stretchyour armsup...why, am I going to work up in the air? Why don't you show
the door?...Now I'm in serioustroublewith Mama95...she's waiting oppositethe
gate...I told her thatI wouldbe backin five minutes;she'sgoing to think I'm lateon
purpose,well that'sit, I've hadit.

Teacher I will talk to her and explaineverything...I will tell her that you helpedus with Our
lesson.

95 His wife.
 118

Mnawwar Shewon't sayanythingin front of you but she'll get at me, later (lookingthrough
...
the window) Look... look at the way she'sstandingat the gate... like a soldier...a
long scarftied roundherhead96,she'srestingon hercane.

Teacher Silence!

Mnawwar (to pupils) You're laughinghey?... (to a girl) Linda A]-Dja'bgd, you'd better
not show yourself to your aunt Mama becauseyou'll get the cane for what you
did (to teacher)- whatdo you wantmeto sayabouttheskeleton?
...
Teacher TeUusabout'Akfi, intmducehim, then

Mnawwar The late 'Akli Amezg1ranwas born in 1920 near the town of Bordj Menayel97...He
emigrated at the age of eighteen. He came back in 1946.7be same year he got
married,98,he took his wife with him and left his parenLs99.He startedto work in this
school as a cook assistantand stayedhere until 1956 when he was arrestedand put in
prison till 1962100. After he was arrested his wife and children went back to Bordj
Menayel... His wife died in 1961. His children grew up and stayed with their
grandfatherand as for him he didn't marry again. After Independencehe came back
to work in this school... in a way it was him who started again the catering in this
school. The budget was limited during the first period of Independenceand he was
feeding the kids with lentils, beansand macaroni. It was during that period that we
met and becamefriends. The first day we met, the poor man noticed I was shy and
not at ease. I had just arrived from the country and urban life was all new to melOt -
"let the canehang on your arm like a gentlemanor a brokerIO2,don't hold it tight like
a shepherd, it scares the children... you are a free man now. relax and enjoy
yourself"... (he puts the cane on his arm and as if he were addressing hisfriend says)
- 'Akli, like this?... (to pupils) And now good bye!

Pupils Mr. Mnawwar! Mr. Mnawwar!

...
Teacher Take a seat...relax... (pointingat her desk) Here, you have a chair and a table
pleasesit down.

(Mr. Mnawwarsitsat thedesk)

Mnawwar Great, really great'.. Funny times! 1This is indeed the funny century our forefathers
predicted103...everything is upside down, the porter sits at the desk and the teacher
standsup! If Mama comes in and seesme in this position she would screamwith joy
and say 'come on give me more money for the housekeeping since they have
increasedyour salary.'

96 Most old womenin Algeria tie a small turbanon top of a scarfround the head.
97A town in Kabylia, north-cenu-al Algeria.
98 In the text 'his parentsmarriedhim'.
99Usually youngmenstaywith their parentswhenthey get marriedbut this is
graduallydisappearing.
100This is during the War of Independence - 1954- 1962.
101Therewasa largerural migrationtowardsthe cities after independence asa resultof
war.
102In Algeria a brokeris morea go-betweenin businessdeals. The connotationof the
word swnZaris 'that who extractsmoney', thegreedy.
103)Wed6 not know whetherthis unfoundedandrathersuperstitiouspredictionexistsin
otherArab countriesbut in Algeria the storyrefersto the fourteenthcenturyin the
Muslim calendar(twentiethcenturyA.D.). Sometime in the pastpeoplepredictedthat
our centurywill know an unprecedented upheavalof moral andreligiousvaluesandthat
it could be the endof the world.
 119

Teacher It is the skeletonwhichgives thebody its shapeandits uprightposture;it holdsthe

musclesandprotectsthe innersoft structureof thebody. The skull Protectsthebmin
andtherib cageprotectsthe heartandthelungs. Thereis a total of 206 bonesin the
skeleton.

Mnawwar Yes 206... 1 have countedthem. (To a pupil) Write... Write... Skk-urn A]-Ghu-u,write
down 206... you've been playing with your hair since the beginning of the lesson,I
have noticed you.

Teacher How did you countthemMr. Mnawwar?

Mnawwar My friend usedto teachme... He usedto bring his books and cattle bonesevery
eveningandexplainto meeverything...hewantedto makesureI knewhow to put his
skeletontogether...I can't rememberthe namesof all the bones...he wasteachingme
in French...I can remember...le cr4neand lefl=004... Ilie words he taughtme
soundedlike swearwords. He wouldcheckthatI learnedthemby heartandhewould
repeat"rememberwell, 206... 206"... so much so that wheneverMama saw him
comingto thehouseshewould say"your friend206 is coming"...It's true...206...he
didn't lie... WhenI broughtmy friend out of the graveI countedthemoneby one
...
threebonesfrom the handwere missing...I stayedin the gravelooking for them...
7be poor policeman105 who accompanied me wasstartledwhenhe sawme countthe
bonesandput themin the basket... "What areyou doing?,"he said,be afraidof GodV
I saidthatthreebonesweremissingto make206. It's my late friend's wish...I took
my friend's skull, shooktheearthoff thenI kissedit andsaid "It's my friend's wish,
hewantedmeto." I keptthepolicemanwaiting, he saton thenextgrave,holdinghis
headin both handsthen he said: "Look man,if you reachMasterAzraell()6intact,
give the jinns I "I
a party". said promisedto takecareof these bones...
so 206 is
206."["Digging out humanbones! I don't understand", he said]107I told him that I
was usedto bonesand that he shouldn'tbe afraid. I didn't want to talk moreas I
noticedthat he wasratherafraid of me, he hadone handon his holsterandhe was
holdingthewitnesswith theother. Every-timeI pickedup a boneandcleanedit he
said a prayer...Anyway I gatheredall the 206 bonesof my friend and said to the
policeman"lets go now". He said"thank God!" and calledme names.On our way
out of thecemeteryI wascarryingthebasketin onehandandholdingthepoliceman's
handwith the other becausehe was stumblingand praying all the way. "Sod this
horriblejob," he said. "Actually,I said,theyshouldtrain you for suchthings"..."One
moreword andI will arrestyou", he said...At thegate,thecemeterywardenfinished
him off. When he saw the policemanwaspale he said"I'll get you somewater,let
meget thegourdfrom the grave,,I keepit in the gravebecausewaterstayscold...If
you want to lie down come to my place here in this hut, it's nice and cool. the
atmosphere of the cemeterygives it a nice coolness...yes,just lie down and relax,
don't worry..."

Teacher Thereare threepartsin the skeletonof the humanbody: the bonesof the head,the
bonesof the trunk andthe bonesof the limbs. In the headwe havethe bonesof the
skull and thebonesof the face. The skull compriseseight boneswhich are flat and
saw-toothed, they are interlockedtogetherby the tiny teethon their edgesto form a

104Thesewordsdo not appearin the script. Therearetwo blank spaces.We suppose

they aremissingbecausethe scriptis typedin Arabic andthe typist forgot to addthem
in French,so we haveoptedfor le crdne(the skull) andlef9mur (the femur)just to give
two examplesof frenchnamesof bonesMr. Mnawwarremembers.
105We havetranslateddarki meaninggendarmein Frenchby policemanbecausewe
couldn't find the exactequivalentin English.
106'Azrael' is the angelof death.
107Ibis is an alternativetranslationbecausewe havefelt thatclosea translationof this
line would not makesensein English;it is asfollows; "Meat he said,meatis not
touchedafter six or sevendays."
 120

solidbox, not entirelyclosed,whichprotectsthebraininsideit. Theback-bone

of the
skull is calledtheocciput...Haveyou writteneverythingdown?

Pupils (all together)YesMiss!

Teacher Mr. Mnawwar,so?

Mnawwar What do'you mean 'so'..? As you can seeI'm in good health, I'm all right, just fine

Teacher I meanwhathappened
afterthecemetery?

Mnawwar I spent the first nights on my own with my friend's skeleton... Poor Marna went to
stay with her relatives. She said that she was scaredand that she would come back
after I had assembledthe skeleton and taken it elsewhere...Anyway, I followed his
instructions, I put the bonestogether and built the skeleton assembledhim just as
-I
you seehim 108now - Then I went to fetch Mama... I must confess,I was scaredthe
first night too... (To the skeleton) I'm sorry 'Akli but I never lied to you
before Goodnessme, he has a frightening look... 7bank God I had thought of the
...
Koran to keep me company... I read fulr:51409 'Al-A'Far that is 'the Faculty of
Discernment'110- it too has 206 verses and I would read each verse to each bone...
-
My in-laws cameto see'the creature' which made Mama leave home... I asked them
to come in for coffee and meet my friend who was standing behind the wardrobelII-
They refused and said "It's all right we can have a look from the door step..." Marna
understoodand came back home on her own. I wrote to 'Akh's father in the bit of
Arabic I know. Poor me, he replied in Berberl 12 and I could find nobody to read the
letter for me... it was a long letter, at the end he quoted some versesfrom the Koran
which helped me guess that he was upset with his son and myself and that he
consideredus polytheists. His poor sister explained to me later... one year, during 'Id
celebrations113 she came to visit her brother in our house; she stayed with us for
three days... Before she left she gave me her addressand said: "If you need a female
skeleton write to me... I would like to *standnext to my brother and keep him
company"...Mama was crying and I didn't know what to say... I said: "you don't need
to trouble yourself.. they're going to import plastic skeletons". The first days were a
bit difficult becauseof what I had done... The whole neighbourhoodheard about the
skeleton and my house was invaded by people... God knows the number of sick
people who came to me asking about 'Master Mnawwar the Healer'l 14...Kids would
climb up the wall, hangon the window gridl 15and look... And women! every minute
a woman comesto ask Mama - "Dear sister, teR me, I hear you have a chainedfemale
ghost in the houseand she's giving you trouble..." and Mama would say: "7bat's only
Mnawwar's poor late friend if you want to see him I'll uncover him for you." One
...
of those weird women came'to me and said: "Here is fifty pounds, I want to hire the
hand of the skeleton, I just want to roll some couscous with it and I'll bring it
back"I 16 What a messit was!

108Mnawwarpersonifiesthe skeleton.He refersto his friend, that is why we have

optedfor 'him' insteadof 'it'.
109fu-raýisa chapterin the Koran. ,
110We thoughtit usefulto follow theArabic title with its Englishequivalent.
III martu is takenfrom the Spanishword armario - wardrobe.
112In the text 'the Amaz"I"ghlanguage. Amazighis the original BerberWordfor
Amazighpeople,meaning'the freepeople'.
113'7d celebrations,seefootnote46.
114Allusion to people'ssuperstitionsandtheir belief in charlatansthinking they are
endowedwith supernaturalpowersto cureandpredictthe future. Thesecharlatansare
addressed as 'Master...'.
I is What is meantin the text is a kind of fenceoutsidethe window fixed on a grid
is
which fixed on the wall. T'hechildrenactuallyhangon the fence.
116This is for witchcraft. Therearemanystoriesaboutwitcheswho usehandsof the
deadto roll couscouswith. The aim is to makethe personwho eatsthe cousCOus
 121

Teacher Thebonesof the face:thereis a total of 14 boneswhich form one singleunit except
thelowerjaw-bonewherethelower teetharefixed. Eachsideof the lowerjaw-bone
is connectedto the temple-boneby a round extremitycalled the 'condyle'. The
slightlybentshapeof thecondyleandthe transverse cavity betweenthecondyleand
thetemple-bone allow theverticaland lateralmovementsof the lowerjaw.

Mnawwar He was very intelligent. What a brain! A brainhe filled with booksand wine.(To
theskeleton) Sorry aboutthat my friend, you know I love you and have respect for
you...Oh yes,he learneda lot all by himself. Becausehe wasa widowerhe usedto
readandstudy books he
all nightandsometimes wouldmakeremarks like "look, look
at this look
explorer, how far he had "...
been! Sometimes he comes late andexcuses
himselfsaying"Mnawwar,thekids keptmetalking!"...

Teacher SorryMr. Mnawwar,but whatwereyou sayingabout'Akli?

Mnawwar I said that he loved science and reading... He was articulate not Me me... His
conversationswere nice and interesting. When he's had a few glasseshe startsto talk
about the workers and their historic achievements,I was amazedand it seemedto me
that those workers were carrying the globe... I would just sit close to him and drink in
his words... At night, when I go to bed Mama says "your ffiend 'Akli drinks but the
smell of wine sticks on you"... His drinking was good... If he had lived one or two
more years I would have fallen into the sametrap. One year we celebratedNovember
I st at school117and 'Akli made delicious cakes. The head-teacherI iked them very
much and took some home, on his way out he thanked 'Akli and asked him how he
madethe cakesand what he laced them with 'Akli answered: "I laced the cakeswith
rose-waterand my headwith brandy".

Teacher Thebonesof thetrunk:therearetwo partsin thetrunk- Thevertebralcolumnandthe

Te
rib cage. vertebralcolumnis a bonechainwhichstretchesup alongthemiddleof
thebackandto whichareconnected the headandtheribs. The vertebralcolumnhas
33 units most of which have a similar shape,they are called 'vertebrae'...Mr.
Mnawwar,thenoseis a bit crooked,isn't it?

Mnawwar Yesit wasdamagedin prison...He wasreallya manof honouranddignity...(looking

throughthe window) Herecomesthe baker...she'll count them loaf by loaf and if
thereis only onemissingshecallsthehead-teacher.

Pupas (all together)Thehead-teacherThe head-teacher.

...
Mnawwar Oh my God! I've had it!... (to teacher)you seewhereyou got me, holding me?...
I (Pretendingto scoldthepupils)We told you a hundredtimesnot to leanon thewalls,
you dirty themwith your shoes!..You areforcingus to paintthemeverymonth...and
when you go out of school behave yourselves,no disorder, no noise and no
embracing...boys on one side and girls on the other, coming in or going oufl...
Understand?...

Pupils He's gone...He's gone...He's gone

Mnawwar He's gone...Let's getbackto science(to teacher)Please

Teacher The rib cage:it is a setof boneswhich surroundthe heartand the lungsandprotect
them. We havethe thoracicvertebraeat the back,the sternumat the front and the,
ribs.-Mere are threecategoriesof ribs: a) - sevenpairsof true ribs - b) threepairsof
falseribs - andc) two pairsof floatingribs.

insensitive.The person(usuallyit is intendedfor menratherthanwomen)would

thereforehavea hardenedheartwhich would respondto andobeyonly the personwho
cookedthe couscous.
117 NovemberIst (1954)dateof the beginningof the AlgerianWar of Independence.
 122

Mnawwar (addressing
a girl) - Fayza!..Fayza!..

Teacher What'swrongwith FayzaMr. Mnawwar?

Mnawwar She'sbiting hernails...if shecarrieson I'm afraidshe'll get to thephalanges.

Teacher Thebonesof thelimbs. 1)Theupperlimbs...

Mnawwar His handsteacher,he madewonderswith his hands.He couldbonea wholelamband

keepthe original shape...When he cooksbeanspeoplelick their fingers...He is a
maestroteacher,whenhe lifts the lid to addsalt in the pot you think he wassowing
seeds....He would hold a frying panwith boiling oil andrun as if he wasdancing...
When he cleansrice, his handgoesto and fro so gently that you fall asleepif you
watchhim...oh! eggs,whenhe breakseggsyou think hewaspicking flowers...'Akli
producesgold from his hands...you knowteacher,my friend'shandswerea sourceof
goodness... Just a smell andhe could tell you what the food tasteslike... Thosewho
usedto work with him loved him and respectedhim. He taughtthem to work in
silenceand understrict rules...He usedto tell them "work with your brains...think
beforeyou lift your hand"...He was amazingteacher,you know, he could smell
thingsa mile away...One day he said to me: "Mnawwar,the treasurerwill come
tomorrowandtell me to cook sausages for lunchandfor dinnerbecausethekids like
them,that's what he will say. But I know what to say,I will tell him that I sawthe
butcheron his way to his office and I could smellrancid fat on him. Do you know
what? If he insistson cookingsausages I'll tell him everythingis readyjust get us
someskin!"... And that's whathappened, exactlyas hehadpredicted...Anothertime,
whenwe weretrying to get thepermissionfor meto removethebonesfrom thegrave
afterhis death,we weretalking to the manin chargeof cemeteries... He saidit wasn't
underhis responsibilityand belched...'Akli told him straightawaythat his wife had
put too breadcrumbs in themeat-balls... Thepoormanendedup forgettingwhat
we cameto seehim for andkept asking'Akli aboutcookingrecipes- "how do you
prepareYorkshirepudding?...What aboutalmondcakes?...Do you usethymeor bay
leavesfor big fish?...andwalnutsareusedin mincepies118 in
or mixed nut pies?" 119
Sometimes, he for
when comes a chatat home, Mama gives him ftrfa- Ato and
asks him what's missing,she often asks him for advice...he would tell her for
instance"you put too muchsafran"or "today you boughtgoatmeat",shegetsupset
and tellshim that he was drunk that day...Greathandsteacher,he had greathands,
mercyof Godbe uponhim...He hadbig handsbecause he wasa hefty man,otherwise
he would be ableto fie two hairstogether...He usedto makebombsduringthearmed
struggle...He hada contactwith a youngmanwho wasworking in a laboratoryand
who usedto bring him the materials.He told meoncethathe hadmadea very small
bombsandwrappedit in eggshells,it lookedlike a boiledegg...I askedhim to Show
me how to makebombs...He refusedand saidhe wouldn't teachme to destroybut
show me how to makethings and be constructive...He was very skillful indeed,a
maestro...andcourage!..He wasvery braveteacher,he wasneverafraidof death. In
1974on the night he breathedhis last he was lying down...MamawasprayingandI
was readingthe Koran. He woke up a few times and raising his head,he told
me..."Usecopperwire to assemble the bonesbecauseit doesn'toxydise. Apart from
my crookednoseeverythingelsein me is perfect...oil theboneseveryyearandcover
the skeletonwheneveryou can...The more useful is the skeletonthey'43btfyour
merit"...My brotherwasverybrave,you know evenat thatmomentwhenMamawas
crying hecomfortedher...

118 ,, This is our own translation for thesecakes. The first type has a croissant
-'
shapeand stuffed with crushedalmonds; this is mainly a North African recipe. The
second type is common to North Africa, East Mediterraneancountries and the Middle
East under the name baklava or baql5wa.
119 see 'is.
 123

Teacher The upper limbs are connectedto the trunk through the shoulderswhich comprisethe
clavicle and the shoulderblades. The upper limb is mobile and has three parts: a) the
arm.

Mnawwar It hasoneboneonly - thehumerus.

Teacher b) Theforearm,it hastwo boneswhichare...

Mnawwar ne radiusat thebackandtheulnaat thefront.

Teacher c) ThereareLhreepansin Lhehand

Mnawwar 7be carpal- Tbereareeightsmallbonesin thecarpal.

Teacher The metacarpal

Mnawwar It hasfive long bones.

Teacher Thefmgers.

Mnawwar We know that there are five fingers in the hand but the fingers have three phalanges
each except the thumbs which have only two... (looking through the window)
look,..Iook.. The Arts teacher is early... he's going to have a little chat with Huriya,
he's going to talk to her about cultural activities, about union activities and about love
activities...

Teacher Did you sayloveMr. Mnawwat?

Mnawwar 'Akli was joyful and always optimistic... If you excuseme, I have things to attend
to...(calling a pupil's name) Kramsi!... well, excuse me I must go now... Teacher,
]Wamsi Fuld is yawning, he's going to asleep on the table... and I'm afraid
-fall
Mama rings the bell before time... when you finish with the skeleton of my friend the
cook send La'raj Ben-17ifafor me... Before his last breath he got up and urged me
saying "work for scienceMnawwar and do anything you can for science". You know
my children, just before he died he said to me "science, Mnawwar, science...when
sciencewill spreadin our country and will be available to the humble workers like
you and me... when they will be using it in their skills and daily life, our country will
have a secondIndependence...then our people wRI get rid of their problems... all
problems... Mnawwar I'm offering my body for the purpose of that high goal"...
Mercy of God be upon him, he was a great man... He was a far-seeingman, a man of
principle... Excuse me teacher.. Now I must think of something to get away from
Mama.. Good bye my children!

Pupus GoodbyeMr. Mnawwar!

Teacher The lower limbs are connectedto the trunk throughthe bed-pan...Silence!...Two
bonesconstitutethebed-pan.theyare thesacrumandthe' 1;am...The mobilepartsof
thelower limb arethethigh,theleg andthefoot. (lightsand voicefadeslowly) And...
and...and...
 124

EPISODE FIVE: THE STORY OF MANSZR

v
(Bare stage - lights on the narrator sitting on a chair. He tells the story of Mans7ur. He speaksa few
lines then singsplaying the banjo.)

Narrator (speaking)Manstr packedup his thingssmiling quietly:he hasreceivedthe decision

to retire from work. The managercongratulated him andsaid"you're free from the
hardwork andthesweat." It's like thatnicefeelingwhenyou comeout of a hotbath.
He greetedhis friendsgoodbye energeticallyshakinghandsbut hiding his sorrow.
He was sad and words were hard and heavy to say. He stood by the machine
wondering;he put his packon it andsighed.Ilen heput his armsroundit andkissed
it, you'd think there was somethingbetweenthem. He talked to it nicely with
gentleness and respect.He said"I'm old now, I'm leavingto havea peacefulrest;
you aretiredandfalling to pieces,soonyou will bea heapof scrap."

(singing) This is thefinal dayfor our partingwastheir verdict

Many yearstogetherhavegonelike a dream
I wasalwaysstandingby you to keepyou company
For yearsandyearsI stoodby you like a pillar
Manj'drpackedup his thingssmilingquietly
He receivedthedecisionto retirefrom work
He put his packon themachineandstoodwondering
He embracedthemachineandkissedit gently
Theremustbea specialrelationbetweenthem
He addressed it with respectandspokegently
I havelived with you longerthanI stayedwith my wife
Alwaysloyal,faithful andhonestwith you
I neverlet you downandneverleft you alone
Exceptin illnessor in strikesfor wages
Look at thetattoosyou printedon my hand
Look how my bodyleanson you gently
I know you well andI knowwhat'sinsideyou
I havelearnedto recogniseall your tunes
Sometimes yourbehaviouris niceandblameless
And sometimes like a maddog
you aretreacherous
Wearinga muzzleandattackingpeoplewith rage
If I forgetmyselfandleanon you you tearmy flesh
How muchdid you drink of my blood
How manymouthfulsdid you take
Manslirpackedup his thingssmilingquietly
He receivedthedecisionto retirefrom work
He put his packon themachineandstoodwondering
He embracedthemachineandkissedit gently
Theremustbe a specialrelationbetweenthem
He addressed it with respectandspokegently
Don't be hardon my youngsubstitutebe gentle
If I wasgiventimeandthenecessary tools
I would haveimprovedyou andstoppedyour creaking
You wouldproducemoreandsaveon oil
Therewouldbe lessrisk andwork morepleasant
I shallgive your secretsto theyounglad
I shallgive him everyinformationandeverytrick
To tameyou andride you like a horse
77heyounglad shallwin andbe yourmaster
For he is strongandreadyfor theconfrontation
Mansgrpackedup his thingssmilingquietly
He rýceivedthedecisionto refirefrom work
 125

He put his packon themachineandstoodwondering

He embraced themachineandkissedit gently
Theremustbe a specialrelationbetweenthem
He addressed it with respectandspokegently
Whenwe first metI thoughtyou werea phantom
I liked you andin respecttook off my hatandbowed
I thoughtyou'd helpmebuild castlesandmakemefat
I poredmy sweatin you andgainedneitherwealthnorjoy
He embraced themachineandkissedit gently
Theremustbea specialrelationbetweenthem
He addressed it with respectandspokegently
Work with you gavemehonouranddignity
Standingnearyou I sawhardwork andpridein thefactory
I foundin unity unshakable strengthandpride
He embraced themachineandkissedit gently
7beremustbea specialrelationbetweenthem
He addressed it with respectandspokegently
It's timeto go andI amleavingin peace
Farewellmachinelet uspartgoodfriends.

(Blackout. The narrator movesto the other end offront stage.)

EPISODE SIX: THE STORY OF CLEVER JALLUL

(Bare stage -the narrator movescentre-stagejoined by four actors. They tell the story of Clever JaIlM
the sameway as in the previous episodes)

Clever Jallu-51120is a clever man and he strongly believes in social justice. He loves
his country dearly and wishes it developsquickly to give a better life for the majority.
Clever Jall-ulis always helping people, he always does his best when they're in need.
He is meticulous and very clever whcn'it comes to plan things but he has one
weakness- he loses his temper quickly and gives way to his anger121which makes
him react foolishly. His wife and his children love him and have respectfor him; they
know how to tackle his weakness,how to deal with him, how to be patient with him
and calm him down. Ibcy know he is a generousand affectionate man, always
willing to help and give useful advice. If hl happensto raise his voice a little bit they
fall look down, leave him 4' his inding if he
all silentand they - get angerout not m even
breaksa plateor bangson thetable. WheX calmsdownZohrahis wife kisseshim
andsaysto her children"your fatherJalll is just andstandsfor right againstwrong,I
wish you resemble him', "if
then she addsa smile, it wasn't for the poor and their
troublehe would be an importantpersonalityin the capital"...CleverJall-ulknows
how to talk to his children,he gavethema soundupbringingand bredinto themthe
love for work, affection for others,modestyand good manners. When he talks to
themaboutpoliticsandotherimportantthingsheexpresses himselfaccordingto their
knowledgeandtheir level of understanding... whenhe tells his little girl storiesabout
'Master'Ali'122 and'The headof theogress'123 heknowshow to embellishthe tales
with idioms from daily popularlanguage. Thus 'Master 'Ali has engravedon his

120 The character'snameis Jall-ulAl-Fýaymi. The secondnameis too obviousin

meaning andit is intendedby the author. It means'the clever, 'that who understands'
or 'that who wantsto know (or to understand)'.We thoughtit interestingto translate
this nameandkeepthe author'sintention.
121 The verbyatnarvazis derivedftom the Frenchword
nervear,hence to get angry'
'to loseone's temper...
_ successor
122'Ali is the fourth khalifa, after ProphetMuhammad. He hasbecome a
heroin manyfolk-talesthroughoutthe Muslim world.
123Anotherwell known folk tale in theArab world.
 126

sword aMthe aims of his holy mission, that is his fight-Monj the poor and the destitute
to eliminate heresyand raise the dignity of mankind... In the story of 'Ijadridwah,m
everybodysays the little boy falls in the little pot and disappears,but JaIlUl calls him
Tadld Wan', The Iron of Wain'125and the story becomesbasedon Wan Yank the
young and brave Vietnamese and the ogress the little boy fights changesinto an
ogress who sprays napalm from her mouth and fools people with shoddy goods...
Clever Jall-51takeson him people's problemsand knows how to solve them, he listens
to his neighbours and gives them advice, but he has one weakness- he loses his
temper quickly and gives way to his anger which makes him react foolishly. His
neighboursknow about this so before they go to seehim for advice they ask his wife
Zohra first to know whether his 'mood is clear or cloudy. They all know that
although he is hyper-sensitivehe hates to see people get angry or get critical about
things before they analysethem. They also know that he listens to them with careand
attention and that he doesn't miss a single word of what they tell him. If ever
someonegets carried away in his talk and swearsat the governmentJall-51springsout
of his seat,gives him a stony look and then fires at him with a burst of words as if he
was shooting at him with a machine-gun,he would say: "You have gone beyond the
limit my friend, let me remind you that there is true democracyhere in this housebut
the democracy we agreedon in this house differs from some other democracies...In
our house freedom of speechmeans rational, sensible and intelligent speechwithout
petty criticism and swearing... Our understandingof democracyis intelligent analysis
with firm and positive stands... So if you want to criticise the governmentthis way go
down town, the rich have opened cafds for this purpose." Clever Jall0l is a handy
man he can repair electricity, T. V. setsand fridges, he can also drive. He often teases
the green-grocer,he would say "give me two pounds of this but please don't take
from the front, leave the nice fruit for display as it is just in casea foreigner comesto
buy, we don't want him to laugh at us, do we? I am a fellow-ciLizen, so give me two
poundsfrom that bag where there is a mixture of unripe and damagedfruit. "

Jallu-Iis incredibleat organisinga queue,indeedhe has a good experiencewith

queues.If he joins a queuein disorderand confusionhe putsit right just in two or
threewords,"brothers,he wouldsay,listento mebrothers...let's form a nicemilitary
rank,it's easy,we cando it, you seeif we get organisedeachoneof us would save
tenminutesandif we do it everydaywe wouldsavetenminuteshereandtenminutes
there. Sowe wouldsaveonehourin a month,twelvedaysin a yearanda wholeyear
in thirty years." Whenhe takesa busin a rush hourhe holdshis breathandstretches
up to makeroom for people126.Whenhe goesto a unionmeetinghe knowshow to
speakand draw the attentionon importantmattersand principles but he has one
weakness - he loseshis temperquickly and gives way to his angerwhich makes him
reactfoolishly. During the summerholidayshe takeshis family to the beachonly
once,from dawnto lateafternoon.And to protectthemfrom the heatof the sunand
give themshadehe makesa shelterin a split of a second,stretchinga largesheet127
overa few reeds.Jall5l is goodat talking to taxi driversand heknowshow to starta
conversationwith them,for instancehe would say: "They're letting you down, yes
they don't careaboutyou...they gaveyou small carsand yet you are doing sucha
serviceto mankind,you can't takemanypassengers, thesecarsaretiny... In fact taxi
driversrun a betterservicethan public buses...you pick up and drop peopleevery
twentyyards...Theyshouldgive you cattle-trucks: to useas taxisandservethe public
interestbetter".12-8Yes Jalf-ulcan talk well but he hasone weakness he loseshis
-
temperquickly andgives way to his angerwhich makeshim reactfoolishly...When
clever Jall-Mgoes to an office for a documenthe knows how to greet the civil

12A1jadidwWis a folk tale similar to 'Tom Thumb'.

125Translation ofH. ad'id W5n!
126Allusion to overcrowded buses.
127In the text the word hEyakmeansa large white piece of light cloth which women use
to cover themselveswhen they go out. It is worn mainly in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.
12sAllusion to the terrible public transport system and the taxi drivers who take
advantageof the situation thus making much money.
 127

servants,he knowshow to watchandlet themtaketime over their work. He cantell

who amongthemhasconnections and who hasn't129, ashe can tell betweena strict
and honestofficial anda corrupt. If the police stophim in the streetduring oneof
their sanitationcampaigns Jalrul producesin a flashhis identitycard,his occupation
card,his electioncardandhis unioncardl30andspeal3tothempolitely; if hecan't get
into thepolicevan131quickly he tripson the first stepandbecause he loseshis temper
quickly and givesway to his angerhe reactsfoolishly. CleverJallUlcan talk about
religionandits moralandhumanitarianvalues. He readaboutreligion andaboutour
MasterMuhammadThe MessengerOf God, PeaceAnd BlessingOf God Be Upon
Him.. He knows how to explain things to his children and wams them against
dangeroustrends. He alwaysteUshis childrenthat Islarn is the religionof equality,
the religion of consultationand solidarity with the poor and not the religion of
darknessandviolence132. Oh yes,heknowsa lot but he hasone weakness he loses
-
his temperquickly and gives way to his angerwhich makeshim react foolishly.
CleverJaIll cananalyseall kinds of situations,he is also well awareof the things
goingon in thecountry. He knowsthepricesof leaseson flats, the price of a plot of
land for construction,the rate of foreign currencyon the black market133... JallW
cannotuse connectionsto get someLhing134 but he knowsfor sureand he saw for
himself how unthinkableand unbelievablethings do happenand how impossible
things to do are achievedthrough CONNECTIONS. Clever JaI191knows how
demagogicspeeches are put together. He learnedthe Constitutionby heartand he
readthe NationalCha sohe knowswhensomeoneignoresthemor distortsthembut
he hasoneweakness . leloses his temperquickly andgivesway to his angerwhich
makeshim reactfoolishly. CleverJallal the quick temperedman works at the city
hospitalin themaintenance unit, his job is to cleanandrepairmedicalequipment.He
startedto work in thehospitaltwentyyearsago. At thebeginninghe wasa porterat
the main gate dealing with visitors but as he loses his temper quickly and acts
foolishly he got himself into trouble and was brought before the disciplinary
committeefor sanctions... He is punishedeverytime heappearsbeforethecommittee.
Theykept movinghim from oneclinic to thenext andthat's how he movedfrom the
gateto the Blood TransfusionUnit, then to Emergenciesthen to Gastro-enterology,
a
thento IntensiveCare,thento Cardiology,then to Gyn ology... then...then...then
Jal15Imovedand movedfrom one clinic to another,he learneda greatdeal on his
occupational journey.gettingonemoreexperienceeverytime he moved. He received
good training and endedup with a good position - Technician:specializedin the
maintenance of medicalequipment.CleverJallUlknowsa bit of medicine...He can
make an injection and read prescriptions,he can stitch small woundsand extract
wisdomteeth,he candiagnosejaundiceand discernkidneystoneson X-rays135.He
is a champion136 in the maintenance and repairof medicalequipment...Althoughhe
loseshis temperquickly andgivesway to his angerwhich makeshim reactfoolishly

129Allusion to civil servantswho have connectionsin higher circles and who are
therefore protected in caseof misbehaviour or incompetence.
130A French legacy which becameworse. One is expectedto have and carry such
identity cards.
131In the text 'the blue van' becausepolice cars and vans are blue.
132Indirect attack on fundamentalism and pseudo-religious people.
133Algeria does not belong to the world monetary system and the 'Dinar', the Algerian
is
currency not exchangedon the international market. There are also very strict laws to
export foreign currency. 7"hishas led to the emergenceof a foreign currency black
market. Ile situation is similar to that existing in the East Europeancountries.
1341a'&Wi is a folk dancetypical to Western Algeria. It mainly consists in shaking the
shoulders. The author is referring with irony to 'connections. In Algeria, the phrase-
'to have shoulders' - meansto have connections. In the text 'the dance of the
-
shoulders'(WhTwi) - hence,using connections.
':*Jfmro the French
135In the text cffshzýat,this is the plural of chS the negative of
clic
a film, hence the X-ray negative or film. Most Algerians would use the word FadYU
rather than crtsG - Radyufrom the French radio, short for radiographie meaning X-ray.
136In the text 'outstanding'.
 128

he learnedfrom all the troublehe had at work how to makethe mostof thingsand
thus educatedhimself. Finally JaIlUlwasappointedat the unit of legal medicine-
mortuaryunit137.He wasin chargeof therefrigerationsystemcheckingthepipesand
the temperature, now andthenhe would repairpressureequipmentor electricity...in
generalhis job consistedin keepingthe corpsesin their drawersat a temperature of
150C below 0... In this unit, that is the 'corpseswarehouse'138 and becauseof its
tranquility.Jall-51hasbecomesomehowless tenseand much calmer. The corpses
don't disturbhim, they'reall frozenin their drawersand the mortuaryassistant139is
rathera placidmanwhokeepsto himselfandwho doesn'tmakeanydiscriminationor
take bribes. In a senseJallul has becomea self-controlledman in the morgue,he
knows that his file is rather heavy and if he makesanothermistakehe wflI be
dismissed,he wasnotifiedofficially that his appointmentat the mortuarywashis last
chanceto keephis job and securehis family subsisOnce for he wasnearretirement.
He wasalsoremindedthatthe doorof the mortuaryopensonto the street...Jail-ulhas
somehowcooleddown.

(All exit exceptthe narrator who remainsin his position)

(Enter Jalrul running. He will be running around the stage allerb-pt his speech.)

Jall5l I am Clever Jall-ul and I am stupid becauseI haven't learned anything from my
troubles, yes, I have no shame...I am cursed and trouble is always after me... Those
who insult me and tell me off are right... Those who have shortenedmy nameand call
me 'JaIlUl' are right, they also call me Jall-ul 'the meddlesome', ' the trouble maker'
and they are right. If I was in another country they would have sentencedme, they
would have put me to prison for life... they would have sentencedme to death...I am
stupid and have no shame, I am nothing... I deserve to be kicked... beaten up...
tortured.. I deserve the whip, the stick... Beat me up, there on the back, on the
shoulders,on the sides,on the buttocks, on the knees...I deserveslapson the mouth...
Clever Jallul is a nuisance,a parasite,a social evil... Tic me up and beat me, kill me!
...
Why are you leaving me alive? Stitch my mouth and cut my nose and keep on
beating...beating...beating'..

Narrator PoorCleverJaUMwasappointedat themortuaryasa skilledworker. Therewasonly

him, the mortuaryassistantand the corpses,and one day as he was working in the
quiet atmosphereof the mortuaryhe was suddenlyfacedwith a problem. He was
happyand contentworking in the cool and peacefulatmosphereuntil he suddenly
found himself with a problem...a problemhe did not expect...The problemwas so
suddenand unexpected that he nearlylost his temperand reactedfoolishly...So, to
avoidlosing his temperandin orderto keephis self-controlandremaincool he went
to the wash-roomI40,he waslucky thedoor wasopen,andhepouredthreebucketsof
waterover himself,thenhe wentout runningin the hospitaland roundall the units...
He wasrunningfrom fear,the fearof losinghis temper.of beingovercomeby anger,
thefearof makinga totalmess.

JaHUI Run Jall-51run... You wantedthis, nobody forced you... you see wherecleverness
leadsto?.. I deservea beating...They should put me in the handsof six or seven
staunchand hefty riot-policemenl4lwho must be vindictive and readyfor action...
They shouldbeatme and kick me and punchme and...and when my six or seven

137In the text la morgue which is exactly the French (and English) word 'morgue'.
138Literal translation.
139In the text 'the manwho washesthecorpses'.
i4o In the text 'the morgueassistant'sroom' that is the room wherethe corpsesare
cleaned.
141In the text siyOnlis.This word is actuallya phoneticpronunciationof the
abbreviationT. N.S.' in Frenchwhich is 'CorpsNationalde Securit6'that is the
Algerianriot police force which takesafter its Frenchcounterpartthe T. R.S.' -
'CompagnieR6publicainede SecuritV.
 129

brothersget tired,they shouldlet the dogson me...yesdogswho shouldtearme up

andwhere-cverthereis a bit of fleshleft theyshouldbite...you knowJail-51, youarea
cursedman andtroubleis constantlyafter you...Run for your misfortunerun... you
seewheresocial justice and free health Care142got you?.. See?.. Run!..Run because
you're a pain, nobodygets away with you, you don't let anybodyget away with
anything, doctors, workers... the IOL..Now you've ended up running not knowing
whereto go... You see? People stealmedicine,meat,glasses, bottles, fruit,
sheets,
sugar,coffeeanythingtheycanlay their handson...andyou? You nagat them,you
fight them...Well, hereyou arenow running...Keeprunningthen...Go troublemaker
go... You stupid,can't you see? They are not yet usedto free healthcare,they have
not graspedits meaningyet...No it's you who haven't understoodanything,you're
just stubborn...7bey know very well what free healthcareis all aboutandthey talk
aboutit143...The poor anddie destituteM...Comeon, run my boy andshutup, you
deservea beating,pinching,yes...I wish someonewould pinch me andleavebruises
all over my thighs...You think you haveinheritedthis hospitalfrom your fatherAJ-
BarUdE.. Well my friend,you neverleaveanybodyalone...You're like a rabiddog...
Beatmeup!..Pleasebeatmeup!...Beatmeup!

(Twoworkers,a mananda womanenteronJaI&I's last lines,pushingafood trolley.)

FemaleWorker Poor JalIM, I think he lost his mind. This is the third time he passesnear us
swearing.

Male Worker Yes, I think he's gone mad as you say... I have never seen Jall-51run... I
have never heard him swear.. It's true that he loses his temper, we all
know that but he wouldn't run or swear like this, he would puff up his
chestlike a 'lion', straightenup then roar.

FemaleWorker What shall we do Uhrdan?.. We can't leave him run wildly all round the
hospital.

MaleWorker I don't understandthis my friend...CleverJall-ulTunningmadlyl..Praisebe

to God!..Thisis impossible.

FemaleWorker Comeon, suggestsomething.shall wejust watchhim and let the enemies

rejoice?

MaleWorker Be quict,please!..CleverJall'ulcan't go mad.

FemaleWorker 7be manis takingto his heelsand you're telling me he hasn'tgonemad

Ibat's wherewe'rebestat, watching..Godhelphim if he'sgonemad.

MaleWorker Be quiet and calm down...Even if he's gonemad,well it doesn'tmatter

because he's leavinga goodrecordbehindhim... he madehistory...I wish
we could all achievewhat he it
achievedand then go mad-. wouldn't
matter.

FemaleWorker Comeon, do you want to leavethe poor manin this terriblestate?..Well,

sayyou wanthim to kill somebodyandgo to pison144...

MaleWorker Be quiet woman...Be patient...In an houror so you'll be seeingJalf-ulwith

a knife, comeon, do you think he'slike your doctorwho wouldcut Offears
for patientswhosuffer from their gall-bladder?Calmdown,let's wait and

142Allusion to the defenceof freehealthcare.

143Very.bitter attackin theselines aboutthe chaosexistingin hospitalsandthe health
caresystemin general.
144In the text 'and leavesorphansbehind'; this refersto Jall'51going to prisonand
leavinghis childrenbehindif hekills someone.
 130

see before we takeany decision...You know Frima, I think this runningis

just a trick.. a pieceof tacfics...Oma, if we interferewe'll messit up for
him... lima, I think he's just pretendingto be mad in order to discover
something.

FemaleWorker Let him run then...JAW! Jall-ul...'Uthrrranmy brother,I'm filled with

sadness, thebcýsýof menfalls like this?
I can't standstill... CleverJall-51,

Male Worker Organisea funeral now... Call 'Oda and Q5diriya145and start mourning...
yes, heat up the atmospherewith your crying and wailing146.

FemaleWorker Look Tthmln, the bestof men haslost his mind, the just and righteous
manhasbecomea laughingstock. Tthmlin, it's the problemsthey have
beencausinghim which broughthim down,it's true and thereis nobody
like him, nota singleofficial, no onein theunioncanequalhim...

MaleWorker Give us somequiet, I tell you CleverJail-ulcan't lose his mind just like
that. He is a very deepman, a man holding numerousprinciplesand
values...CleverJall'ulcan't fall ... He is strong,intelligentand his mind is
deeplike a sea..like a mountain like anaeroplane...
...
FemaleWorker That's why he's running wildly... (crying) Oh 'Uthniain, my brotherl

Male Worker Calm down for goodnesssake!.. let me think... it's a trick... This is a trick
good woman... Here he comesall red and still running.

JaUUl Beatme up!..Tearmeup!.. Print on my lips the words'Shut up'... So Mr.

Clever, we're againstthe people?..against free health care?..I have
proofs...Ilere is only a tiny minority of doctorswho love their country,
who love their people and who work conscientiously...7bose who
sympathisewith the poor are very few... Most doctorsare what we may
well, theydiffer just slightly from charlatans...
call...charlatans... Someof
themare qualifiedandswornin but the restqualifiedGodknowshowI47...
Mr. Clever,freehealthcaredoesn'tmeanconfusion,it mustbe organised
...
We would like to organiseit with the peopleconcerned,thosewho need
free healthcare...we want to organiseit openly,sincerely,fraudlessly...I
I
am stupid... am thick... Beating is I
no good, can get used to it... I need
somethingworse...yesa hot red iron to brandme...yesgo, brand me... So,
you haveproofs?..Somebodywith proofsshouldn'trun...Run at your old
age?..run then.

MaleWorker You see...I told you he's planningsomething...You've heardhim speak

aboutproofs,haven'tyou? Judgingfrom the way he is runningit mustbe
a complexscheme,and if I'm not wrong his trick will causehavocin the
Ministry of Health;how clever,a brain indeed!..Did you seehow he was
stampingon the ground, how deten-nined?.. The proofs you fool, the
proofs!

FemaleWorker I didn't understandanythingthe poor mansaid...If he wassanehe would

askusto run with him andthenexplainto useverything.

MaleWorker He wastalkingto usin symbols...You don't understand... ne questionof

proofsmeans 'keepoff otherwiseyou'll be in trouble'...If he help
needs he

145Namesof women.
146Ile word nadabameans'to lament' or 'to wail' but in North Africa womenwail
andliterally scratchtheir cheekswith their f inger-nailsasif in hysteria.
147Very bitter attackagainstincompetentdoctors. Also referenceto somedoctorswho
qualify throughcorruption.
 131

wiU ask for it openly without fear. Don't you remember the strike he
organisedopenly in broad daylight and for which he got two months1487

FemaleWorker He always speaksfor justice... He always says that health care must be a
priority in society, if you want to improve productivity take care of
people's health...The poor man is in a Sweat.

Male Worker Tbat's water... can't you seehis pocketsand his shoes? It's water... would
sweatdo that? Would it leak from his shoes149?

FemaleWorker I didn't pay attention,I wastrying to catchhis eyeto seeif he recognises

me.

MaleWorker He did and he lookedat us...you insist that he's mad...If he went mad
someof the administrationpeoplewould havestoppedhim and tied him
up.

FemaleWorker He mademanyenemiesin the hospitalandyet to be honesthe is the most

affectionate,themosthelpfulandthemostgenerous
of all of us.

Male Worker It's a pity he loses his temper quickly and gives way to his anger then
reacts foolishly. He started on the wrong foot right from the beginning...
He was ahight until he got to grips with one of those people who sell their
blood and beat him with a stick.

Jallu-I Come on, keep running... Run... So you're tired... Clever, you're tired
hey?..You think you're the only one running hey? The mortuary assistant
too must be running and praying. Why are you running?.. Well just like
everybody else... The whole people are running after someLhingI50..You
think you're better?..You should be taken ill and brought to us... (he stops
then changes his mind). Come on, take to your heels if you don't want
them to catch you.

FemaleWorker Thesecondtimehe wasdismissedfor threedays...He wascaughtbringing

cartonsto thepatientsso they told him he was tradingin the hospitaland
thathe wasa racketeer.He told them"[Asthe sayinggoes]- he hit meand
ran crying to thejudges.1511thoughtI wasdoing a favourby helpingthe
poor patients, the floor is too cold for them to sleepon so I broughtthe
cartonsfor themto useasmattresses. "152

Jail-51 Runmy friend,you havenothingto tell me,thehospitalis all yoursanddo

as you please...Our job is to plant flowersaroundthe hospitaland water
them,the restis all yours... you call us mafla,you want socialism,well go
ahead go on my brother Leaveus in our darknessand go on with your
... ...
ideas You saywe are corrupt? Well supposewe are corrupt..but what
... for
aboutyou, whatare you doing? Well Hell
go on then... is not enough
you JaIM... Even if they it
sentenceyou twice won't be Run...
enough...
Comeon,run.

148 A dismissalwithout pay for two months.

149In the text '§abb7at'from the French savatesor the Spanishzabato.
150A play with words here, the common phrase'to run after something' meansto try
and get or solve something, hencepeople spendtheir time trying to solve their
problems.
is' Old saying. We have added '[As the saying goes]' to make the link and introduce
the saying.
152Another attack about the lack of proper facilities and equipment in hospitals.
 132

FemaleWorker How comethey haven't

I hearhis file weighsmorethanten pounds153...
dismissedhim?

Male Worker Dismiss him? Are you mad? If ever they make the mistake to sack him
they'll get a revolution in the hospital and blood will be gushing in
streams.

FemaleWorker The third time it was the letter, wasn't it?

MaleWorker Yes,it wasthe reporthe wroteandhandedout to the workers...We put it

up behindthe door of our unit. He wrote aboutthe hospitalfrom top to
bottomreferringto the trainingof theworkers.thenursesandthedoctors...
He saidthatthe standardof theprofessorswaspoor andoverlookedby the
administration... that the hospital is not big enough given the large
populationfo the region...that the clinics are separateand independent
from eachother with no cooperationand co-ordinationwhatsoever.He
alsowroteabouta unit sayingit is organisedlike a palaceandthe patients
are like Kings and princes and their court... about confusion in
management and the distributionof medicine...that thereis a shortageof
somethingeveryday,oneday it's thestitchingthreadmissing,thenextday
it's the syringesandanotherday thereis no water.. aboutthe foreignstaff
who takemedicalequipmentl54... He got five weeksfor thatone.

Jaill Have a little rest if you're tired JallUl... Come on breathe, you're a free
man... What's the matter with you? Why are you so frightened? Can I
-
help you sir? - Is this the hospital brother? Yes it is, can't you seeblood all
around? Can't you see we're pushing the ambulance?..Sorry brother but
what you seein front of you is not an ambulance...Anyway, what can I do
for you? -I had my belly cut open, look I'm holding my guts with my
hands...where is the casualtyunit? Which way?.. Push the ambulancewith
us, I'll show you the way... - Hey sir! The hospital entrance is on this
side!.. Of courseyou can't see a policeman standing by the gate, what do
you want? -I have come for treatment, I hope God will saveme. - What? -
I have lost My foot... it's cut off and I'm carrying it with me... I have tied
the leg... look...- I can see the shoo sticking out of your pocket, I'm not
blind... the doctors havegone, there is nobody in at the moment, leave your
foot here we'll give you a receipt, and God willing, come back tomorrow.
And against pain, tonight sprinkle wild rue on the wound and cover it with
dried meat...come on now brother, off you go!
I

FemaleWorker The fourth time he wasgreat;it happenedwhenhe wasdoingnight shifts.

A groupof menwereaccompanying a bride-groom it was the f irst nightof
his honeymoon,they said he couldn't do it, he's tired and needsan
.
injectionto revive him, parentson both sidesare waifing for the proof of
her virginity,155.he mustdo it tonight...I like theway he told themoff and
chasedthem telling them that thejih3d shouldbe in scienceand learning
not.againstwomen...He got a week.

153MeaningmanyreportsandcomplaintsaboutJallUl.
154Theselines areagaina bitter (andwe think objective)attackagainstincompetence
of medicalstaff, corruption,embezzlement, discrimination,abuseof power,dishonesty
of foreign staff ..etc.
155In the text the wordjaltita is only usedin WesternAlgeria. It means'a cloth'. In
this context it is any of theVride's clothes(usuallythe night-shirt)which must be
stainedwith blood whenshelosesher virginity. It mustbe doneon the first night of the
weddingandthe cloth shownto parentsandrelatives(andsometimesclosefriends)asa
proof of the bride's virginity. This practicehasdisappeared in mostplaces.
 133

MaleWorker And thefifth timewhenhe helpeda womandeliverherbabyby thedoorof

the maternityward...He wascarryinga bottleof oxygenwhenhe sawthe
babydropandthe motherfall on the floor. In a split of a secondhe threw
thebottleof oxygenagainstthe doorandbrokea glassthenpulleda knife
andcut theumbilicalcord, he took the babyfrom its feet like a rabbitand
wentup running. Whenhe wasbroughtbeforethe disciplinarycommittee
he told themthat he hadpreviouslyhelpedhis wife Zohradeliverthe first
threebabiesandthat he hadto assistthepoor womanwho wasdelivering
herbabyon the door-stepof thematernityward. He saidthe poor woman
hadeithera poor husbandor hadnobodyto takecareof her...He got two
daysfor theglasshebroke.

FemaleWorker 'Uthman,my brother,I think JallM is fired,he's dragginghis fee4I don't

think thereis anytrick in this running. Look, he'sfired.

Male Worker Jall-uldoesn't get fired.

FemaleWorker Let's join him andsec.

Male Worker So you want us to run with him? Calm down woman. If we join him
everybodyin the hospital will start running behind.

FemaleWorker I'm running with JallUl and happenwhat may... and you stay watching like
a rejoicing enemy!56

MaleWorker Alright woman,let's all run...themorepeoplethemorestrength.

(Both start running andjoin Jallill)

JaU51 It's my fault... It's my fault (turns to the two workers) what are you doing
here? You left your work to-join me? Leave me by myself, one is
enough...go back...Go back, I'm going to finish soon anyway... I'm going
to stop after one more round or two...

BothWorkers We havefinishedour work.

MaleWorker Judging from your pace and determinationI think you are preparing
yourselffor thelocalrace157.Am I wrong?

JaHUI No, I'm just lettingthesteamoff.. I'm trying this trick to calmdown...just
to avoidanothermistake...

MaleWorker (tofemale worker) You see? Then why all the panic?'Hurry, Jall-51has
gone mad!.. Hurry!' I told you Jall-ulis wise and he knows what he is
doing.158

FemaleWorker TbankGodhe'salrighL

Male Worker May Godkeepyou calm.

FemaleWorker Well since it's a trick let us run with you, I mean just to keep You
company.

156Very commonexpressionusedby womenwho believethat their *enernies rejoice if

somethingbadhappensto them.
157The party is the T. L.N. ' party which is the only party in the country. Sportsare
its
among activities. -
158In the text the idiom sha-rab'aqlu - literally 'he hasdrunk his reason'meaning'he is
-wise-rational-collected-aware '
etc.
...
 134

MaleWorker Tell us whathappenedJall-ul...Get it off your chest,we arewith you...(to

woman) Come on you, run properly... Tell us Jall-ul,
we may learn from
you.

Jallu"I 7bere is nothing to ]carn... It's just my temper.. I'm running to calm down,
then I shall go back to work... Turn, turn Lhis way along the main
laboratory then carry on behind the Urology Unit... the workers and
patientsare aUoutside waiting to applaudand encourage me when I pass.

MaleWorker. in this run,mayGodhelpyou.

I wish you success

FemaleWorker PleaseMr. JaIIM;try hardandcontrolyour temper..I feel sorry whenyou

get dismissedfor weeksevery time you make a mistakein anger...so
pleasecalm down and if you want us to run with you all night we are
ready...We did it beforewith otherssowe shalldo it with you.
Male Worker Pour it out... get it off your chest,you'll feel better.

Jail-0-1 I wasbusyworking at the mortuary.I left the doorof themainrefrigerated

room open, that's the room wherewe keep the corpsesin drawers.From
time to time ice coversthe pipesand the water inside freezesand clogs
them;so I wasbreakingandscrapingthe ice off the pipeswith a little ice-
pick.'Abba-sAce159the mortuaryassistantwasalsoon his own in his little
room which is on the otherside,he waspsalmodisingI60 andcleaningthe
marblesurfaceon which he washesthe corpse...Anyway I was breaking
the ice with the ice-pickwhen I suddenlysawsomebodycomeout of the
mist,hewaspalelike a white sheetandbony,he wastotally naked.

FemaleWorker GoodLord!

MaleWorker GodYou Are 7be Almighty! -

JAI I was frozenwith fear...I couldn't evensaya prayer161... I was trying to

iecall a prayerbut in vain becausewordswereflowing from my mouth,I
didn't know whatI wassayingandhe waslooking at me...I kept trying to
recall a prayerteffing myself "Praisebe to God, we are doing well, they
havegiven us everything,they haveevenimportedfood"... I was scared
and I thoughtif he touchesme IT hit him with the ice-pick. We kept
lookingat eachother...He openedhis eyeswide and I swed at him... At
last I recalledmy prayerthen I said to him very loudly "If you makeone
moveI will breakyourneck"...'Abbasheardme,he stoppedpsalmodising
andaskedme who I was talking to... I said 16 oneof thosewho haven't
beenwashedwho wantsto leave". He didn't answerme nor did he come
to help me,he rolled his trousersand took to his heelssayinghe waslate
for the afternoonprayer...I didn't seehim when he rushedbehindme, I
just sawhis silhouetteandfelt a gustof wind... Judgingfrom that gusthe
musthavehit a vanand overturnedit... Anywaythe feHowlookedhuman,
he leant on the wall and saidwith difficulty*. "Hello". His Upswereblue
andtheywerechatteringwhenhe spoke...I askedhim whathe wantedand
introducedmyself.I said "I am CleverJaIruland you, who areyou? Are
you humanor djinn?"... I startedto recoverfrom my fright... Tben,very

159In the text "Abblls 'A' - nickname."A' is the first syllablein the nameAbFas.We
thoughtit interestingto use'Ace'.
160 Reciting
the Koran.
161It is not exactlya prayer.Ile shahBdahis the faith in the unity of God andthe
prophethoodof Muhammad.It is epitomisedin the karuna- "llere Is No GodExcept
Allah, MuhammadIs 11isProphet" Jallill could not rememberthe kajFmabecauseof
fright. -
 135

slowly I startedto moveback. He askedme if I had a cigarette,I said I

didn't smoke He startedto follow meas I wassteppingback...his joints
...
werecreaking... I stopped,lookingat him froma distanceandshowinghim
the ice-pick...He was still moving his limbs... He took the assistant's
jacket,it washangingon the wall, he lookedat it and said:"It's madein
France".Thenhe put it roundhis waist...I thoughthe couldn't be a djinn,
he mustbe a humanbeing...After a few minuteshe wantedto get near.I
brandishedthe ice-pickand told him to stop. He said: "Pleasetell me,
whereis hell?" "Godsaveus,I said,this is themorgue...This is whereyou
takeoff for heaven...This is a hospital." He said:"What am I? Am I dead
or alive?" "How shouldI know, I said,ask your God, I'm just a humble
humanbeing...a worker..." "You are Azrael" he said..."God help me!.. I
am Jall-ul!" He insistedthat because, of the ice-pick I was carrying and
becauseof my firy look I was Azrael...There were two corpseslying
behindme, we kept them on the table until they go down, I pulled the
blanketswhich werecoveringthemand threwthemto him, I saidL"Here,
wrap yourself, get warm maybe you're a human being." He went
on:"Pleasetell me, whereis hell? Please!..." "Listen to me sir, we areon
earth,I said,I told you this is a hospital"..."Whereare the doctorsand
nursesthen" he replied...I said: "The assistanttook themalong whenhe
ranaway." He insistedthat I wasAzraeland thatI waspulling his leg%If
I was your MasterAzraelI would haveblown your brainsoff againstthe
wall... MasterAzraelwon't pull your leg sir"... He pleadedwith me again
andaskedme aboutthe hospitalmain entrance,he said he was living on
earthand went to the hospitalfor an X-ray on his liver... He thinksthat's
wherehe gaveup the ghost...He askedme to look at his back and seeif
they didn't leavea needleor a pair of scissorsbecausehe said he didn't
know what happenedto him at all. "Stay whereyou are, I said, don't
move...sit down...sit down,I'm going to enquireaboutyour case,I'll be
backsoon"...He askedmewhy I shouldmakeenquiries;I saidI wasgoing
to look in the records. He asked me not to go and told me that he
remembers all his wrongdeedsand that he was readyfor punishment...I
told him that what he was sayingwasblasphemy,he saidit wasthe plain
truth and startedenumerating:"I gavebribesto sendmy son to school,I
gavebribesto get thewater supply,I gavebribesto get a job, I sworeat
home,I sworeat the footballground,I soldcementon the black market,I
usedto switchoff theT.V. whenit wasnewstime,I sworeandcriticisedat
the cafl, I acceptedbribes"...I stoppedhim: "What's your name? " It
doesn'tmatternow, he said. "You saidtheybroughtyou here.aboutyour
liver?" "It's my deeds162 which broughtme here" he repliedthen went
on:"I didn't fastat Ramada, I swindledmy father'sfortune,I atepork...."
As he went on I withdre;v slowly without him noticing and I ran OUL..I
lockedthe door behindme...He startedbangingon the door andshouting
"MasterAzrael! Master Azrael, the ice-pickman!..." I ran and went to
enquire about him in the different units, Intensive care, Psychiatry.
Surgery,Gastro-Enterology... you nameit, andI kept asking- "Aren't you
getting your deadwrong?" and the answerwas - "No, all our deadam
Thank God Ona
recorded"... I waslucky to meet thenurse,shesaid:"Jall@
thereis an incrediblepanicin our unit, thereis a patientwho hasbeenin
for two days,we thoughthe wassleepinguntil he startedto smell,so we
rcalisedthat we had reportedanotherpatientdead"...I said: "Go and tell
themto bring the deadmanandtaketheonealive, I lockedhim insidethe
morgue"..."What havewe done?" she said,and shewent off runningand
tearingher hairI63in panic. I said: "ThankGod thedrawerswereall taken
sothey left him on the tiled surfacenearthe doorotherwisehewould have
gone." Then I went back to the mortuary...Half an hour later themwas

162 Meanmigmy evil deeds.

163 Seefootnote 127.
 136

confusion and the open spaceby the mortuary becamelike a market...They

brought the dead man and the doctors came running... 71ie man inside the
morguebolted himself and said "I'm not coming out, I want Azrael..." His
old mother arrived and asked to take her son to bury him, we told her that
he was alive, she said that he only remainedalive in the heartsand thanked
us... she went on, "we shall bury him tomorrow God willing, here, I
brought all the documents,look, the medical report and here is the death
certificate isssuedby the registry... Give me my son...all his relatives have
come for the funeral." Her poor son was banging on the door and shouting
and people were asking - "Is he naked... Is he frozen?... Has he grown a
beard?"... Someonesaid: "Praise be to God, now the deadresuscitatein our
country!"... Another man said: "It's Clever Jall5l who spoke to the dead
and told them we should establish a paradise in our country"... And the
poor fellow was still banging on the door... 7be real dead man's relatives
arrived and found the corpseoutside, half of them were insulting and the
other half screaming...The mother of the man inside was sticking to me,
following me wherever I went, she was holding me by the sleeve saying:
"Pleasecome tonight for a couscousin memory of my son, come and join
us, we are keeping an all-night vigilI64... let me give you the address,it is
easy to find, ask anybody about the house of BUtrari the docker and
ttey'll show you"... The doctors were asldng what the man looked like...
Zina wanted us to break the door... Half of the dead man's family were
insulting and spitting with anger, the other half were looking for the
morgue assistantand the man inside was screaminghis head off. "I'm not
coming out! I have done my share, it's enough!.. Let me rest in peace
now!... I am in a palace here, everything is spotlessclean and the tiles are
all white... I'm fine and everybody here is fine, they're all naked having a
siestain the cool atznosphcre!..I'm not coming out! ".. His mother was still
holding me and insisting on her invitation... Some members of the trade
union bureau arrived with the police, followed by the people from the
administration...The crowd gorbigger... A policeman took his baton and
asked: "Is this the dead man who is causing trouble?".. My temper started
to boiI... The old woman pulled a shroud from a bag under her arm and
said. "Here take this to wrap your brother after you've washedhim"... 7be
policeman unveiled the corpse and said he knew the man...The patients
startedto arrive in two's and three's, one of them called me from a distance
and said, "Pleaseuncle Jalf-ullet us see,open the door and let him out, let
us watch, we have no television, there is no cinema,prisonersare better off
than us... your hospital is pitiful, give us someentertainment,give us some
joy... no wonder my sight has become blurred in this place." The old
woman was telling me in the ears "His mother's name is HaTimaand his
father's 'Adda, here this is for you..." and sheput fifty pencý in my hand. I
could hear the policeman shout: "Order!.. where is the genuine dead and
where is the fake?"... I threw the money to the old woman and I took-to
my heels... I left the situation still confused and the trade union officials
haven't arrived yet so I thought 4better go and change air before I do
somethingcrazy and lose my job... 71ings must have calmed down by now
and I'm feeling better, I have cooled down... well, you see how I have
controlled my temper? And you, always after me - 'It's a pity you're quick
tempered,it's a pity you're hyper-sensitive,it's a pity you're a bundle of
nerves...' Anyway if you want to keep running carry on, I must go now,
good bye...

Male Worker Yes,go, go to yourwork, you wiseandcleverman

164The tradition is to recite the Koran. In the text 'we arebringing the priests'meaning
'they arecomingto recitethe Koran.
 137

FemaleWorker Yes,go andGodbe with you!.. PoorCleverJalful is a righteousandwise

man indeed,
thank God he has to
managed overcoine his weaknessin the
E9
end... usedto sehis temperquickly andgive way to his angerwhich
He
madehim reactfoolishly.

(Theyeidt - Blackout)

EPISODE SEVEN: THE STORY OF SAIUNA

standingfrontstageandplayingthe banjo.)
(Barestage. Thenarratorsingsthestoryof SaAYn'a

Narrator (singing)PoorSaffnathegemof thefactorystaff.

Is crawlingnow shecannotstandon herfeet
71bere is no cureshecan't go backto theshoefactory
Thatis whatthedoctorsannounced today165
Thepoisonin theglueis thecauseof thetragedy
PoorSaGa thegemof thefactorystaff
Is crawlingnow shecannotstandon herfeet
Thefactorywardenbroughtthenewsthis morning
He hada lumpin his throatandcouldn'tspeak
As if hewasdumb,he wasjust dryinghis tears
Our SaGn&scrippledandforsakennow
Theyhavegivenherup,our gemwassacrificed
Sheurgesyou to becarefulandavoidthecatastrophe
For thedangeris yourneighbourit lives in theglue
Comeon girls hesaidmoveandgetorganised
Sakinaourjewel is a victim, sheis a cripple
Now sheis crawling,shecannotstandon her feet
7be girls weresilent,now they'reall in fear
Theymournedlongandshedtearsfor SakTna
Work slowedandthemachineschangedtheir noise
As if theywerecryingfor theabsentgirl
Mourningspreadandfilled theatmosphere
Sorrowandlamentsettledin with darkness
PoorSaGnathegemof thefactorystaff
Is crawlingnow shecannotstandon herfeet
Her behaviourbroughtherthename'Gem'
Shewaslively andniceto everybodyadding
Skill, experienceandoutstandingplanning
Bright in analysinganyproblemor situation
How preciseandeloquentwhenshespeaks
Her speechis sweetandcomfortingandhow honest
Sheknowshow to talk aboutfutureprospects
Urging thegirls to fight for theirright andfor justice
Her speechis clearandalwaysendingwith a smile
PoorSaGnathegemof thefactorystaff
Is crawlingnow shecannotstandon herfeet
Lamentgirls your poorfriendsitsstill in a corner
Her legsaredeadshelostherelegantpostum
Saffna.is not hereandherfriendsareworried
Theyareall mcallingherwordsandherriddles
ThepoorSakinathejewel usedto say
Whenthebossbelchedmy stomachached166
7`heyareall thinkingof hersweetwordsandher laughter
7be poorSak7na thejewel usedto say

165 '... announced yesterday at the hospital'.

166In the text '... my intestine got tied' meaning the boss belchesbecauseof too much
food in opposition to her hunger.
 138

Our shoesare good only if you put them away

If you don't wear them and walk bare footI67
They are all thinking of her dignity and personality
The poor Sallia thejewel usedto say
If you find wordsof justicebeingtrampledon
Savethemandrememberyou mayneedthemin future
PoorSaIMa thegemof thefactorystaff
Is crawlingnow shecannotstandon herfeet
Thegirls at the factorydecidedto makea collection
Theysaidwe mustuniteandcondemnthis crime
We mustsupportherwhenshelodgeshercomplaint
At homepoor Saffnais sittingagainstthewall
Her legswrappedin thepast168, sheis abandoned
But sheis smilingandcomfortingherchildren
And alsojoking to encourage herhusband
PoorSaOm' a thegemof thefactorystaff
Is crawlingnow shecannotstandon herfeet
Sakla's job andhertragicfatewerediscussed at home
Do not despairshesaidsincemy handsarespared
I shallfind a bosswho will bring mework home
I shallwork sittingandearnour daily bread
Eventhebosswill be savingon my fares
I shallwork for you saidherlittle daughter
I shallbakebreadandsell it in thestreet169
No darlingsuccess in your studiesis moreimportant
PoorSaGnathegemof thefactorystaff
Is crawlingnow shecannotstandon herfeet
All theneighbours; heardaboutwhathappened
Many wereshockedandcamewith coffeeandsugar.170

(Blackout)

167Allusion to the badquality of shoeswhich usuallytearquickly.

169We kept the imagein Arabic.
169It is commonto seechildrenandold womenselling homemadebreadin streetsand
markets.
170This is a very commonpracticeamongthe poor to bring coffeeandsugarwhen
visiting eitheron happyor sadoccasions. It is meantasa contributionto help the hosts.
 139

iii) Commentary

This play wasfirst producedin 1985at the 'Th6ftre Rdgionald'Oran". It was

performed soon after at the 'First National Theatre Festival' held in Algiers in
September1985anda few weekslater in Tunisiaat the 'Deuxi6mesJourndesTh6atrales
de Carthage'in October. It won five awardsoverall: the awardsfor Best Production
and Best Direction in Algiers and the awardsfor Best Production,Best Direction and
BestSetin Carthage.The actorSirat Boum6&ne from the 'Th6itre Rigional d'Oran'
won the awardfor BestLeadingActor at bothfestivals.
Plot and Structure

AI-A'ýZ`J is the second part of a trilogy linking Al-A01]:! (Sayings and Al-
Lithim (The Veil - forthcorrdng). It is in seven separateepisodeswhich tell the story
of different people and which are arrangedin three main tableaux presentedalternately
with four stories sung by the narrator. Thus the play opens in a light humo-rous way
with 'Tbe Story of 'All-al' the roadsweeper. 'All-al is a hard working man who
meticulously sweepshis part of the street. After work he proudly strolls down the street
he has been sweeping.

The secondepisodetells 'The Story of Rib;-u4i' the blacksmith,a warm hearted

and caring trade-unionistwho organisesan undergroundnetwork to feed the sick and
neglectedanimalsof the local zoo. Riblibi's actioncausesconcernandpanicamongthe
local officials andrevealstheir petty theft,deceitandcorruption.

Me Story of QaddUr'is a songabouta bricklayerwho works andlives with his

fellow workerson a building site andwho visits his family only at weekends.

The secondtableautells 'The Story of 'Akli and Mnawwar' and the strong
friendship betweenthem. Mnawwar tells how he had made a pledge to 'Akli who,
feeling that he was going to die soon,haddecidedto donatehis skeletonto the school
where he used to work after his death. The story reveals a complex bureaucratic
machinerywhere incompetence,prejudice, hypocrisy, and corruption seemto be the
rule.

The following episodeis a songwhich tells 'The Story of Mans7ur'an old man
a
is
who retiring from work andwho, on his last day in the factory, addressesan elegyto
the machinewith which he spentall his working life.

The third tableau,'17heStory of MOM%is where the play reachesits climax.

a hospitalworker tells in a masochisticrun abouthis rebellionagainstthe chaotic
Jallu-1,
andcorruptadministrationof the hospitalwherehe works.
 140

The play endswith the narratorsingingin a lament 'The Story of SaGna'the

girl who is crippled by poison in the glue usedat the shoefactory where she works.

The sevenepisodesof this play are separateand haveno apparentor obvious

link betweenthem. A director producingthis play can arrangethem in any way he
thinks appropriate to his own approach. Although the playwright accepts this
approach171,he prefersto keep'The Story of CleverJall-ul'as the third tableaubecause
he believesthat it is the culminatingpoint of the play. The tensioncreatedis so great
thatit canonly be releasedby laughter.

What binds the episodestogetheris the messagesuggestedby their content. The

storiesrelate to different people and to different situations but point to the injustice, the
corruption and the chaos in Algeria's social and economic system. The victims are the
common working people who belong to the lower class of society. At the same time
they reveal the kindness, the warmth and the generosity which prevail among such
people. Thus the title 'The Story of the Generous People' alludes to the generosity of
the people in the play and Abdelkader Alloula arguesthat:

the word 'Al-Aj%;-ad' literally means 'the generous' in its

...
original sense. In my opinion, andto a certainextent,this sumsup the
main idea,the essenceof the play. The latter is a frescoof daily life or,
rathera few momentsin thelife of the toiling masses,of ordinarypeople,
of daily humanlandscapes.The frescotells and revealshow precisely
these 'anonymous', 'humble', 'unnoticed' or 'rejected' people are
generous,how they deal with the major problems of society with
optimismanddeephumanitywithin the boundsof their limitations...
The general structure of the play links three main themes
interspersedwith four songs.All elementsin the play areautonomousin
termsof contentbut they arelinked by what I would call 'major elements
of content'or 'baseblades'..
172

The structureof the three tableauxis very similar to that of the ma47un&-
sessionor s9ance- an Arab literary genre close to the picaresqueform which was
createdby AI-Hamadhaniand consolidatedby Al-Ijariri"173 in the eleventhcentury.
The alternation between the tableaux which are highly lyrical and the songs is
essentiallya Brechtianapproach. Thus Alloula combinestraditional elementswith a
modem technique. He arguesthat: "...Brecht has been and still is a determining

171Our interview with AbdelkaderAlloula on September24th 1988,op. cit. in footnote

I of "AbdelkaderAlloula: A life Devotedto Theatre"
.
172Djellid, M'Hamed, "Interview de AbdelkaderAlloula", Oran,October1985
(Forthcoming),
r
173"The 'makama'wascreatedby Al-HamadV andconsolidatedby Al-ljan"Inl..In
summary,thi original 'makHma'appearsto be characterised fundamentallyby the
almostexclusiveuseof rh3hnedprose(with theinsertionof verse)andthe presenceof
two imaginarypersons,the heroandthe narrator"In - (C.Brockelmann- [CH. Pellat]),
The Encyclopaediaof Islam,VolumeVI, Fascicules99-100,Leiden - E.J. Brill, 1986,
P. 109.
 141

in
stimulus my work, with his theories and his own artistic work. I am tempted to say
that he is my spiritual father, or even better, my friend and my loyal fellow traveller."174

Indeed the influence of Brecht on Alloula is very strong and it is clearly

reflectedmainly in his earlyworks.

Each of the three main episodeshas a particular structurein that the story is
in
presented two stages. The charactersand the background of the story are first
introducedand presentedby the main narratorand/orby the actorsplaying the role of
narrators. Then the story develops throughaction involving the in
characters their own
situations.The overall structureis thereforea seriesof portrayalspresentedalternately
throughreportedspeech- narrative,anddirect speech(or dialogue)- andaction. It uses
a dual in
patternof growth complexity which gradually builds up tension in the play.
The four songsstart with an appraisalof 'AIM's meticulouswork, his professional
his
conscienceand pride. The story combinesa delicate senseof humour about 'Allm
strolling down the main street and window shopping With his awarenessabout the
variety of goods displayed,quality and price range, with his frustration about the
nationalproductionsystem. The tensionbuilds up with succeedingsongs, from the hard
working and living conditions faced by Qadd7ur the bricklayer to the sadness of Manrur
theretiring worker,and finally reachesa climax with the tragicfate of Saldnia,the good
naturedgirl, the 'gem' of the factory. At the sametime the four songspoint at social
injustice and exploitation and at the humility, warmth and generosityof the lower
socialclasses.On the otherhand,the tensiongeneratedin the first tableauhasthe same
It
ascendingpatternof complexity. gainsmomentum in the second tableau and finally
its
reaches climax with the utter aberrationof the health system. It is also released in
the laughterwhich greetsthe adventureof CleverJall-ul.

The alternationof the sevenepisodesgradually unfolds the bitter reality of a

corrupt, unjust and decadentsocio-economicsystem. At it
the sametime revealsthe
struggleof poor and humblepeopleto keep their integrity in
andremain generous their
confrontationwith sucha system.

Sourceof the Pigy

The sourceof the materialin AI-Ajv6d originatesmainly from the realities of

daily life in contemporaryAlgeria. Alloula hasdevelopedthis point:

I draw [my characters]from daily life, from the reality of every

day. Thereis obviouslyan aestheticandartistic treatmentanda complex
work of creation. My charactersstart, proceedfrom reality and their
target is the reality of the spectator. Life, reality... provides us

174Djellid,M'Hamed.op. ciL
 142

continuouslywith materials,themes, ideas and pretextswhich irrigate

our artistic andsocialconscienceand urgeus to imagine,
create, invent...
The modelsI seekare found in the life of our people. Society,with its
its its its
preoccupations, struggles, contradictions, values, its hope, is
betterreflectedin the mostdeprivedsocial strata...BecauseI am deeply
rootedin [this society],thecharactersaredrawnfrom thesesocial strata.
When those charactersare dramatisedthey can become extremely
eloquentand therebyhelp the artistic performanceto assumea wide
social function... In fact, my major heroesare part of ordinary and
anonymouspeople,of peoplewho areignoredandrejected.175

It is worth noting that althoughthe elementof fiction is importantin the play

andcertainsituationsseemunreal,the factsand thecharactersdrawnfrom daily life are
not exaggerations. Ilere are many RiFulýisand Jall-Msstruggling with a corrupt
bureaucracy;thereare also manyQaddUrsand SaOinaswho are exploitedandwho live
on a pittancein a societywhich claimsto be socialist. In fact Alloula hasjust pickeda
few examplesfrom a wide rangeof similar situations.

In terms of form and performance of Al-Aiwad, Alloula has extensively

borrowed from the art of the madd2iýas describedin the opening chapter and further on
in Alloula's words - which he has adaptedto the requirementsof the modem stage.

Langu", e

The nature of theatre or style Alloula has-opted for is essentiallybasedon

narrativewhich alternates between proseandepic - the two fundamental in
elements the
art of the ma&5ý. The influenceof folk literature and poetry on languageform and
styleis very clear in Al-Aivýa-d.Ilie four poemssungby the narratorandaccompanied
on a banjo are clear and obviousexamplesof al-shi'r al-mal&n, traditional Algerian
rhymedverse sung by bardsand the madda-ý.The is
prose also similar to that of folk
by
tales,the maqanw-tand the materialused the madc0b. Ilie Arabic languageusedin
Alloula's recentplaysis what mostNorth African linguistscall languem9diane(middle
language).This is a brushedup and improvedlanguagewith a vocabularywhich is a
compromisebetweenmodem standardArabic and vernacularAlgerian Arabic and a
syntaxwhich is much closerto modemArabic. This is a requirementAlloula could not
escape from for several reasons. First, drama requiresa rich vocabularyand a subtle
syntax which standard Algerian vernacular lacks. Second, Alloula wanted to depart
from the usualclich6sandarchetypeswhich haveso far prevailedin the languageused
in Algerian theatre. But the mostimportantreasonreflectsthe widespreadeducationin
modem Arabic sinceIndependence in 1962and the high degreeof literacy throughout
the country. Alloula took this into by
consider-ation using the middle language'in
drama although he also sometimesusesregional words, idioms or phrasesfrom the

175 Ibid.
 143

Oran region and also 'algerianised' French words. In short, Alloula's language
combines borrowings from the traditional heritage and present daily life and from
modem standard Arabic, the language in
used educationand by the press. Good
examplesof this are the teachergiving her scienceclassand Mnawwar the caretaker.
Sheaddressesher pupils in modem standardArabic whereasMnawwar engagesin a
narrative using a refined and improved version of spoken Algerian and all the
terminology in the modem languagefor the different parts of the skeletonand the
differentadministrativeservices.The syntaxtoo is thatof the standardlanguagewhich
helps in pacing speech. In fact it is not common to hear people use words like
tha-nawiyya (grammarschool)or haykal(skeleton),or in othersceneswordslike warsha
(building site - workshop),arwlqa (departmentstores),hayy (districtor neighbourhood)
or even baladiyya (town hall) for they would use regional or French words.
Nonetheless,people in generalare in daily contactwith standardArabic through the
massmediaand thereforehaveno problemunderstandingAlloula's language.The use
of idioms or phrasesfrom the region of Oran which are obviously selectedand
understoodby everybody,addflavour andcolour to the play.

On the other hand,the structureof the four songsfollows the generalpatternof

traditional rhymed verse which is highly appreciatedfor its imagery and rhyme.
Alloula has excelledin the compositionof 'The Story of QaddUr'and 'The Story of
SaGna'.

The combinationof all theseelementsresultsin a rich andcolourful language.

Function

It is interestingto note that most, if not all contemporaryAlgerian playwrights

andtheatregroupsdefine themselvesas 'socialist' anddeclaretheir commitmentto the
'working class' - the 'toiling masses'- the 'deprived masses'176 in their strugglefor
-
justice, democracyand betterliving conditions- in short for a better society governed
by socialism. 711eyalsosharein a unanimousdenunciationof injustice,abuseof power,
exploitation, lack of democracyand demagogy- negative and evil elementswhich
shouldnot exist in a countrywhich claims to be socialist. Iliese attitudesareobviously
reflectedin their plays with varying degrees of clarity, eloquenceand quality. Most
groupsmainly in the amateurtheatreworld, have for
opted a political theatrean 'avant
gardetheatre', but have often fallen into the trap of cheapagit-prop and sloganising.
After a long experiencein theatre Alloula has departedfrom agit-prop and direct
denunciationto developa new form usingthe narrative. Ile threemain tableauxin
-A1-

176Terminologyusedby writers,theatregroups,intellectuals,the massmedia,theFLN

party, governmentofficials etc.
 144
C
A jwid are fableswherehumourand irony dominateandoperatein a dialitic process.
They expose a confrontation betweenone or several charactersand a specific situation.
The outcome is the revelation of all sorts of evil within the system. Ile moral
condemnation of such evil is inherent in the structure of the play, for example, the
absurditiesof bureaucracyare revealed. The nature of the tableaux also aims at creating
laughter among the audience thus stimulating another form of denunciation through
mirth. The playwright doesnot, however, primarily seeka connivanceor a sympathetic
responsefrom the audience. Instead he aims at persuading the spectator to visualise,
imagine and recreatein his own way the situations presentedfor him on stagebecause
AI-A jv5d.

is first of all a discourse, a statement of a reality: a reality to

...
which we are close in our daily life but which we cannot necessarily see;
a reality which the discourse discloses, not on the model of a didactic
discussion, nor on the model of emphatic identification but on the
...
model of traditional speech, the kind of speech which traditional culture
calls so rightly al-mana [figure of speech] which has two simultaneous
levels of meaning - one explicit, the other implicit. Hence the words
extend in both directions - continuously showing the right and the wrong
side of things, a reality and what is beneath it, one side and another of a
person... T'here is no plot in the classical/Aristotelian sense of the word
but [the play] aims at intriguing the spectator, at simply leading him to
look at what he thinks he already knows... Alloula does not teach
lessons, nor does he build the future, he just lifts a small part of the
curtain on reality and on those who are most able to change it namely the
workers. 177

Al-Al"; a-dis in a way a tribute Alloula pays to the workers' generosityand

solidarity,to their integrity andtheir revolt againstbureaucracyand a corruptedsystem.
The play also calls for justice and a fair society. Commentingon AI-A jw5d Alloula
says:
it is a show'of more than three hours,a feast for the eye, the
...
heartand the mind. First of all I wrote andproducedthis play for those
who work and producein our country towards a free and democratic
society,a societyfree from the exploitationof man by man...Here we
aredealingwith a'theatreof narrativeand not any longerwith the theatre
of walk-on action of the Aristotelian type as practicedin Europesince
the beginningof the centuryandas we havepractisedit in Algeria since
the 1920s. It is therefore a theatre which borrows both from the
traditional cultural heritageand from the universaltheatricalheritagein
termsof form. It is alsoa theatrewhich, in termsof content,startsfrom
daily problems,from the real daily life of our people...The aspectsof
form and contentare inducedwithin and from a global vision, a vision
which aims at reassertingthe social function of theatrical arts in our
society,a theatrewhich is directedprimarily at the spectator...,finally a
theatrewhere the spectatorbreakswith the traditional habit of being a

"n Benyoucef,Mohamed,"A Proposde "El-Adjouad"de AbdelkaderAlloula, Oran,

August 1985(tD I>e
 145

6consumer' and a 'watcher' to take a new function, that of a 'co-

creator'. 178

The performanceof M-Alw5d is certainlya "feastfor the eye,the heartandthe

mind". Alloula skillfully and harmoniously combined music, movement and colourful
to the
costumes enhance narrative of his play. Becauseof the natureof its material and
the social problems it touchesupon - which are drawn from real Algerian daily life - Al-
AlWad also reaches a large section of people who experience similar problems.
However, it is doubtful whether it can "profoundly concern the spectator" becausethe
averageAlgerian spectator does not need to be reminded of the problems he already
faces every day. He knows what to do to change the situation, as the strikes during
autumn 1988 and winter and spring 1989, and the riots in October 1988 have made
clear. Nonethelessthe humour and irony in the play generatelaughter which is both a
condemnationof the system as well as a revenge upon it, and a communal catharsis,a
releaseof the frustrations. The play thus leads the audience to recognise and identify
with the it
situations reveals and through the common experience of laughter that it
generates,unites them for a moment, for the period of the performance. Yet, A,1_-AJJifFd
is certainly not a pessimistic work. It calls, instead, on the spectator as a worker to
resist the system and thereby offers hope. The spectatorleaves the performancenot just
intrigued or strained by what has beenrevealed but relieved and relaxed.

Finally, becauseof the play's structureand the positiveresponseit hasreceived

andcontinuesto receivein Algeria, as well as at the 1985Carthagefestival, AI-Ajm7ad
could appealelsewhereparticularlyin Third World countries.

PerformanceDevices

Alloula considers AI-Ajvýa-d as the most "accomplished of his plays." It is for

him the achievement of many years of work and experimentation as playwright and
,
director., Technically, it departs from his previous works becausehe has changed his
own approach. As he states: "There is a kind of metamorphosis,especially since Al-
Agiv5flandI think that this metamorphosis
is far from comingto an end."179

Alloula has reducedhis stagetechniqueto the methodsusedby Brecht and the

'maddffý'. He claims that it hasbeenthe rural audienceswhich havedictatedhis new
conceptionof theatreandhis new stagetechniques:
Indeedthe new audiences- either peasantsor of peasantorigin -
had a different attitude to the performanceof the play. Ile spectators
usedto sit on the floor to form, in a naturalway, a halqa [circic] round

"Une Exp&ienceEn Cours"-A paperpreparedfor theTenth

178Alloula, Abed1kader,
IATC Conference- Berlin, 15-21November1987(forthcoming).
179Djellid, M'Hamed,Op. cit.
 146

the stagewhich led to a total changein acting anddirectionof the play

for
which was conceived a closed spaceand for a spectatorsitting in
front of the stagehad to be reconsidered [So] we startec C
...
for improving
many parts of the set and many props the purposeof
visibility and for a better view of the action. After about ten
performances,we found ourselvesacting without setsand with only a
few props,just with what was strictly necessary. The actors have to
adopt their acting to the new situation,but how could they do it when
they had spectatorsfacing them and others behind them? Some
spectatorsused to turn their back to the stageclaiming that they could
listen better and during the debatesfollowing the performance,the
discussionstouchedmore on what was said than on what was shown,
visualised. The spectatorhad astonishingabilities for listening and
memorising...From such experienceswhich led us to reconsiderour
conception of theatre, we have rediscoveredthe secular value of
traditionalperformancesof the halqa type. Entrancesand exits did not
meananythingany longer. Everythinghadto be donein a closedcircle -
thusno wings. An actorcouldgo andsit amongthe spectatorsto smoke
a cigarettewithout surprisinganybody.180

The change in acting techniquesmeant the adoption of the art of the mad0h.
whose performance:

takes place in the open air on market days. The spectatorssit

...
on the ground rubbing shoulders and form a circle of five to twelve
metres in diameter. Within this circle only the maddilh moves. He is
by
generally accompanied one or several instruments. Osing his voice,
his body and a simple cane, the bard gives a performanceby narrating an
epic or particular story taken from social life. He interprets in his own
way all sorts of characters. His voice is, more than anything else, his
favoured instrument in the development of his show. He has a wide
vocal range and a particular command of different narrative categories.
He moves directly and without transition from a murmur to a cry, from a
normal delivery to a verbal tranceand from lament to singing.181

Alloula's stagetechniqueshavechangedconsiderablythroughexperimentation
and researchand they are certainly different from what they were in the 1970s. The
influenceof traditionalculture andof the traditional story-telleror madda-ýis obvious
andwhat is describedaboveis to a greatextentreflectedin Al-Aiwad. IndeedAlloula
hascarefully selectedand skillfully appliedthe techniquesof the nwd&Fýin this play.
However,although Al-Aiw'ad showsinnovation and skill, is successfuland has won
its
acclaim, performanceruns for "three hours and fifteen minutes" which makes it
rather too long. Alloula, however,arguesthat it is of normal length and that: "some
spectatorsfind it long but mostof themfind its durationnormal." 182

At the sametime it endsratherabruptlyand the last song,'The Storyof SaIdna',

seemsrather superfluous.Alloula could haveclosedthe play with 'The Story of Jalrul'
is
which the tableauin which the play reachesits climax. Ile last song,unfortunately,

'so Moula, Abdelkader,op. cit.

isi Ibid.
182Djellid, M'Hamed, op.cit.
 147

brings a somewhatmelodramaticnote to the generalatmosphereof the play. It is,

however,likely thatthe playwrightdecidedto havesuchan endingdeliberatelyto imply
that the 'stories' in the play are aspectsof real daily life and that similar 'stories'
continueto happenin that real daily life, in which casethereis a mutualprojectionof
reality into the play andof the play into reality. Ile endingthen would be justified but
not obviousto the spectator.

N.B. A. Alloula gaveme copiesof theforthcomingpapersandallowedme to usethem.

 CHAPTER IV

SLIMANE BENAISSA
i) How Benaissa Came To The Theatre

Slimane Benaissawas born on 11 December1943 in Guelma in the Aur6s

region of Eastern Algeria. At the age of five, he attended primary school being taught
both in French and Arabic, the former languagebeing usedunder French administration
and the latter being provided unofficially by the Mz5bil community. This meant that,
unlike the majority of his generation,he had a sound education in Arabic, "I received a
real education in Arabic"2 - as he puts it. At the age of thirteen, in 1956, he went to the
college technique, a boarding technical college in Annaba a major city on the eastern
coast of Algeria and very near Guelma. He worked as a lathe-operator and milling
engineer. He passed his BEL - Brevet Elementaire Industriel - equivalent to O'level,
but stoppedhis studies in 1961 as the 'OAS3 (the French colon secret army) increased
its terrorist activities againstthe population. After Independence,in 1963 he was sent to
France by the Ministry of Health to train in the maintenanceof medical equipment but
he interrupted his training two years later. He was by then rather sad and disappointed:

I left the factory for two reasons. Firstly, I realised that our
training simply meant creating a cheap labour force. The other reason
was that I had a French friend of my own age who used to work on a
machine next to me at the factory. He died becauseof a stupid accident
at work. This tragedy affected me deeply adding to my disappointment,
so I left to in
work a repairs and maintenancecompany.4

His parentswho had movedto Algiers in 1963,had financial difficulties. T'his

led Benaissato recognisethat he hada duty to return and take careof them. He came
back in 1967 and took a job as maintenancetechnicianat the Topital Mustapha'the
main teaching hospitalin Algiers. He his
wasvery eagerto pursue studies but he had to
wait for his elder brother to return from the Soviet Union, where he had taken a
doctoratein nuclearphysicsin 1968,in orderto takeover the family responsibilities.In
the same year Benaissapassedthe entry exam to the Faculty of Science at the
Universityof Algiers wherehe studiedmathematics,andjoined 'Th6atreet Culture' an
amateurtheatregroupwhich was locatednearthe University. Cultural life in Algiers in

I TheMzilbi or Mozabitesascalledin Frencharethe Algerian Berbersin the Mz3b

regionsituatedin southeasternAlgeria andborderingthe Saharadesert. The regional
capitalcity is Ghardaia.The Miabi areusuallya closedcommunity. A largenumberof
menemigrateto the north leavingtheir families behind. They aremainly shopkeepers
andtradersmainly in groceryandfabrics.
2 Our interview with Benaissaon 6 January1987. Most of the materialin this section
is basedon this interview andon anotheroneon 12 January,1988.
3 OAS: OrganisationdesArmeesSecretes.A terroristorganisationsetup by the
Frenchsettlersandsomearmy generalsto opposethe grantingof Independence to
Algeria by the FrenchgovernmentunderDe Gaulle.
4 Interview,op.cit.
 149

the late sixties and early seventieswas buoyant and Benaissa was in the midst of it
through his deep involvement with 'Th6Atre et Culture' which was very active at that
time. Between 1969 and 1971 he took part in several plays. He also translated and
produced Kateb Yacine's La Poudre d'Intelligence (Inteftence Powder),
to
contributed the collective production of La Femme Algeriýnne (Algerian Women)
and wrote a play entitled Al'Shalb, AI-Shalb, (People. It is during this period
-Peonle .
that he realised that he did not really want to pursue his studies and opted for the
theatrical arts instead, "I understoodthat what suited me best was theatre, but I had two
obligations: I had to fulfil my moral pledge towards my father who wished that I
completemy degree,which I did, andI alsohadto do my 'National Service'.5

Soon after he finished his military service in 1974, he was asked by Zamoum
from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Kateb Yacine to reorganiseand lead the theatre
group 'Action Culturelle des Travailleurs' which Kateb Yacine had managed since
1971. The theatre group was facing many internal problems and "was falling apart".6
He accepted the offer and redirected Kateb Yaccine's Moharned4 Prends Ta Valise
(Pack Up Your Bags Mohamed) which the group was performing at that time and
in
which was great demand throughout the country. He also took the ma or role in the
play and worked for one month until he found it impossible to continue with "a group
which was very difficult to live with"7. This led him to "make suggestionsand propose
a different method of work to Kateb Yacine who rejected them and who imposed his
own terms."8 Benaissaleft the group but chancewas on his side for:

The sameday as I left the groupI wasnearlyhit by a car asI was

crossingthe road. The driver happenedto be a friend - Ghrib Mohamed
- he'parked the car and we went for coffee. He askedme to bring the
group to perform Mohamed, Prends Ta Valise for the workers of
SONELEC9wherehe washeadof a department.I saidthat I hadleft but
I offered to organisecultural activitiesin the company. He acceptedthe
offer andI startedwork two dayslater with a groupof fifteen people-10

Benaissa'snew job was not only to entertainthe workersbut also to get them
involved in the entertainmentprocessitself. His experiencewith the companywas a
collective production of a play about oil and world politics entitled La Situation
EconorniqueEn Alg6rie.11 Benaissasaysthat the play was a stereotypeof what the
amateurtheatrewas producingat that time. "It was about oil and all the associated
issueslike Palestine,Mousaddeqaffair, nationalisationin Algeria etc."12

5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 SONELEC 'Societe Naflonale Des EquipementsElectroniques'. A national company
dealing with the manufactureof electronic equipment.
10 Interview, op. ciL
11 Benaissacould not rememberthe title of the play in Arabic and we were unable to
find records, apart from the French tide mentioned in a programme for the play FridaY
12 Interview, op.cit.
 150

However,his enthusiasmsoonfadedaway as the play generatedproblems. He

was confronted by the company'strade-union13 on the night of the first performance.
Trade-unionofficials wereoutragedat certainscenesof theplay andthey wantedhim to
removethem:
Thereis a scenewhererabbischantextractsfrom theBible which
I had translatedinto Arabic but the style madethem soundexactly like
the Koran. 71ey werescandalised- "How dareyou havea rabbi chant
the Koran?" I insistedthat it was a translationof the Bible but they
would not have it.

The otherreasonwasthat all political characterswerenamedand

interpreted. I played BournMennewith his accentand manners. We
had Ben Bella, Mousaddeq,De Gaulleetc., They arguedthat I should
not haveinterpretedcharacterswho were alive. My reply was- "Do we
have to wait for them to die to speak,to expressourselves? " "Ilis
obviouslyaddedto the conflict betweenUS. 14

Benaissaaskedhis friend, Ghrib Mohamedto arbitrate,but the latter was going

awayfor threeweeksandtold him that "on his returnhe wantedto seesubstantialwork
otherwisehe will not be able to defendhim inside the company"15.This was a tragic
for Benaissa.Two dayslater all themembersof his groupleft excepttwo,
%lultimatum"16
Omar Guendouz and Hamid Oubikibir. Nonetheless,he took up the challenge:

I had to present a play in twenty days. Omar Guendouz had just

graduated from the 'Conservatoire' and had never acted before and
Oubikibir who was an academic and an intellectual was more a moral
support and a good critic rather than a man of theatre. I already had a
vague idea of a play about two men, one ýoung and one older, in the
desert... I worked on this idea and that is how Carry On Bfillim came
about. In twenty-two days the play was completed and ready for
showing.17

But his problemswith the trade-unionwere not over. At the first performance
given on 23 April 1975 at the 'Salle de l'ONAMO', 18the trade-unionofficials once
againdisapproved of his ideas and decided to ban the play, althoughhis friend, Ghrib
Mohamed was pleasedwith it. Three months later three friends of his - Kamel
Bendimreda well known joumalist, Malek Bouguermouha theatredirector, and Baba
Ali managerof the 'El-Mouggar'19cultural centre - thought the play was worth
.
supportingand helped it It
to produce again. was performedat 'El-Mouggar' on 5 June

13AR companiesandinstitutionshavea trade-unionaccordingto the Tharte Socialiste

desEntreprises'decreedin 1971.
14Interview,op. cit.
15Ibid.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.

is ONAMO: 'Office NationalDe La Main d'Oeuvre' - similar to the British Job

Centres.
19 'El-Mouggar', asspeltin French,is a cultural centrein thecity centre,usuallyr0fi as
but
a cinema alsousedasa venuefor plays,public lectures,exhibitionsandmusic
concerts.
 151

1975. The performance was a good opportunity for Benaissa to make some cogent
points: "I stopped acting in the middle of the performance and denounced the trade-
union officials who were in the auditorium. T'he following day, Kamel Bendimred
published an interview in
with me Alg6ri&ActuaIite. '20

At this time, the late PresidentBenm6diennewas attendinga conferenceof

Islamic Statesin Lahore, Pakistan and in his speechsaid: "I will not go to paradiseon
an empty stomach"21. By coincidence, his statement was similar to a line spoken by
Bu'larn in Carry On B-g4im and which refers to God and the after-world - "If He
punishesme, I'd rather be puni shedon a full stomach." The President's words appeared
,
on the front pagesof the national press the following day. At the sametime the conflict
betweenAlgeria and Morocco got worse.22 'Mese factors led the trade-union officials,
"... to say to themselves:"this is the play of the time! " They associatedBenm6dienne
with the character of Bu'larn and King Hassan of Morocco with that of Sekfali. So I
had my play back on stage."23

After two months of performances throughout the country the play was
presentedat the 'Tenth Mostaganem Festival'24 where "it was welcomed beyond any
expectation".25 It has beenperformed more than 600 times since then.

In February1977Benaissawas appointedmanagerof the Thditre R6gionalde

Annaba' by the Ministry of Culture and Information and worked there for one year.
During this period he wrote and producedtwo plays, Y-urnAl-jamla Kharju R3im
(Friday which is the continuationof Carry on Bullim and Al -MahM r (][he
-)26
Despised based on The Ill-treated by the Russian playwright Andrei
-Apostle
Makainok. One year later, in February1978,he was calledon by the ministry to take
up the post of 'Directeurdes Theatreset de FOrientation' in Algiers. However,a few
months later he ill
was taken seriously with mastoiditis and went to Paris for an
operation. During his absencehe was dismissedfrom both his postsin Annabaand at
the Ministry of CultureandInformation,andaccusedof badmanagement of the Annaba
theatre. He was broughtbeforethe court and acquittedafter the trial, but the ministry
werenot satisfiedwith the verdict andappealedthe case.Again Benaissawasacquitted

20 Interview, op.ciL
21 Ibid.
22 Conflict over the annexationof the Westem.Saharaby Morocco.
23 Interview, op. ciL
24 Ile MostaganemFestival is the amateurtheatre festival held every summer in
Mostaganem.
25 Interview, op.ciL
26 "Y"umAl-Jam'a Kharju Ryim" is the title of a very popular Algerian folk song. Ile
theme is about a young man dreaming and fantasising about beautiful girls he meetson
Friday. The title means- beautiful girls come out on Friday. 'The word ry&n means
4gazelle'in Algeria and it is used as an image for beautiful girls. The play is about the
fantasiesof three young workers sharing a bed-sitting room on Friday, their day off
work.
 152

becauseof lack of evidenceandunfoundedaccusationsbroughtby the AnnabaTheatre

trade-union27,and receiveddamages. His troubles did not stop there,however. Soon
after the secondtrial he and his wife had to take their son who had a severelung
problem to Paris for treatment. They were penniless and had to turn to friends and to
the Algerian immigrant community for help. While he was very anxious about his son's
health and above all about the operation he underwent on 10 December 1979, he
received'a summons from Algeria to appear before another court in Annaba on 12
December. On 11 Decemberhe took the plane for Annaba leaving his son behind in the
intensive care unit. I shall never forgive any bureaucrat on earth for this. I did not
even know what I was going to court for. "28

Obviously Annaba Tbeatre had not given up and had brought the case before
another court. Nonethelessone week later Benaissa was acquitted once more. After
such experience he had only one option: "I swore never to work for the public
administration again. That is how I decided to go independent, to set up my own
theatre."29

He started his own theatre in 1980 and today it is the only private theatre in
Algeria. He does not have a proper base - theatre building or office. Becauseof the
flexible nature of his theatre which uses minimal sets and not more than three or four
actors,rehearsalstake place in his flat or in any rented spaceavailable. As to the
venues,the customerwho hiresthe showprovidesthe placefor theperformance.

In March 1982 he produceda preliminary version of Bab7u*rGhmq (A Ship-

Sank). The final versionwas performedin December1983. But the play cameunder
the censors' scissorsand was banneduntil April 1985. Nonetheless,with this play
Benaissabecamean establishedplaywright and director in Algeria like Abdelkader
Alloula and KatebYacine. Like Carrj On gu'lim it won wide acclaimfrom the press
andfrom the public. It hasalwaysplayedto full houseswhereverit wasperformedand
after morethan 500 performancesat home is
and abroadthere still a big demand for it.
Yet, despitenationaland foreign recognitionand to the astonishmentof both pressand
the public, Benaissahas not beeninvited to participatein the annualNational Theatre
Festivalwhich startedin 1985. The reasonsfor this exclusionare not known evento
the playwright himself. But even if he was still ignored by the organisers,he still
to
performed a full houseevery eveningfor five weekson the fringe of the third festival
in January1987.

27Like otherinstitutions,theatresalsohavetrade-unions.
28 Interview,op. cit.
29 Ibid.
 153

While working on future projects, Benaissa is still performing Carry On

BBIEm and more frequently Bab7ur GhLaq at home and abroad, essentially for the
North African immigrant community in France and Belgium.

Family and Cultural Background

Slimane Benaissa's family origins are interesting in the Algerian. context in the
sense that his grandfather, a (a
Mz-abi3o member of the Berber minority in the Miab a
south easternregion of the edge op the Saharadesert) married outside the community.
At the time, such an action was consideredvirtually sacrilege. He settled near Tebessa
by the Tunisian border. When he died the M;ýabi community according to tradition and
principle took care of his son who was only six. The Mz5bi community are usually
shopkeepersand traders in the Tell region of Northern Algeria, and Benaissa's father
was brought up in such environment until he started his own business selling textiles.
He also married outside the community and when he moved to Guelma in the Aures
region: "People would call me or my brother "the son of the Miaibi"If they were Arabs
and "son of the Arab" if they were M27abi,just as they used to describe my father. For
the French settlers we were simply called ArabS"31

Ilus the young Benaissagrew up in an environmentof four different worlds,

Mzabi, French, Arabophone and ShZ!wi (Berbers of the Aur6s region). His father was
very fluent and eloquent in the Berber languages Mzabi, Kabyle and Strawi - and in
-
Arabic both modem and Algerian which he was very keen to teach him. As Benaissa
recollects: "He used to speak a refined and polished language. He was so eloquent that
you would think he was a barrister."32

As a child he usedto helpin the family businessand thususedto travel with his
fatherto varioustown andvillage markets. Ibis was anotherform of educationfor the
marketswere an ideal forum for him to meetdifferentpeoplefrom differentregionsand
with different habits. He could alsoenjoy the performancesof story-tellers,folk poets
andsingers.
We usedto go almosteveryday to the souksto sell textiles,so I
%ýas in perpetualcontactwith peopleand their variousproblems. I had
views on a wide spectrumfrom all the socialcategoriesfrom thosewho
lived in remotevillages high on themountains,to my schoolfriendsboth
Algerian andEuropean.My fatheralsousedto teachme how to speakto
differentpeopleandin differentsituations- how to speakto a peasant,a
townsmanor a womanfor example. I usedto move with eao from one
micro-worldto another.33

30Mzabi, op cit footnote1.

31 Interview,op.cit.
32 Ibid.
33 Ibid.
 154

Ilis experiencehas benefitedhim a great deal for it becameone sourceof

inspirationfor him as a playwright, directorand actor. Furthermorea sizeableamount
of material in his plays, mainly variety of language, of accentand voice range, is
borrowedfrom his childhoodenvironmentandexperience.

Theatre Career

SlimaneBenaissa'sfirst experiencein theatrewas when he joined the amateur

theatregroup 'Th6atreet Culture' in 1968in Algiers. This group was one of the most
active groups in the country in terms of experimentationand researchon original
materialand form. The form of the theatrethey adoptedwas that of 'tableaux' or
tableaux/flashes,a sequenceof short scenestackling different aspectsof one major
theme,usually of socio-political nature. They used to perform for different social
categoriesbut their major supporterswere usually studentsand workers. The group
becamea major pioneerof what is now known as amateurtheatre,as Benaissaargues:
"we were virtually the foundersof this form of theatre."34 He was one of the main
contributorsto the collectiveproductionof La FemmeAlgirienne, a controversialplay
aboutthe harshsituationof Algerianwomenin a maledominatedsociety. Theplay was
performedfor one year 1969-1970becauseof its appealingthemeand the polemical
debatesit generated.In 1970he translatedand producedKateb Yacine's La Poudre
d'Intelfigence, a farce basedaroundthe adventuresof 'Nuage de Fum6e', (Smoke
Cloud a modemversionof the legendaryJoha.

His first attempt at playwrighting was with People, People in 1969, a play
as
written a homage to the Algerian people in the usualamateurtheatre form. He was
to departfrom this form with his last contributionto the collective productionof a play
aboutoil whenhejoined the SONELECcompany.
After my experiencein Mohamed. Prends Ta Val wanted
,I
to try for the last time this form of theatre,a form in which I did not
believe any longer. I could seethat this form of theatrewas somehow
defectivebut I did not know why. It wasadaptableto collectivecreation
andwasvery practicalbut it could not solveall theproblemS. 35

It is with Carry On Mull-amthat he startedhis own form of writing, a form

is
which mainly dictatedby material constraintsand which aims at a highly practical
and flexible mobile theatre. The is
cast always small and the only play with five
characters is The Despised there are two charactersin Carry On Mu'lim, four in
Friday and threein A Ship Sank. In fact theplays mostperformedandmostrequested
by the public and which Benaissahimself prefers are Carry on 8-611imand A Ship
Sank. A van is all he useswhen on tour, for himself, his actorsand whateverpropsor
sethe needs. Thereare hardly any exits in any of his plays,his charactersare together
34 Ibid.
35 Ibid.
 155

and always presenton stage. 17hismeansmaximum economy in props, of light changes

and of movement. Benaissa's is
theatre very successfuland always plays to full houses.
However, it is hard to tell whether he will change his form of theatre or even if the
present form will always appeal to the public as Algeria is witnessing continuous
changesof style and content in cultural life.
 156

ii) CARRY ON B&I: AM

by
SLIMANE BENAISSA

Cast:

Sekfali

Tin
B7u'I,

Technocrat

Props:

A push cart with books -2 square wooden boxes. Bu'lam wears plain ordinary casual
clothes. Sekfali wears traditional Algerian clothes: gandu-ra(robe) turban and burnous
(cloak).
 157

ACT I- SCENE I

THESNAKE
(The shadow of Bý'15mM praying is projected on a screen. Faint music of the muezzin37...After his
prayer he goesfront stageand puts his shoeson. Enter Sekfali.)

Sekfali Eru'lim..! M'151n..!

BB'lim What is iM

Sekfali A snake!

BB'13rn So What?

Sekfali What do you mean "so what"L suppose38it ate me, suppose it jumped on me,
supposeit strangledme?..

BZU'lam Well. it didn't eat you, it didn't jump on you, nor did it strangleyou - why do you say
"suppose"?

Sekfali Bien SU^r39

I say "suppose".

Bru'lam Always with your "suppose"...supposethe earth is lifted up, supposethe sky falls.
supposethe mountain crumbles down, supposethe river breaks its banks, supposeI
lose my way, supposeI get hungry, supposewe die...

Sekfali Without supposethereare no suppositions... is

pose part of supposeand suppose is
part of supposition...Supposethere was no pose, suppositionwouldn't contain
becausesuppositionderivesErompositionandit is supposewhich derives
suppose...
from pose,thatis thepositionof thewholesupposition.
40

Bu'llm Wherewasthis bloodything?

Sekfali It is a being which was amongthe beings!41 Among the livingl In life!42 How
shouldI knowaboutits beinghere?

(B; '13mkills thesnakewith a shoeandpresentsit to Sekfali...

)

Sekfali B? Gm! B:-u'liin! Whatis it?

...
Buliin Posein position,thesnakewasin a comerposition.43

(WhenSekfali seesthe snakehe draws back in disgust but he is mainlyfrightened. )

36 B-u'lamis behinda screen.

37muezzin:Muslim priestwho calls for prayer.
38The word IuUn means'if' or 'what if. We haveoptedfor 'suppose'because
Sekfaliis going to play on the word kana (to be) andits derivatives; suppose'is the
closestalternative.
39 Bien sfir. 11is is utteredin French. It is rathersurprisingthat he shoulduseFrench
wordsbecausehe is (asthe play develops)a staunchadvocateof Arabic.
40 We haveomittedthe translationof 'that's all' becausewe think it doesnot fit here.
41 Sekfaliis still playing on the word to be. Herethe word shouldbe 'living things' or
'existing things'.
42 Ile authorusestwo juxtaposedwordsmeaning'world' and 'life' but they both mean
'life' in Algerian, moreso in this context.
43The word is coin in Frenchandadoptedin Algerian. The authorusesit to keepthe
rhyme.
 158

Sekfali 44
Godis limitlessin his glory. He hasthepowerto createanytl-dng.

E5515in Indeed,you're right, Godhasthepowerto createanything.

Sekfali He is Almighty- andbeingAlmightyHe

He hasthepowerto createanythingbecause
hasthepowerto createanything.

BU'lim Sekfali,God sentUS45 thissnakejust at theright time...just aswe haveno foodleft...

let's cookit - whatdo you think?

Sekfali Cookit? No, I don't think it's 4al5l.46

Bulain We havenothingto eat.

Sekfali Nothingat all?

BU'lln Either we eat snakesor snakesWill eat US47,

choose.

Sekfali WaiL I'm goingto checkthis in thebooks

9-u'15in Yes,go..

(BZ'IoTmdoesn't seemconcernedabout what the books will say, he puts the snakein a pan. Enter Sekfali
with a push-cartfull of books.He sits down and starts reading.)

Sekfali The leading scholars in the science of snakes and monkeys said only good things
about them... ATu Soflin Al-'Ankab-uU`-tells us how the people of Souf48used to cat
greensnakes,and also how they used them in medicine... B-51im, what colour is the
snake?49

Bu'larn It is greenandits eyesareblue., -

Sekfali Al-BaAujof the B&ýi Bw--udtribe saysthat the snakeis composedof threethings-
venom- flesh and skin. He further writes that scientificanalysisled to the logical
conclusionthat venom is deadly,hence the flesh is not 0151 whereas the skin is.
MasterMind5Oof thetribeof theGreatMinds5l writesthatin ChinaandJapanpeople
eatsnakes,monkeys,cats,dogsandall similar species...11511m,do you know why
theChinesehaveslanted52 eyes?

1374'15in Why..?

44 Inteýection. Often usedin admirationor surprise.

45 The expressionis often usedwhensomethingor someoneturnsup whenneeded,
thus 'God sentit' - 'God senthim/you..'
46 In Islam therearecertainrestrictionsregardingfood anddrink. Pork andalcoholare
forbidden- haia-mwhereasany otherflesh is allowed 0151providing it was
iccording -
slaughtered to ritual rules.
47 This is a pun referringto the abuseof certainofficials. This implies that oneshould
reactagainstany form of abuse.Algerian audienceslove this kind of remarks.
48 The namesof the scientistsarethe creationof the author. He playson the nameAl-
'Ankablit"i- Mr. Cobweb- to enhancehis irony.
'Souf' or 'Oued Souf' is a regionin SouthernAlgeria.
49 The questionis askedin literary Arabic to give Sekfali the attitudeof a learnedman.
m Again the authorplayson names.Herethe wordsareMr. Cleveror Great,or Genius.
51 The prefix b&,J means'sonsof' hence'tribe'. The authorusesthe sameword for
4cleverman' and 'clever tribe'. Becauseof the connotationwe haveoptedfor 'Master
Mind' and 'GreatMinds Tribe.
M The authormeans'slanted' but the word he usesin the text is 'crinkled'. It is
possiblethat the authorcould not think of a different word. On our part we cannotthink
of a word for 'slanted' nor do we believeit existsin Algerian Arabic.
 159

Sekfali Becausethey eat snakes...

BU'I; m Is that so?

Sekfali He who lives among a community for forty daysbecomesa memberof that
community53and he who eatsan animal resemblesthat animal...
He who eatssnakeresemblesthe snake.
He who eatspork resemblesthe pig.
He who eatsrat resemblesthe rat.

Eru'larn And he who eatsmutton?

Sekfali He resemblesthe halal...

(Bu lia-mhandsthe pan u4th the cookedsnaketo Sekfali.)

Bu'lam It's ready, let's eat.

Sekfali What'sready?

Bularn 7be snakeis cooked,I cookediL

Sekfali Who is going to eat the cooked snakeyou have cooked?54

Bu'lam You and me, is there anybody else with us?

Sekfali Forget it... Look, try to find a snakeand bring it to eat its fellow snake. I won't eat...
and what's more, even the books haven't given me a definite answer...

Bu'lam Listen,thosewho wrote thesebookslived in comfort. They were not wanderingin

the desert;theywererefinedpeopleandthey usedto eat fine food, that's why they
wereput off by snake...But we...

Sekfali How do you know aboutthesepeople..?What aboutthe teachingsof religion? No

messingwith thelaw of Islam.55

Eru'larn Godbe praisedandsobe Hislaw... If the dogmaappliedto a decentandcomfortable

life we wouldabideby all theprinciplesandbe accountablefor our deeds...But, here
we are in the to
middleof nowhere,not say that in
we are the land of snakes56. So,
whereis thejustice,whereis thelaw to solvetheproblem?Comeon, sayto yourself
Godgaveyou this foodandlet's eat...

Sekfali No thankyou.

Ef-u'fa-
m Comeon!

Sekfali No.

Bulam Look... if you are afraid of God, rememberthat "God is Much-Forgiving,A

DispenserOf Grace.57

Sekfali 1158
"GodIs SevereIn PunishmenL

53 This is an old Arab saying.

54 The word cookedis alsorepeatedin the text.
55 The word is sharTameaning- Islamiccodeof law.
56 Anotherpun referringto abuseof power,repression...
57and58 Thesearetwo recurrentversesin the Koran. They areoften usedby people
for eitherexcusewhendoing somethingforbiddenby Islamor somethingwrong,or for
warningsagainstsuchdoings.
58 57.
see
 160

BuI am "GodIs Much-Forgiving,A Dispenser

Of Grace."

Sekfali "GodIs SevereIn Punishmem"

EVI-am Nevermind!59 If He punishesme,I'd ratherbe punishedon a full stomach

(Bu'la-mis eatingwatchedby Sekfaliwhois meditatingbut alsoput off anddepressed.

)

Sekfali Do you know what God said?

B7u'ram(Still eating)Whatdid hesay?

Sekfali He said"You areforgivenfor yourdeedswhenin necessity.

"60

Bulam Whatdoesit mean?

Sekfali You are forgiven for your deedswhen in necessity. Simple. It means that if you are
in doubt, it is left to you to sort yourself out.

BuSwn Can't you sayplainly I amhungry?Comeon, eat...try, just a taste.

(Sekfali movesnearer BZ'ITm to eat, hesitatesthen starts shouting.)

Sekfali No! No! This is all your fault, you don't know that you are taking us to our death!

BVIRm 1 didn't ask you to follow me!..

Sekfali I am not so madas to follow a vagrantlike you. I wasalright until I foundmyself

draggedinto this situation...I was minding my own business,now I'm caughtin
people'sproblems...Terribledestiny,I was living in a home,now I am wanderingin
thedesert.I waswith my children,now I amlonely...Time6l hasboundus andGod
is bearingwitness.

Bu'lam Sekfali...

Sekfali It's all over...There is no Sekfali...no Oum Kalthoum...no Farid Al-Atrash...no

musicandno musicians62

BPS= Look, I know onething, I amnot goingto live againwhatI havebeenthrough

before,
Enoughwith misery
Enoughwith humiliation

Sekfali Enough with blasphemy

Bu'larn Enoughwith hunger.

If I amshowna country'whereI canEvedecently,a countrywhereI Canwork,a
countrywherethereis plenty,I shallgo,be it at theotherendof theplanet. Somake
up your mind,follow meor go your way but give us somepeace,leavemealone...

(BZ'Zn goesto lie downfor a nap. Sekfaligoesto him andutters )

..

59 The authorusesthe Frenchexpressiontantpis. We doubtvery much whetheran

Algerian like Bu'larn or in fact'anyaverageAlgerian would usesuchexpressionin their
speech.
60 Proverbin literary Arabic.
61The authorusesthe word history.
62 It is commonin Algeria to repeatthe negationof anythingin a long sentence just to
say 'it is over' - 'it is finished' - 'no more... Oum KalthoumandFarid Al-Atrash are
Egyptiansingers.
 161

Sekfali ShiL163
WhatshaUI eatnow?

Bu'Fam Eat your head.64

Sekfali I mind my own business..? Alright, so I must mind my own business?..But that's my
problem... I'm no longer able to think.. I'm no longer able to think... What senseis
left in me now that I have become a vagrant among the vagrants...mad among the
mad?LI who studiedthe scienceof life, the scienceof this world and beyond4I have
neither lived fully in this world nor have I seenthe Last Day.65 Why God! Tell me
why!

B7u,
lym WHIyou shutup!

Sekfali Alright.. I have stopped...I am going to pray, God is greater

(Sekfali leavesstage mumbling. BZ "ITmsleeps.)

137u'Garn I swear to God that if there are people like him in paradiseI won't go. It's too much
brothers! IVs too much!66

SCENEH
PRAYER

(Bu'lam sleeps. Sekfali comesback.)

Sekfali Erullin! glulln!

Bru'llam What's the matter?

Sekfali Get up!...Getup!

B-517am, Whatdo you wantmeto do? Be clear..

Sekfali Geton thecart.

Bularn Whatdo you wantmeto do?

Sckfali Geton thecart...Comeon.

Bu'rarn Ahigh4 I'm on thecart,sowhat?

Sekfali Todayis Friday,we mustpray and to pray I mustcall for prayer,to Callfor PrayerI
mustbe on somethinghigh. So you get on the cart and I climb on your shoulders,
this way I shallbe high.

Bu'lain Maybeit's not Friday...How do you know?

Sekfali Sinceyou don't know whenis Friday,weU,yesterdayis Friday,tomorrowis Friday,

thedayafteris Fridayandeverydayof Godis Friday.
/

63 Inteýectionmainly usedin EasternAlgeria, meaning'get off, 'shit', 'no way',

'never'... dependingon the situation.
64 Literal translationof this commonexpression.A similar expressionequallyusedis
deatmy thighs'.
65 The Day of Judgmentor the End of the World.
66 Whenin a similar situationto that of BT11m,onewould often addressone's
complaintto peoplein generalby utteringeither 'brothers'or 'people,,or to God.
 162

Bulam Did you find the qIbla67,the directionto Mecca?..Which way do we faceto pray in
thisdesert?

Sckfali The qibla?.. Look. we shall face this way, then this way... and this way... and
way.

Bu'lam You meanthat the qibla is in the middle of Lhecross-roads-68

Sekfali Exactly...Comeon, hold on to me, hold on to God, hold on to me, hold on to God.
holdon to me 69
...
BTIMm Do I holdon to you or holdon to God?

Sekfali I hold on to you,you holdon to meandwe all holdon to HimYO

Eru'I,Trn Oh no... we shall fall!

(BZ'Ijm gets down, goes back to his place, kneels down and rests on his heels7l. Sekfali tries to get on
the cart. He noticesBTIMm is sitting...)

Sekfali Eru'lgin!Don't move.

Bulam What's the matter?

Sekfali Don't move... bend.

(Sekfali climbs on to B-u'la*m'sshoulders. blu'lam lifts him.)

B-Min Huffy up, you'reheavy!

Sekfali H-u'lam,I canseea viUage.

B-513m Look hard,maybeit's my townY2

Sekfali No, this is a smaI1viHage.

Ifu'llh It is a socialistviUagein my countryY3

Sekfali What?

Bu'larn I shallexplainto you later just hurry.

..

67 Tlie qibla is the directionof Meccawhich the Muslims facein prayer.

68 The word in the text is the transliterationof quatrechemins(four paths,roads,ways).
It is nonetheless commonlyusedwith its own Algerian meaning- cross-roads- without
theword 'cross'. The right word in Frenchis carrefour.
69 In literary Arabic the meaningis cling, stick, tie-up,press.lie word is usedin
Algerianbut with furthermeaningse.g. take,hold, hold on. The expression'hold on to
God' is essentiallyusedto comfort someonedepressed or understressthusthe meaning
is 'believein God', 'be patient'. However,it is usedasa pun in the text.
70 This usuallymeans'hold on to nothing'; it is alsousedasa vulgar interjection. But
the authorplayson the wordsto give thema physicalmeaningresultingin irony,
Bu'lMn andSekfali aregoing to fall.
71 The position is exactlylike the Japanese traditionalway of sitting.
72-Theword means'my town', 'my country$,4mycity', 'my homeland'.
73 Literally 'city, socialistvillage of my country'. Our translationis accordingto the
context: Sekfali seesa village - BT11mbelievesit is a village in 'his socialistcountry'
the countrythey aregoing to.
 163

Sekfali Wait until thewordsof Godreachthosepeople...A113hu

Akbarl..74

(Becauseof Sekfali's weight, BZ'l&nfalls on his kneesSekfali remainsseatedon his shoulders.)

Sekfali "Deedsshouldbe with sincereintendons7s,we sincerelywanted to call for prayerbut

we couldn't makeit. May God strengthenour 76
devotion. In The Name Of Allah
Most Gracious,MostMcrciful-n.

Bullm Sekfali!

Sekfali Whatis it?

Bullm I amunder

(Sekfaligetsup, goesto his previousplace. Bý'Idm goesback to his corner. SekfalimakesIdsFriday

78)
sermon.
Sekfali Prayer and Peace,then..

Bu'lam What?

Whether we have been and whether you have been, there has been no
being like those who had been before us79. Let us worship Him like
those who worshiped Him before us. Let us praise Him like those who
praised Him before us. And to the Lord, let us be most grateful. Like
those who had been before us... and peace be upon yousO. BU'lan-4
come on. let us pray!

Bulam I have alreadyperformed my prayer, may God acceptyours.

Sekfali Let usrecitethendhas I then.

(Both get up and standfront-stagefacing the audiencewith hands openand raised up to heaven.92)

Sckfali BVIEn, repeatafterme.

ICU'11M Alright.

Sekfali Follow me.

74A10huAkbar! is repeatedthreetimesat the beginningof the call for prayerby the

muezzinandalsoat the beginningof eachprayer. Therearefive compulsoryprayersa
day.
75 A sayingby the prophetMohammad.Muslims often refer to the prophet'ssayingsor
hadith. In - Al-IJ5fidh ShihabAl-E7inAt7iAl-Fadhl Al-Asqalin"i calledAbTHajar.
Fath Al-ffirl Bi-Sharh Al-Buktrarl. Egypt. 1959.V. I, p. 144..
76 Ae word usedin thý text means'make sure' or 'consolidateour intentions'.
77 This verseappearsat the beginningof everychapter,Aurahof the Koran. It is also
by
uttered all Muslims whenthey areaboutto do someiliinglike eating,writing,
driving...
78 This is the sermondeliveredin the mosqueon Fridays. The equivalentis the Sunday
servicein the ChristianChurch.
79 Predecessors, previousgenerations, peoplewho lived in previousperiodsarealways
referredto as 'thosebeforeus'. Sekfaliis just mumblinghe is not conductingthe
serviceproperly.
80Always usedat the endof prayerandalsoin daily life whereMuslims useit asa
greetingfor 'hello" and 'good bye' for instance.
81The Fifftihais the openingchapterof the Koran. It is alwaysquotedin prayersand
religiousceremoniesincluding theengagement ceremony.
82 Muslimsraiseup their handswhenreciting the Fiitiha or whenmakinga wish.
 164

BZU'lim Alright.

Sekfali Oh God,spareus from severepunishmentandfrom torturein heIll

DZU'lln 0 Goddispenseyourgraceon us for you aremostgracious,mostmerciful!

Sekfali 0 God,forgiveusfor our sins!

15-51;
n 0 God,give usour daily bread!

Sekfali 0 God,spareusfrom hungerandpoverty!

B7415in 0 God,mostconvincingconvinceus andmakeuscontent!

Sekfali 0 God,keepthedevilsawayfrom us!

BU115m 0 God,keepthedevilsawayfrom us!

Sekfali in theright path!

0 God,guidetheinexperienced

B7515m 0 God,keepour stepsfirm in theright way to fortune!

Sekfali 0 God,makehim changehis mind sowe comeback!

B7u'17am 0 God,give usmorestrengthto carryon!83

Sekfali Makehim changehis mindso we comeback!

B74,11n 0 God,give memorestrengthto carryon!

Sekfali To comeback.

137u'lin To carryon.

Sekfali BVIgm, you're not repeatingwhatI say.

BVIiin Look eachonehashis ownFatiha. Godknows9-51imandBB'Ii:m knowsGod.

Sekfali Whata faceto beknownto God!

BTI 7am I wouldhavethoughtGoddidn't discriminate.

getsup andstartsto packup. Heputsthescatteredutensilsin thecart.)

(BB'15m'

83The verb for 'give more' and 'carry on' in the text is the sameexceptfor 'carry on'
the Algerian verb is 'I give moreforward'. However,the repetitionof the word in the
text givesthe line a pleasantassonance.
 165

SCENE HI

BU'LAM'S HISTOR
Sekfali Whatareyou doing?

BB'15in We carryon...we arenot takingroot here,arewe?

Sekfali Mind the books! Why do you persistwith your carryon, carryon?...Tell me please,
whatis urgingyou,whatis theevil forcebehindyou?
Tu'llin Belhamlaoui.84

Sekfali Belhainlaoui?

BTGn Haven'tyou heardof BelhamlaouitheFELLER?85

Sekfali No, I wouldn't knowfellers.

Bu'larn WhenFrancewastyranisingthis country,whenour brotherswere living undertotal

oppression,when my parentsusedto recite the Koran in their heartsand bow to
whenI wasa child oftenwith snotrunningfrom my noseand flies all over
strangers,
me.
Sekfali Pleasedon't speakabout snot...

BViam All that time, Belhamlaoui usedto sell tangerinesin the market and people thought he
was mad becausehe usedto say
"Aujourd'hui les mandarines
Demain les grenades.86
0 peopleS7 there is more to come. "88
Belhamlaoui had a few dogs, he called them A, B, C, D, E and they
were all Arab dogs. Do you know what he used to say: "these dogs
which were sent by God and the prophets and the angels are now ill
treated, oppressed and colonised by DOGS". 89 He was damn Tight.

Sekfali Thereforehe wasoneof thosedogs.

Eru'13m Oh no! He dieda martyr.

Sekfali May herestin peace.

137u'rarn Time went by andnobodysawBelhamlaouior his dogsuntil his corpsewasbrought

into the marketplace. His backwasriddledwith bullets. His feet werecoveredwith
thorns;the soldierswere standingat his feet and the dogslying over him. He was
holdinga pieceof clothshowingtheAlgerianemblem.It wasthefirst time I sawthe
Algerianflag, thefirst time I sawthe Algerianemblem.Sincethatday he wascalled
BelhamlaouiEru'l9n- HarnlaouiBBTTrn...(BB'Mn smiles,thenhe resumes)Oneday,

84Belhamlaouiwasa saintwho lived in EasternAlgeria. He wasfamousfor his

generositytowardsthe poor andhis strongpersonality.The namebecamea legendand
is associatedwith anybodystrongandfierce.
85The word in the text isfd1hTgmeaning'tree-feller'. During the war of liberationit
took theplural formfMiNga. It wasusedby theFrenchto refer to the Algerian members
of themaquis. We haveused'Feller' to keepthe pun.
86Ile two lines arein Frenchin the text.
97Ile literal translationwould be '0 Arabs', but in Algeria - sometimeswhenone
addresses to is
people,appeals themor talks aboutthem- the meaning people in
general.
88Literally - 'fortune is still ahead'.
89 Referringto the Frenchoccupants.
 166

Belhamlaoui was walking down the street, he bumped against a French womarOO
She said "Can't you be careful, dirty Arab9l". Belhamlaoui turned back, looked at
her a few secondsthen said

"We aredirty because

of you.
You arecleanthanksto us.
But we shallwashsomeday."
Shereplied"Whatcheek! And on top of thathe speaksFrench".
Do you know whathereplied?"On top of tops,thereis theArabtop Madam"92

BelhamlaouicouldspeakFrenchandwhat he enjoyedmostwasswearingin French...

Bitch, cow,cunt,twerp,wog,jackass...heknewthemall by heartuntil thedayhewas
killed and brou ht to the marketplace. My namewas SN.P. Larbi, I was calleda
Vh'en
foundfing93. we got our independenceI askedthe Algerian governmentto
change my name. So I called myself BELHAMLAOUI I
BOTAM. 7bey gave names
of martyrs to squaLes, streets, schools... so I considered myself a street called
BELHAMLAOUI BU'CAM, 94

- Aujourd hui les mandarines

Demain les grenades
There is trouble ahead
0 people!!

SCENE TV
FIRST DEPARTURE

(Bu'l&n pushesthe cart. Sekfalifollows him.

BUTIn (Saysa poem)

"Theclairvoyantcanseethroughthebottomof thepot."95
And everybodycanseethroughthesieve. '
And thebravetrampleson theviper'shead.
And theswimmerdivesin deepseas.
And themuezzin96 callsfrom theminaret.
And wheatgrowswherethepick haspassed.

90 The word in the text is rlTmiyaa woman from Rome. It goesback to the Roman
presencein North Africa. In modem times it meansany Europeanwoman. The
is
masculine ru'ml.
91 In French in the text; commonly and extensively used by the French.
92 In French in the text but the word in the text is 'market' which we have translatedby
'top' to keep the idea of par-dessus.
93 In the text, French abbreviation 'S.N.P.': SansNom Patron)mii ue. meaning without
sumame. Under French legislation any illegitimate child is called S.N.P. until he is
twenty-one to choosea sumame.
94 Very bitter irony on the part of the author. In other words Bli'lim is saying 'I am
like a carpet to be OA ý
95 This verse is by Adb-Al-Rahnffn Al-Majd5b, in Scelles-Millie (Jeane)et Boukhari
(Kh6lifa) - Les Quatrains de edidoub le sarcastigue. Paris Maisonneuve et
-
Larose - 1966, p. 5 1. Al-Majd5b lived in Morocco, he died in 1958. The other verses
-
are by the author.
96 The muezzin is the man who calls for prayers from the minaret of a mosque.
 167

(Afterthepoemhesingsa song.)
Tell meblackraven
Bird of freedom
Fromyour skies
Canyou seemy country
Tell mewhen
I reachhome
My folk andI
Will be happy
Stopmy wandering
For homeandsettle
And makeall happy
Work for all because
Jobsareplenty
In prosperity
My way shallrun
My hopeshave
Lastedtoo long
Throughpainandsorrow
I shallpassbut never
ShallI bully
Tell meblackraven
Bird of freedom
Fromyour skies
Canyou seemy country.

(Theytravel round thestagethenresettle.)

ACT H SCENE V

'ARABISATION997

Sekfali Did you sayyou can't read?

Efu'ram You talk of readingwhenI don't evenknow how I'm alive.

Sekfali Did yourparentsgo to school?

EFu'lim In all my life I went only twice to school. I learned"In 7be NameOf Allah Most
Gracious,Most Merciful" andwar started,so I fled to themountains.

Sekfali Wasyour fathereducated?

Bu'lam My fatherwentto schoolonly once. He learned"In TheNameOf Allah" andthewar

startedso he fled to the mountains.He didn't comeback, he died there;mercyof
Allah be uponhim.

Sekfali And your grandfather,washe educated?

Bu'lam, Look here,evenif you go twentytimesthroughmy family treefrom son to ancestor.

you'll find that we all knew war, we all took to the maqttisand all of us had no
education...that'swhy theycall us themountainpeopleP8

Sekfali Well, evelyonehashis own destiny...somepeopleareat thetop andothersareat the

bottoman soon.

97 'Arabisation' is theofficial policy for the useof Arabic insteadof Frenchfirst in

educationandgraduallyin administration.
98Derogatoryexpressionmeaning'stupid andbackward','a'yokel', often usedby
peoplefrom the city againstpeopleftom rural areas.
 168

B:-U,Iim What about you, were your father and grandfathereducated?

Sekfali Oh, we are all educated,we are all brainy.99

H-U'13M So you were never involved in wars.

Sekfali We foughtwith education...

with education,you see.

Bu'larn Tell me,canyou getkilled whenyou fight with education?

Sekfali Well, asfar aswe areconcemed,

Allah savedus

B-u' am YesAllah savedyou..."

-f
And Allah protectedyou...because we foughton our feetandthosewho fell
outnumberthosestill standing...mountains,ravines..soldiers...100

Sekfali Come on, let's be serious! I don't know where you are taking us... Look, since we are
travelling togetherI am going to teach you to read.

Bu'larn I'd love to, who wouldsayno to education.

Sekfali Tell me,you knowabsolutelynothing?..

Bu'lam I know a bit of French which I learnedat the time when the French soldiers used to
arrestus and question us; things like, Where,do you live... In the village. Did you see
guerillas... I didn't see. Do you have children? Yes, Five. You're lying. I'm lying,
I'm not lying sir. Arabs arejackasses. No sir... yes sir. We learnedmany things with
punches,you know...

Sekfali Not thosethings,comeon! I amtallcingaboutArabic.

Bu'l-am Arabic? I knowonly 'A' in Arabicbecausethereis a songwhichgoeslike this: "'A'

my sultanandexileis torturingme."101
'A' is theking.

Sekfali Do you know 'B'?

Bu'Fxn B? No, thereis no songon that...

Sekfali B asin b5b,b;, bar5ka.102

Bulam Likeb7iru,b7ira, 103

bulitif-C.

Sekfali That is not Arabic.

Bu'lam Why not? All Arabshavebirus,theyall Ekebira andtheyall indulgein bulitic.

99 Although the word in the text is commonly used to refer to people educatedin
Islamic theology, theselatter are often pedantic and pretend they know everything. 7le
author is being ironic here, henceouk choice of 'brainy' insteadof 'intellectuals' or
&professors'...
100The author alludes to battles, particularly the resistanceagainst the French
occupation of Algeria - the resistancein the maquis.
101First verse of a popular song from EasternAlgeria. The letters of the alphabetare
used in acrostic order and used at the beginning of each verse.
102The correspondingEnglish words are 'door', '- Well'i 'benediction'. the
transliteration is used on purpose becausewe believe it keepsthe mood of the scene.
10371e correspondingwords are 'bureau' 'beer'. 'politics'. As Arabs cannot
,
pronouncethe consonant 'p' in general,they say V hencebulfiTc. nese are French
,
words commonly used and part of the spoken languagein Algeria.
 169

Sekfali Godforbid!

B-u'ram Nowadaysthereis lessprejudiceaboutsuchthings 104

...
Sekfali Look, insteadof biru you shouldsaymaktab,maktab,maktaband insteadof Wlitl-c
you shouldsaysiy5sa,siyMa.105
Milk Oh, no, you're wrong. You can say siyasa when you are polite, civilized, gentle...
But when you use force and violence it becomesIruliFic. My father used to say 'use
siy3sa, with your brother and bu-lirirt with France, because in buWiTicthere is
'bunch'106,bomb, bombing... I don't think you have understoodanything...

Sekfali Look, whenyou saymaktab,you pronounceM, K, T and B which areArabic letters

thereforeyou arespealdngArabic.

BVI-arn Why, whenyou saytTiýgdon't you pronounceB andR whichareArabicletters?

Sekfali Micy are Arabic consonantsbut uttered in a foreign language.

Bu'lam So,theyaretraitorsin your view.

Sekfali Exactly...theybetrayedArabicandadoptedFrench.

Bulam The swines... B and R traitors! You're getting deep, and since I am your brother.
please teach me Arabic through French and French through Arabic so I can learn
Kabylc, s4r.107

Sekfali Goodnight

(Sekfaligoesto sleep.BI!'15mmakeshis bed. Night atmosphere.

)

Bu'lam MasterSekfali,you didn't tell mewhatyou call Ora in Arabic.

Sekfali May AHahsaveusfrom suchpeople

Bu'laxn Sekfali,areyou goingto sleepwithoutfood?

Sekfali Is thereanythingto eat?

Bu'lam Whatis left from thismoming.(He handsthepan with thesnaketo Sekfali.)

Sekfali , Godforbid!108

(Sekfalitalkswhilepreparinghis bedwith care.)

Sekfali IruIrm, tell me,arethereArabsin this countryof yours?

BZ'Garn Of course.Who else,Greeks?

Sekfali You neverknow-. BZ'Qn, theseArabsspeakArabic?

104In the text 'there is less'God forbid'. Implying that peoplearelessprejudiced

nowadaysunlike conservativesandprejudicedpeoplelike Sekfali.
105siAsa means'politics' in literary Arabic but in Algeria it took the secondmeaning
of 'gentleness,'tact'.
106We haveused'bunch' to translateMinyawhich is a distortionof the Frenchword
poigae (handfulor handle)orpoignet (wrist) andwhich means'a punch'.
107T'heword is in Frenchin the text. This is anothernoteof irony in this line about
learningArabic.
108Inteýectionusedwhenoneis confrontedwith somethingbador thoughtforbidden
by religion. Also usedin situationsof discontentor disapproval.
 170

B-Tram Of course. What do you want them to speak,Chinese?

Sekfali You neverknow... BTIEn, theseArabswhospeakArabicbelievein God?

BU'lirm Theybelievein God. Whatdo you wantthemto believein, AITUDaghil?

Sekfali You never know... Bli'laim, since thesepeopleare Arabs who speakArabic and
believein God,why shouldwe go to their country? Like them.we are Arabs, we
bebevein Godandwe speakArabic...

BU'l3m In my country,Arabsareall new. TheyspeaknewArabicandtheybelievein our old

Godthatis theeverlastingGod.109

Sekfali So,you areimplyingthatwe areold, out-datedandcheap,we arenothing.

UTI-arn Listen Sekfali, all I'm sayingis that thereare many things in my countrythat you
don't know.

Sekfali You arecaffingmeiporant?

E7u'la-m You simplydon't know.

(Sekfali is upset.he gets very angry.)

Sekfali I, a man of great knowledge,you call me ignorant.

I, a brainy who knows every event and the whole Koran
Who knows philosophy and every trick
Who knows all about fidelity to God and hypocrisy
Who knows arithmetics and fractions
I am ignorant!?

BB'Iam Yes,you areiporanL

Sekfali My knowledgeincludesthe twentiethcentury. the twelfth century, the thirteenth

century.the fourteenth I
century, evenknow the comingcenturyandI havelearnedit
by heart...I amstill ignorant?

Bulam You areiporant andshutup.I 10

Sekfali GoodnighL

(Theygo to sleepbut Sekfalistartsto psalmodizeloudly.)

Bulam Sekfali!

Sekfali Whatis it?

Bu'lkn Psalmodizein yourheam

Sekfali So I am ignorant...

(nq go to steep Music.)

...

109The authorraisesa point of controversyin Algeria. He is implying thatAlgeria is a

modemsociety,peoplespeakmodem Arabic unlike the conservativesbut believein the
sameGod. We shall elaborateon this point in our text analysis.
110The authorhaswithdrawnthe next lines by BTIUamandSekfali:bottomof page21
in the original text.
 171

SCENE VI

DREAM AND NIGHTMARE

(BZu'rwngets up almost somnambulantand addressesthe audience.)

Eru'fa-m I sawmy countryin a dream.

ThenearerI getthemoreI seeit in my dreams
A countryfull of nicethings.
Beautifulhouses
Kids all nicelydressed
Comingout of school
My countryis a paradise
With rivers flowing underneath
Yesparadisewith riversflowing underneath.

(Sekfali gets up screaming.)

Sekfali we're in trouble!in trouble!I sawit!

Eru'15m,

B7511in Whatdid you see?

Sekfali I sawyourcountry.

Vu-13m Sowhat? I sawit too.

Sekfali My God,a countryupsidedown.

No resemblance betweenpeople.
whatsoever
Whoeveris sittingdoesn'tseemto be sitting,
Whoeveris climbingdoesn'tseemto be climbing,
Whoeveris walkingdoesn'tseemto be walking,
Whoeveris sleepingdoesn'tseemto be sleeping,
And whoeveris awakedoesn'tseemto beawake.
A countrywith beastlybehaviours.
Jostlesomeone andyou getknockeddown,
Openyour mouthandyou getyour teethdownyour throat.1II
A countrywith deeprootedandeverlastingpeople.
GoodLord!

(Sekfallsitsdownandcontinuesto mumble.Bý'Zm addresses )

theaudience.

) Is this a humanbeing?..He is a malediction.

Bu'lam (to audience. 112(to SekfaU)- Even your dreams
arerotten. Look, you sawa dark country because your sight is blurred if
and people
are neither going up nor coming down because you are inert just like a plain jar
in
standing a corner113, then listen invent as
as many stories you like, I
- you can
won't believea word you sayuntil I seetheproofwith my own eyes...Goodnight.

(Bu'l&n goesbackto steep. Sekfalitakenbyfear getsdizzyand is transporIn

ed into a ecst d
ac dance
Bll'la'mgetsup, heisfurious.)

BVIgm You area bloodycurse! Look, if you're going mad.keepoff, leavemeWonelIf you
lost your senses,I am still ableto reason.114So,pleasedo me a favourandstopall
Ns nonsense.In your company,no food,no drink, no sleep,no...nothingl

111Literally you swallow your teeth. The other possibility for this expressionis - 'you
get a knuckle sandwich'.
112Other meanings: curse, calamity, trouble, pain.
113Popular idiom commonly used for someonedull, boring, inactive... Literally 'you
are like the leaning jar which makes you neither cry nor laugh'.
114Literally 'if you are floating I am still swimming. '
 172

Sekfali I am anxious11-5'5in,I am anxiousandscared!..I don't know whereyou are taking

me,so how I
can relax? Because,when I don't know where I am goingI getscared...
Fearis cripplingmeBu'lam andI amanxiousl..

Eru'Garn Look, we arein the desertandin the middleof the night, so what canI do to checr
you up? Do you wantmeto bring a flutel 15andplay you somemusic,bring dancers
to entertainyouor organisca wedding?Sotell me,whatdo you wantmeto do?

Sekfali Let's havea wedding?

B-5,Ern Great! A wedding,a beautifulweddingoutdoors!Justlike thad

Sekfali I shall invite all my friendsandeverybodywho wantsto sharemy happiness.I shall

askmy sons to divorce all
andwe shall remarryandhave a big feast.

137u'lam If you wanta wedding,prepareit yourself.

Sekfali Of courseI shallprepareit myself.. Getout of my house!Outl

(EidtBý'Gnj

Sekfali Theweddingwill begreat

Theguestswill begreat
A weddingwith greatmusic
The musicianswill be great
71beweddingwill be fine
And thejealouswill cry of envy
A weddingwith big flashycars
To Leasemy enemies
We shallbarbecuelamb
Drums,pan-flutesandbedouinsongs
A weddingof highclass
Brightenedup with our presence
A weddingto beremembered
ThenI shallrelaxandfeast.

SCENE VII

WEDDING116

(Sehfaliaddresses
imaginaryguests.- His greetingsare eitherwarmor cold accordingto thesocialstatus
of theguest.)

Sekfali May Allah grantyou happiness too! May Allah enlightenyou too!117Hello! Hello!
0 welcome! Welcome! May Allah grantyou wealthandhappiness!(Thenhe stops
to addressa group of imaginaryguests.Bu"lam%411 enterduring this speechand sit
on the )
cart. - We have been brought in
up wealth and dignity, in prosperityand
honour. We neverknewscandalor humiliation We usedto do as we pleased,Yes
... Well,
anythingwe wanted. Unfortunatelytime haschangedand things did not last.
there is nothing left as trampsand vagrantshave becomepeople of honour and
dignity...Farewellgoodold days.

I Is ghBytais a fA-muslc instrumentin the shapeof a clarinet.

116The authorhasalteredthe beginningof this scene;insteadof the puppetsit is
Sekfaliwho greetsimaginaryguests.Bu'lErnenterswhenSekfali addresses a groupof
guests.
117Most Muslims usethesecourteousexpressionsandothersin the samepattem'May
Allah...' for goodwishing,for expressinggratitude...
 173

Bu'larn I have beenbrought up in want and poverty. That's what I got from life. My father
was roaming about bare feetl 19and my mother was delivering her babiesin 19
caves-I
Now I must carry on... and you push the cart.

SCENE VIH

DUEL WITH POETRY120

BTIA-m Pushthecart,we carryon.

Sekfali I Can'L

Bu'larn Well, if you can't leaveit, throwit away.

Sekfali If I throwit awaywhatshallI have?I can't live withoutbooks.

13751-am Look I had no sleep,no food, no resL.. I can hardly move.

Sekfali B-u'lrm, if neither of us can push the cart, let's go back then.

BUTI-arn We carryon andno moreof this talk.

Sekfali If that's what you want, let's have a game,the winner will rest and the loser will push
the cart.

BTlam Right. Let's play dice.121

Sekfali No, I can't play dice.

Bulam Cards?

Sekfali Cardsare forbidden...Let's play something0131, somethingallowed by Islain,

somethingpure.122

Bu'larn Sincewhenýalal thingsincludegameandgambling?

Sekfali Look, I saya verseandyou saya versewhichbeginswith the lastletterof my verse.

B5' ITm What? Saythatagain.

Sekfali I say a verseandyou saya verse. Your versemustbegin with the last letterin my
verse.

Bularn And you think this is a game?

Sekfali For instance.

Muliin Forinstance.

Sekfali "We vow,

By bombsfalling downanddestroyingeverything

118Very common expressionto describea destitute.

119Said of women both destitute and bringing many children.
120Intellectual game with verse mainly in the Middle East. However, as Arabs are very
fond of poetry even illiterate people play this game.
121This word is mainly used in EasternAlgeria. -
122We have already mentioned the 'allowed' and the 'forbidden' in footnote II- We
have added '... allowed by Islam' for clarity.
 174

"
And by all thepureandnoblebloodthatis gushing. 123
Give mea versestartingwith V.
6
B75'liin 3ararara5Mran!124
j7ateran,,

Sekfali YOUgot it.

(Each one gets on a podfum andfaces the other.)

BTI-am Youstam

Sekfali I smn?...No, you starL

Bulam Comeon, start.

Sekfali "Theycametowardsyou draggingiron behindthem

7bey lookedasif theyweremountingleglesshorses." 125
This is from thegreatpoetAl-Mutanabbi.Give usonestartingwith 'S'.

Bu'lam Shehasnot sentnewsI26

Whathappened to my love
Whathappened to her
Whathappened to my love
I wonderwhathappened to herI27
- W!

Sekfali Nameof thepoet.

Irullim This is from thegreatpoet..I don't know his name.W!

Sekfali Reconstructionwe shall s=128

We shallbuild like our predecessors
We shallbuild anddo like theydidI29
7bis is from thegreatandfamous poet...I don't know him either,V.
-
BVI-am D, dee,dee 130
...
Sekfali 'D', comeon hurry!131

Bulam Don't be afraidof theunknown

123Theseare the startingversesof theAlgerian NationalAnthem. ffa'lam uses

vernacular Algerian in this gamewhereas Sekfali usesliterary Arabic.
124We haveaddedthis verseto startwith the letter V. It is in contextwith the
NationalAnthem. BU'l5msingsthis verse.
125Two versesfrom theArab poetAl-Mutanabbi.In AVuAl-Tayyib AhmadIbn Al-
1jusayn(calledAI-Mutanabbi),Divan Dar Sader- Dar Beyrouth,Beyr; uth, 1958,p.
486.
126This is the secondversein the original text. We haveput it first to startwith letter
'S'. By the author.
127 Algerian
popularsong.
128We haveaddedthis verseto startwith the letter 'R'.
129Theselines are Sekfali's own invention.
130BU'lim is thinldngof a word. He repeatsthe letter Aaw (w).
131Ile Playwrightsuggestedthat the following passageshouldbe removed. They are
pages29,30 and31 in the original text.
 175

Be brave and go aheadwith them

Don't feel sorry about the past
The world is live for you and Me132
- 'E'.

Sekfali "Even if I am of the last generation

I am capableof inventing what
The pioneersdid not invent." 133

(Bu'ram gets down and goes to SeAfali.)

Bulam This is from theKoran.

Sekfali It is poetry.

EV17am I tell you it's from the Koran. My teacherknew more than sixty chaptersof the
Koranby heartandhe usedto saytheseverses.

Sekfali Abight. So it is from the Koran and isn't Koran better than poetry?

95"ram We agreedon poetry and not on what's better, so you are the loser and now push the
cart.

Sekfali Well! The one who recites the Koran is called a loser?

9TI-am Come on! Koran is Koran and poetry is poetry, so don't mix.

(They leave. BD'hTmwalks ahead. Sekfalipushesthe cart.)

I ru'l 7am Where are you going?

Sekfali This way!

Eful Em Listen,we carryon andtheroadis this way!

Sekfali SinceI ampushingthecartI go this way.

Bulam Might! I pushthebloDdycart

(A momentlater Sekfalistopsthoughtful.
)

SCENE IX

NEW GRAMMAR
EVI-am What'sthematter?Are you fired? Fedup?

Sekfali I'm pondering.

Bu'l5m Peacebe uponyou!

Sekfali Tell meBu'lam, is thereelectricityin your country?

Eru'la-m Yesthereis.

Sekfali Are theremachines?

132 By
the author.
133Statementmadeby the writer AFu-Al-'Ala-Al-Ma' arri In AbmadIbn 'Abd Allah
. -
(Ab-uAPAIN), Al-Ma'ardf, Xthar Ai . AWAra AL-MalarrT,Cairo, 1965,p. 298 andp.
451.
 176

BU'llm Yes there are machines.

Sekfali Look hereBTlim, your countryis mentionedin thesebooks. I readaboutit andI

actuallyknow it well.

Iru'lln Forgetyour books.

Sekfali Here, look what AITuDaghiUsI34said!

Bullm He said nothing.

Sekfali Whatdo you mean,"hesaidnothing"L it's writtenhere.

BU49M I said, forget your books. If my countryexistsin your booksI won't go, I won't
botherto visit it.

m takestwo little booksout of his basket.)

(BD'12!

Bru'f-am My country is here in thesetwo little books.

Sekfali The-Agrarian Revolution andThe Socialist Sector.135

BZ'17arn My country is here.

Sekfali What is 'socialist?

Eru'l-arn I didn't find socialism in your books.

Sekfali I read about it and I know it well... But explain to me... Well... I mean I have
forgotten it, remind me.

BTlYrn Socialism is derived from social and from a grammarpoint of view, socialism iS 4
subjectof a new kind and the sign of its principle is in the agrarian revoludon-136
Reactionand Imperialism: subordinatingand subordinateand the sign of
subordinationis Zionism.
Agrarian revolution: subjectand object and the sign of action is the model socialist
village.137
The volunteer volunteering:
volunteering: verb in the presentand the sign of the presenceis Sunday.138
7bis is Arabic, with or without analytical grammar.

Sekfali Workers,peasants...labourers,workers, peasants,labourers...They mentiononly

workersandpeasants.

134AbUDaghiirsis an1-maginary nameusedby the author.

13571beAgrarianRevolutionis thelandreform in Algeria. The SocialistSectorrefers
to the workers' management in industry,known as 'GestionSocialistedesEntrepriseý
(G-SX. ). They wererespectivelydecreedon 8 Novemberand 16 November,1971.
136In the original:Jarr andmajru-raregrammaticaltermsreferringto wordswhich
syntacticallyrequirethe genitivecase.Literally, they mean'pulling' and 'pulled'.
137'Socialistvillages' arehousingestatesfor peasantsworking in farming co-
operatives. Arab grammarians distinguishbetween .
two typesof sentences:nominal
andverbal. Eachtype hasits own termsfor 'subject' and'predicate'. So far asthe
'socialistvillages' areconcernedthe 'verbal sentence'terminologyis usedprobablyto
indicatethe 'cause'and 'result'.
138Sundayusedto be the day-off, now it is Friday.
 177

BZU'lln That is all there is in my country. What else do you want them to talk about?
Cholera?

Sckfali Tell me, is it possibleto do businessin this country?

BTI-ain Smallor big business?

Sekfali We're notkids I meanforeigntrade.

...
BTlam, Out of question You mayhavea smallbusinessif you like but no foreigntrade.
...
You seeall thepeoplein smallbusinessareon anequalfootingwith theworkersand
everythingelsebelongsto nationalcompanies. 139
In my countryeverythingis national,thepoliceI40is national,the armyis national
andwhena factoryis verybig it is calleda nationalcompany.

Sekfali What wiH becomeof us if everything is national?

Eru"l-am You too will be nationall4l otherwise you'll be in trouble.

Sekfali I ama betternationaUst

thanyou.

Bulam You, a nadonalist?

Sekfali If socialism was true socialism and nationalism true nationalism you wouldn't mix
them. Come on, don't mix things!

Bu'Iam Listen, nationalismwithout socialismis nothing and socialismwithout nationalism

leadsto disaster.

Sekfali How stubbornyou canbe. We aretalkingpoliticsandthat'sa wasteof time.

-
HTIEM Bien Ar, 142we should talk polidcs.

Sekfali BeforetheFrenchcameto thiscountrywe werebrothersandindependent.

Bulam So theysay...

Sekfali TheFrenchcameandcolonizedus.

Bulam So theydid.

Sekfali Thenwe struggledandforcedthernout of thecountry.

Bularn Indeed.

Sekfali Thenwe becamebrothersandindependent

again.

Bulam Sotheysay

Sekfali Pleasetell me,wheredid you rind this socialismof yours?

Bu'lam 71e peoplebroughtsocialism.

Sekfali The peoplebroughtnothingaboutyou fool; the peoplehavenothingto bring about.

And what'smore,anybodyrelatedto thestatedoesnot work with heartandhand.

139Most companiesare stateownedin Algeria.

140In the text it is theArab word for gendarmeriewhich doesnot exist in English
.
speakingcountries.
141'You too will belong to the state.'
142In Rench in the teXL
 178

BE'lim Why, do you think that someonewho works for the prefect143does his job heartily?

Sekfali If hedoesn'twork willingly, heworkswith thestick.

BU'lim That'swherewe disagree.

Sekfali My goodness!How stubborn!...Look, I'll give you an example,a generalexamplein

generalof a directorgeneralof generalaffairs.144

Ifu'lim I'm afraid you'll get it all mixed up.145

(Edt Sekfall.)

13741in I'm surehedoesn'thavea clue.

(Whilesettingthepropsinto an office.Bi7'15mdescribeshis city.)

143Prefector Frenchprffet that is theprffet depolice or local governor.

144Ile authoris ironic aboutpompousandpedanticpeoplelike Sekfali.
14SThe literal translationof the text is 'I'm afraid you'll blind it. '
 179

ACT 1111

SCENE X

DESCRIMON OF THE CITY

In my country there is work for everyoneand jobs are secure...Them are many
Eactoriesand eachone of them employsthousandsof workers. Just wonderful.
You'd seea thousandemployees, eventhetoppeople146 work in thesameplace,start
at the sametime andleaveat the sametime. We startwork all togetherand stopall
together-, the only differenceis that insteadof thecaW for prayerthereis a hooter.147
I can seethem going to work in groups- HeIlo Muhammad! Hello 'Ali! Hello
'Utm-an!All friends,all uniVA.. What I like mostaboutmy countryis organisation,
eachone has his job, eachone has his responsibility,each one accordingto his
ability... 77hereis no arrogance,no snobbery- 'I am your superiorbecauseI am
educated','I amnothingbecause I am a manualworker' or 'He comesin a BX70SR
and I comein my Shanks'spony Mark 11'148, thereis noneof that. If someoneis
educated, goodfor him, I wish him all thebest,but only if his educationis soundand
usefulto helpme geta houseor build a schoolfor my children. No fakeeducationto
takeme for grantedandlaughat me.149
No... It's hardto accept,it's wrong.150
I believethatsomeoneeducated gainsmoreintelligence,moreunderstanding, more
wisdom...In fact it's theeducatedwho shouldhelptheilliterate,but you find in our
time,in this distortedworld thatit's theilliteratewhoadvisetheeducated. 151There
is no suchcrazymessin my country...theeducatedpersonis just like anybodyelse;
you maywork with your heador with your handsor with your feet,you're all on the
samefooting...because my countryis thepeople'sdemocracy.

146Meaningthe 'bosses'or management officials.

147Here the authoris very sarcastic.He seemsto say 'we arenot annoyedby thecalls
of the muezzinfor prayer. We havea properhooterto startandstopwork'.
Furthermorehe seemsto imply - 'we do not wastetime in stoppingwork to pray every
time the muezzincalls'.
148Onegoesto work in an expensivecar andanothergoeson foot. We havetried to
remaincloseto the text.
149The literal translationof this idiom is 'he takesme for a bridgefor him to use'. In
Algerian 'to takesomeonefor a bridge' means'to take someone'for granted.
150This is the first time the authorusesKabyle (Berberlanguagespokenby a large
proportion'ofAlgerians)in the text.
151This is an attackon peoplewith limited abilities or with very limited education
holding high positionsin the country.
 180

SCENE XT

THE DIRECTOR GENERAL152

(Paso-doblemusic. Enter Sekfali dressedas Director General. He sits on the desk.)

Sekfali This is not my companybut I shaUput a sign with my name.

Bulm Get offl

Sekfali I shall call for strongandcompetentpeoplewhenI haveproblemsanddismissthem

whenthingsgeteasy...The DirectorGeneral!One!

Bu'lam Servesthe people.

Sekfali You shut up when I speak!

One! The Director Generalis to make people serve
No messingwith service153.
Either you work for me or I work for you.
Either you dependon me or I dependon yoU154.
All the rest is humbug.155
Two! Peoplemust respect,the Director General,and in order to respecthim they
must fear him becausethere can be no respectwithout fear.
Means of intimidation! Meaning the methodsof intimidating people:
You needa porterI56becauseyou want a guard he has to be cool and dry, deaf and
impassive. He must also check the time clockI57. That's the right porter.
Three! The bureaumust be large, yes very large. Anybody who walks in would feel
lost. Thus, if you feel lost you are intimidated; when you are intimidated you are
respectful and when you are respectful it is easy to impress you. After all life is all
basedon cheating,on fake, on impressingpeople. Be a fake and you succeedin fife.
So the bureaumust be HUGE, HUGE, HUGE! and the secretaryFLESHY, FLESHY,
FLESHY!

Bu'lam I getthemeaningwhenyou sayit once;why shouldyou utterit threetimes?

Sekfali Becausein Arabic there is the singular, the dual and the tril 15ý-I 58
The triliteral refers to somebodywho lived in the twentieth century by the nameof
PapaScreenfrom Televisionville who belongs to 'Once upon a time' tribeI59. Well,
it's not my fault.
Anyway, I also want a 'salle de bain'l 60becauseI like to bath in a deeptub, and after
a good bath I like to take a shower and after a shower I feel fresh161becausethe
Director Generalshould feel fresh.

152In Rench in the text 'P.D.G.' - PresidentDirecteur General.

153The word usedis 'work' but the connotationis 'serve.
154Anotherconnotation;in the text 'you work for me or I work for you.
155In the text 'the restisfl5sh! The wordflrah may comefrom theEnglishword
'flush' but it means'humbug', 's=ge', 'odd', 'suspicious'.
156In the text it is theFrenchwordplanton which is usedin Algerian. Transliteratedin
the ten
157This is alsoanotherFrenchword adoptedin Algerian,pointeuseis =sliterated in
the text.
158This showsSekfali's ignorancebecause'triliteral' means'triangle' or 'a three-letter
word'. In this contextit means'plural'.
159Ile writer attemptsto expresssarcasmby usingterminologyfrom the world of
T.V..
160Transliteratedin the text andmeaning'bathroom'.
161In the textfrTshk-frornfraiche
 181

I also want a big secretariatwith a Kabylc girl, a girl from 4Annaba, a girl from Oran
and a girl from Mz7ab162.

R-u'17am Canyou seenationalunity in this sccmtariat?

Sekfali Shutup! And whenI die I shallhavea StatUe.163I shallhavea statueat theentrance
of everyfactoryso the workerscanseetheir bosseverymomingwhentheycometo
work. Tell meBTIMn, whatdo you think of this style?

Bulam I don't think it's secure!164

Sekfali Is thatso?

137ulIjin This style is for SLVS165.

'Ali RiyahyI66 had this kind of life before you.

Sekfali Is that so?

Blu'rarn It's for sportsmen,for those who drinkl67

Sekfali Isthatso?

EVIlm What's wrong with you? You look like a mqf7OSjI68

(SeWalistiffens in his position. ru'15m singsfront-stage.)

Bu'larn Sometimes
He behaveslike a staunchsocialist
Hejoined therevolutionheadlong
Filling his pocketswith money
While peopleagonisefrom hunger
Sometimes
He regrets the ]30SS169 with sadness
He takes the factory for his home
A commander with full power giving orders
And people shall stand up and salute
Sometimes
He betraysand joins imperialism
Sometimes
He plans and spreadsrumours
Satannever lied in his life
And people agonise from illness
7bis is what reaction is about
You're intelligent so wake up and see
When I left nothing had remained
7bis is what reaction is about
It's contained in a dead donkey you know. 170

162Cities andregionsin Algeria.

163Transliteratedin the text.
164The literal translationis 'any wind that blows will takeyou'.
165In the text the word is 'singers'.
166 A Tunisian
singer.
167The Algerian idiom is 'thosewho throw'.
168The authorhasaddedmafiosiin its original spelling.
169In the text the word usedis b7ift that is pr9fet.
170 By
the author.
 182

Bu'larn Stay still as you arc...we'll tum you into a statueand engraveat the bottom "An
ImportantDirector attendinga seriousmeetingon gravemattersrelating to severe
troublesandacuteproblems"...You bloodyLroublel 1171

Sekfali You seeI ama statue.

Bu'lam That who buysa statuefrom the colonial period,that who wants to seehis home
ruined,seehis factory go bankruptandhis countrycollapse...Well that someoneis
exploitingpeople.That'swhathe is andthat'swhathe is doing.

Sekfali Are you sayingthatI belongto thecolonialperiod?

Bulam Yesyou do.

Sekfali I ama bettersocialistthanyou.

Bid"l-wn Whatkind of socialism?

Sekfali I ama socialistwhodoesnot belongto thepeople.172

EVI-am Your kind should make ablutions and purify themselvesbefore they speak of
socialism.173
Sekfali ShaHwe bet?

BTI-am Bet?

Sekfali We bet on who is thebettersocialist.

E7u'lam How?

Sekfali We both write a poem and then *see whose poem is more sOci2lisL
They say deedsshould be with sincere intentions,then poetry should be with
174
pennants.

Bularn Comeon, you starL

Sekfali Thepeasantsaid
Cometo success175
Come to the country to find morning
Because in morning you find beauty
The tears from your eyes have stopped
And today feast is all for you
7be whole universe is in joy
And for you there is food plenty
For you acres and acres on this earth
And in moonlight you'll be given a key. 176

171The writer usesin Arabic 7 derivativesof theroot hammwhich all denote

'importance'and 'seriousness'.To achievethe same in
effect Englishwe used
synonyms.
172The authorusesthe sameword for 'masses'.We optedfor 'people' to avoidthe
political registerandremaincloseto the generalmood of theplay.
173Implying 'you shouldbe cleanandhonestbeforeyou speakof socialism,just asyou
do beforeyour prayers'.
174Sekfali is beingbombasticasusual. He likes to showoff. He havepoetryon
would
pennantsandbanners.
175In the text the word means'fortune', 'wealth'.
176This is obviouslyflat poetry. 'Key' refersto house.
 183

Bu'lain Good Lord! What a shame!

Poetshave fallen very low
Their poor verseis the mark
Of their shallow minds
Nothing left, nothing left but
Dry and sterile poets.

Sekfali Comeon, let's hearyou.

Bu'lkn I knewvery hardtimes

WhenI wasa sharecropperI77
Hardwork andstrawprickingmy eyes
YesI wasa sharecropper working
For thecheapestof mankind
Whenthebig dayarrived
7be dayto sharethefruit of work
Out! I wassentaway.

Sekfali Bu'lam my son,we arestill wanderingin thedesertandyou wantmeto follow you...

You know, I shalllosea lot in this countryof yours,I shall Iosemy fortune. All the
landis ownedby thestate.

Bu'lam I have nothing to lose apart from poverty and trouble.

Sekfali Whataboutgoingback?

Bulam We carryon.

Sekfali If you comeback with me, I will give you a job as a shamcropper anda hut. I Will
takeyou with me to the marketsandfrom time to time I will buy you a pan.flUtel7g.
You will seehow I do business.I will get you a wife... I will get you a nice woman
and when you have childrenI will send-them to school,when they finish junior
schooI179.I will givethemjobs. Whatelsecanyou askfor?180...

Bu'lam I canseethekind of glory we want.

Theglory eachoneof ussomuchdesires
Aim for it andfrom lethargyshakefree
Handin handmarchandlook at it
Are you happyto remainasleep
Let usraiseour pennants high
Ibis is my advice,hurryandlet
All thoseliving in therealmof inertia
Know181.
That'swhatrevolutionsareabout; if you haveanyprideget to action.
So,that'swhathe'swishingme-a hut andajob asa sharecropper. Well. that's
exactlywhattheFrenchdid. Theystarvedus- hutsandsharecropping thatwasour
life.
Anybodywho doubtswhat I'm sayingis alienated.What hasbecomeof us people?
People,what arewe doing? Look at the Vietnamese, a verypoor people who kicked

177Sharecroppingwasa very commonpracticeby absenteelandlords. The

sharecropper farms the land andgetsonly onefifth of the crops.
178Traditionalflute madeout of reedwhich producesflat sounds.It canbe a yard long.
179In the text it is the transliteratedFrenchword certificat meaning'Certificat d'Etudes
Primaires'which, in the old Frencheducationsystem,is the certificatechildrentakeat
the endof primary school. Only childrenwho werenot allowedto go into secondary
educationtakethis examwhich wasthecaseof mostAlgerianswho hadthe chanceto
go to school.
190Ile authorhaswithdrawnthe next two lines,p.43 in the original text. They refer to
the Koran: 1; 6; 7.
191In the text 'thosewho wish to remainlethargic'.
 184

Americaout of their countryand look at us living in miserablecondidonsl All we

think or is how to exploit eachother. Wake up! Organisedpeopleare defeating
What
imperialismandwe are still at "I give you a hut,I takeyou asa sharecropper".
hasbecomeof uspeople?People,whatarewe doing?

on Bý'Gm and tieshimup.)

(SeWalijumps

Sekfali Soyou're takingmeto thepeople'scountry?

BU'lam Well well!

Sekfali Andnow?

E75,11M And now what?

Sekfali Well look at Yourself.

BVEM So?

Sekfali So! and...

B75'17am No...

Sekfali No nothing.

BZ'lam No nothing?

Sekfali No nothing,no nothing!

Eru'lam No...

Sekfali what?

Ifu'l-am No... I said...

Sekfali Whatdid you say?

B7u'lam I saidsuppose...

Sekfali Supposewhat?

B? llam Suppose...
I mean-.

Sekfali You meanwhat?

BTram I saidthankyou.

Sekfali My pleasure.

B7Na-rn Blessyou.

Sekfali Thankyou.

5M
BUT My compliments.

Sekfali Thankyou.

BVI-ain May Godenlightenyou.

Sekfali Thankyou.
 185

BB'la-rn I wish you long life.

Sekfali Thankyou.

B-u'lln NoLhinghappened.

Sekfali Nothingshowed.182

BTI am Nothingshowed.

Sekfali Nothingshowed,nothing.

BB'Iln We carryon.

Sekfali No, we go back.

BU'lln We carry on!

Sekfali Why did I come with him, why?

B751gin I didn't askyou to follow me.

Sekfali I am not stupid to follow someonecrazy like you.

B-u'lim Shutup.

(B5727m
pushesthe cart violently.)

SCENE XII

SEKFALPS DEATH

(B5'1;
w'npushesthe cart violentlyandmovesquickly.)

Sekfali Slowdown...Slowdown. Eru'lam...B-Ulli7m,

stop!

B-ulln What'swrongwith you?

Sekfali My legsaregiving in, I can't walk, stopI'm telling you,stop!

BU'liin Look, don't shoutat me,I am not your Slave.183

Sekfali 71)eslave is superiorto you becausehe knows he is a betterslavethan you. And

what's more,you don't evenknow whetheryou are a free man or a slave.You are
like a 'sparrowhangingbetweenair andsky'.194

137u'lim Well rememberthatneitherair nor sky areyour property.If I wasn'tafraidof God185

I wouldleaveyou hereto rot.

Sekfali No Eru'lln, don't leave me. Put me in your heart,put me in your mind, put me in the
cart! 1374'Em, pleasehave some mercy, the time hascomel 186 What are you going to
find in this country?

182Very commonexpressionusedin EasternAlgeria. We havegiven a literal

translation.Sekfali untiesBB'rarnon this line but this is not, -.indicatedin the original
texL We took noteof this during a performance.
193Ile word usedmeansboth 'slave' and 'black person'. Originally it meantonly
'slave'.
194Literal translationof the text meaning'you areunconscious','lost', 'frivolous'.
185Always usedwhenpeoplethink that what they want to do is wrong.
186Sekfali is agonising.We haveuseda literal translationfor 'deathhasarrived'.
 186

Bulam The things which suit me.

Sekfali Why, you know I wasniceto you andhelpedyou. You'll rind worsethanmeahead.

Eru'llrn Therecan't beanyoneworsethanyou.

SWAN 71ankyou B-41am.It's all my fault, I readso muchandlearnedso muchto be right

in everything,but now I am wrong. With you I got it all wrong. Still you aremore
wrongthanme,worse,you areblind andunawareof your blindness.

Bu,ffM You're wrong becauseyou seethingsfrom one sideonly,187you've alwaysstudied

on your own andyou're wrong. It's your bookswhich messedup your mind188
and
crippledyour feet.

Sckfali Thereis nothingbetterthanbooks.

Bu'Fam Look at you, you yourself are a book.

Sekfali If you knew the value of books and the importance of the past you wouldn't be in
sucha state.

Bu'larn Tliank God I am the onewho is carryingyou. The only thing interestingin someof
your booksis historybecauseit tells you aboutthe past. And if you arc referringto
revolutions,well they meana lot moreto me thanto you. Peoplebeforeus worked
hardandwrotebooks,if we work hardandstudyhardwe'll do better.

Sekfali Do better? Your kind?

B7u,l@m Yes, we'll do more and better. As the saying goes"Wake up and stand before they
start to soundoff about themselves"I89- we were, we were!

Sekfali Indeed,we were great, we were chosen,we were noble, WE WERE, WE WERE, Yes
WE NVERE!

B74'17am 'We were, we were, we were' alright! but we shall be after all, what did they
-
achieve?
If they preachednobility, we shall preachjustice.
If they preachedpomp and circumstance,we shall preachjustice
If they honouredkings, we shall honour the peasants
If they soundedprinces, we shall sing the poor
If they wrote books we shall write history
If they achievedcivilization in Andalusia
We shall achievethe civilization of work and workers
This is the difference betweenpast and future and whoever is unable to understandit
will end up in a cart like you.

Sekfali Oh! My heard Oh! My back! Blu'lam,carry me on your back and go whereyou
wish,do asyou wish. I am finished,I amcold.

(Bý75mcarriesSekfalion his backandpushesthecart at thesametime.)

Sekfali BT13m,if you reachthis country don't forget our identityI90- You know B-512n,
identity.is everything. If it was not for identity we wouldn't be what we am now.
Identity is the traditionof our forefathers.I love my grandfatherbut I didn't know

187The literat.- translationof this commonproverbis, 'if you do the accountson your
own you will find extras'.
188In the text 'which soiledyour mind' or 'which gaveyou a Tottenmind'.
189Algerian proverbimplying 'tell aboutyour deedsin societybeforeothersstartto lie
andboastaboutthingsthey neverdid.'
190The word in the text meansalso 'personality'.
 187

my greatgrandfather.JustthesameI lovehim too. My grandfatherhada moustache,

grandfather,
grandfather, identity,identity...
grandfather,

(He dies on lru'lTm's back. BlYh7mburies him.)

Bu'lam I too love my grandfatherbut I love my childrenmore,I adorethem. I don't wantto

losemy grandfatheror my childrenbut if my grandfathercomesto die mayGodsave
my children.

(BINIn carries on alone - Music - City sounds.)

SCENE XIII

EPILOGUE
(The technocrat enterswith a notebookin his hand.)

Technocrat What's your name?

Bulam BelhamlaouiEru'lln.

Technocrat Dateof birth?

Bu'lain In forty-five we were in trouble, in fifty-four they were in trouble,191I was

bom in between.

Technocrat Placeof birth?

BTITrn THE ALL YOKELSVILLAGE.192

Technocrat Father'sname?

Bu'fa-m Shahýid'Abd
Al-0-adir.

Technocrat Mother?

Bulam Rahmadaughterof M&Ag. 193

Technocrat Now go for a checkup. Be hereat eighto'clock tomorrowmorning.

Bu'lam Tbankyou very much.194

(Thetechnocratgoesout. B1775m
saystheflnal poem.)

This is theconstructionera
Socialistconstructionwe optedfor
To thatwho says'no' we say'no to reaction'
To thatwho says'why' we say'why domination'
To thatwho says'impossible'we say'neverexploitation'
To thatwho says'the people'we say'free people'
Tbat'sall because

191Thereis a mistakein the original text. The datesare 45 and54. 'forty-five' refers
-
to the uprisingon May 8th 1945againsttheFrenchandthe massacreof Algerians.
'Fifty-four' refersto NovemberI st 1954dateof the beginningof the War of
Independence.
192Implying 'a poor anddesolatevillage'.
193Commonway of relatingto peoplein rural Algeria.
194The expressionis 'May God blessyour parents.'
 188

Ibis is the constructionera and in this construction

We have establishedsocialist equality
Revolutionis marchingon andif you're late
It won't wait for you thereis no time wasting
Historyis marchingon
We havemadehistory
And we arenot afraid
My countrywill be socialist
My languagewill be socialism
My identitywill be socialism
My wholebeingis socialism
If you acceptit Godblessyou
If notbangyour headagainstthewalls
Thewallsof thesocialistvillages.

195Ile author makesuse of a common idiom in this context to stresson 'the socialist
villages'.
 189

iii) Commentga

Carry On BiNgm was first performedin Algiers on 23 April 1975at 'Salle de

l'ONAMO'. 196 At that time Benaissa was in charge of cultural activities - aximateur
in
culturel - SONELEC. These activities were part of SONELEC'S social activities-197
Carry On BZ115mwas also his first major play. Benaissaproduced it and played the
part of Bli'larn with Omar Guendouz in the role of Sekfali. The play has now been
performed more than 600 times to audiencesthroughout Algeria as well as in Paris,
Brussels,Venice and Kuwait. Despite its successboth at home and abroad it has never
won any award for the simple reason that Benaissa was excluded from taking part in
any of the theatrefestivals that take place in Algeria.

Plot and Structure

Sekfali, a middle aged man, and BVITin who is younger than him, are travelling
acrossthe desert towards a socialist city which also happensto be BB'lffm's dream.
During their journey they arefacedwith problemsandsituationswhich graduallyreveal
The
eachpersonalityandtheir mutualantagonism. play startswith a conflict of opinion
on whethereatingsnakeis 00 (allowedby Islamic law) or not. Since he is not sure,
Sekfali looks for an answerin the bookshe is carrying with him in a push-cartbut he
doesnot find any mentionabout snakes. As the play developsmore conflicts appear
with the successionof situationsgeneratingoppositionbetweenthe two characterson
subjectssuch as history, origins, language,grammar,literature and other aspectsof
social,political andeconomiclife. Thejourney towardsthe socialistcity getshardand
the conflicts addmore tensions.Theselead Sekfali to try to convinceBT16m,to return
but the latter is determinedto carry on, hencethe title of the play. 135'ramhasdecided
to break with his previouslife and look towards a new one, towards a better world
whereasSekfali who has a passivevision of the world andtakesrefugein a reassuring
conservatismwantsto go back.

Although both characters and the different situations are imaginary they are
echosof real aspectsandcharacteristicsof contemporaryAlgerian society. Indeed,the
conflicts representedin the play and the contradictionsthey reveal exist not only in
Algeria but in most Arab-Islarnicsocieties. They are generatedby ordinary situations
which in themselvesgive more details and clues about the charactersas the play
develops.In fact, both Sekfali andBB'larnaredefinedasopposedcharactersright from
the beginningof the sceneentitled 'The Snake'. The play openswith B-51sm,praying
which meansthat he is a devoutMuslim but a Muslim who will very soondisagreeover

196Op. Cit. in sectionSlimaneBenaissa'sbiography,footnote18 andSONELECin

footnote9.
197All nationalcompanieshavea departmentof socialactivitiesfor the workersand
their families. They includesport,excursions,campingholidays,socialgames,library,
music,etc.
 190

a problem of a religious nature with his companion Sekfali who is also a Muslim. The
two travellers have run out of food but a snake appearsand BTIEM kills it then cooks it

and starts to eat. Sekfali refuses to eat and goes through his theology books to see
whether Islam allows the eating of snake meat. Thus the two characters are defined
through their attitudes towards an Islamic prohibition on food. Whereas BU'llim
appears to be a realistic and pragmatic Muslim, Sekfali f
stands irm and shows his
dogmatism and conservatismin choosing to stay hungry.

The play builds on this antagonismand developsthrough a building up in a

seriesof confrontationsand conflicts betweenSekfali and BZ'lim. The patternof the
following scenesremainsthe same- mutuallyopposedattitudesover issuescommonto
Algerian society. The conflict shifts to history, language,culture and economicsto
in
culminate political antagonismwhich is the playwright's aim. Sekfali will boast
about his educated forefathers who sought knowledge (implying theological
knowledge)and B-51Hinrefersto his forefatherswho gaveup everythingandtook to the
maquisto resistthe Frenchoccupation.B-U'larnhasno complexin using Frenchwords
which passed into Algerian while Sekfali by to
objectsto this resorting classical Arabic.
One identifies with Arab classics,the other with Algerian traditionalpoetsand singers.
The climax is reachedwith one identifying with the bourgeoisieand even feudalism
andthe otherwith ordinaryworkers.

The play is divided into thirteenscenesincluding the epiloguearrangedin three

acts. Its structurewhich is basedon growingcomplexityshowsa simpleprogressionon
the surfacebut it is also plannedon an ideological level becausethe play develops
ideologicalconflicts in order to showthat it is essentiallyideologicaloppositionwhich
is the groundfor politicaI antagonismbetweenSekfali andBE'llm.

Sourceof the PIU

I alwayswantedto write somethingabouttwo men,one middle-

aged and the other in his twenties. Perhapsit is the result of the
psychological relation with my father, a fantastic man who had
experiencein life and who was very open-mindedin comparisonwith
the majority of menof his generation.
198

We cannotspeculatethat Benaissawantedto createthe oppositeto his father in

the characterof Sekfali. However,he drawshis materialfrom the realities of Algerian
daily life and from his own experience. The
conflicts and the contradictionswhich
emerge in the play are inherent;n Algerian society and may be classified into three
main areas:religion, nationalismandsocialism.

The religious attitudes and interpretationsthat are portrayed are varied and
correspondto thosethat occur in daily life. In reality, they rangefrom offiicial claims

198Our interview with SlimaneBenaissaon 6 January1987.

 191

that Islam is compatible with socialism or even that Islam is in its own way socialism,
to codes of social behaviour and to prohibitions on certain foods. It is, for instance,
common to come across people debating whether Islam allows women to make up or
it
not, whether permits interest on loans and deposits.

Feelings can run high in Algerian society over the nature of the past as
expressionsof bitterness,anger,deceptionand evenremorsecan occur at times as to
who resisted French occupation, who contributed to the armed struggle for
Independence, who collaboratedwith the Frenchand who did not feel concernedat all.
Indeedeverybodywho suffereddestructionof property,exile, tortureandimprisonment
as a result of their participationin the armedstrugglefeeýangryand bitter when they
see others reap the fruits of Independence,opportuniststake over from the French
settlersand the genuinerevolutionaries- thosewho really bore the brunt of the war -
rejectedanJforgotten. Paradoxically,thosewho have not benefitedin any way from
Independenceand live in the utmost poverty are those who gave everything and
sacrificedmostlives for Independence - the peasantry.
Questionsof languageandculturearerelatedto oneof themostcritical issuesin
presentday Algeria - nationalidentity. This has generatedconsiderablepolemicsand
has led to the emergenceof Berbermovementsclaiming an Algerian Berber identity.
ne dispute over languageand national identity arise5fromseveralfactors which in
themselvesdeserveto be the subjectof detailedstudies. However,the main factor can
be summarisedas fellows. There was for a long time a minority educatedin Arabic
mainly throughKoranic schools. It saw itself as the learned61itespeakinga classical
languageand looked down on the massof ordinary people who speakthe vernacular
languages- Algerian Arabic and the Berber languages. The impact of French
occupationin termsof languageandcultureon Algerian societywasvery powerful asa
large number of Algerians have been educatedin French and thus use the language
daily. Frenchis still the languageof businessand administration.After Independence
Arabic (literary, modem or standardArabic) was decreedthe official languageof the
state. It beganto be taughtin educationand introducedin somepublic servicessuchas
the courts,thepost office and the variousstateregistries. Successive
governments have
insistedthat Algeria is an Arab-Islamic country and must in order to regain its full
identity, go backto its Arab-Islamicroots. Ibis, however,deniesthe Berberorigins and
specific characteristicsof the country. The issue is not about Islam, nor is it about
Arabic, provided it is modernisedand adoptedto modem times. It is, instead,about
identity andculture.

The other major frustration among people comes from a scandalous

contradictionin the economicand political system. Peopleare told that 'the socialist
revolution' and all socialistpoliciesthat are implementedare for their benefit. Reality
shows the emergenceof a new classof officials and technocratswho, through their
 192

positions,have become rich at the expenseof the majority. Wrongly plannedandbadly

implementedpolicies, bad managementand corruption haveled to a serioussituation
in
resulting numerousstrikes throughout the to
country and seriousriots in October
1988.

Although the charactersand the situationsdescribedin !Qarry On BRIgm are

imaginary,they correspondto the realitiesof contemporaryAlgerian society. Sekfali
and Bli'lim do not exist in reality but they translatecommonsituationsand attitudes
inherentto Algerian Society. Benaissaarguesthat: "What fascinatesme is the conflict
we live throughin Algeria. Creation his
requiresan authorto read societyand there is
no theatrewithout the expressionof the conflicts within a Society."199

Function

The purpose of the play is to show that political conflicts are genemted
essentiallyby ideologicalconflicts. In the end the play revealsthe political natureof
the conflict betweenSekfali a bourgeoisand a reactionary and BOlam a fervent
socialist. But to lead the spectatorto this conclusionthe play gradually exposesthe
ideologicalconflicts betweenthe two charactersstartingfrom the first scene. Benaissa
explainsthat:
In my playsit is alwaysthe first scenewhich setsthe level of the
language,the level of humourand the level of political pre-occupation...
At the end of this scenethe audienceshouldknow who the characters
are,just asthey shouldget usedto both the languageandthe approach:.,
A maximumof communicationmust be reachedat different momentsin
the play. This is why I believethat theatreshould clarify or describe
in
situations a critical manner.2m

ne first scenepresentsa familiar situation over food prohibitions. But the

is
spectator unable to opt for either Sekfali's or BINErn's point of view becausehe
recognises himself in both characters. The play then follows the same pattern in
exposingthe spectatorto othersituationswhich arefamiliar in their daily life andwhich
reflect major concernson national identity, culture and socialism. The audienceis
graduallyand emotionallyinvolved in the conflicts betweenSekfali and BUlam andat
the sametime discovertheir own contradictions.R. Baffet's commenton the play is, in
this respect,of interest:

The approachworks,emotionallyspeaking,from the mostcrucial

to the lesscrucial. Thus the audienceis more sensitiveto theposition of
BIN= andSekfaliin relationto prohibitionson food thanto the Gestion
Socialiste des Entreprises. When the audiencehas experiencedthe
charactersat the different vital momentsin the play, it will be able to
understandbettertheir political positionat the end of it. If, however,we
show their political position before we have clarified their ideological

199Ibid.
200 Ibid.
 193

behaviour(as the state theatredoes),the audiencewill continueAobe

confused, a confusion which a theatre of social criticism aims to
clarify.201

Indeed,in oppositionto the statetheatre(the TNA and agit-prop) which, like

many amateur theatre groups discusspolitical situationsand propose,for political
choiceslike 'socialism' or 'socialistrevolution' or 'struggleagainstimperialism' which
in the end are only flat slogans,Benaissagoesdeeper.He highlights the ideological
conflictsandcontradictions.He arguesthat:
It is no longer a questionof operatingon a political level. I mean
that I essentiallytake an interestin ideologicalconflicts. In this respectI
can see three spheres:one with a passiveArab-Islamictendency- one
with a very Westernisedpetitebourgeoisiewhich is thecompromisewith
the westernWorld and a third which is a genuineAlgerian ideology -
simple and basedon few things but which at the sametime tries to be
honestandauthenticin its rejectionof theothertwo spheres.I useit asa
frame of reference,for instance,B'U'llm doesnot exist in societybut I
need this standardideology to dismantle the other two. MUM is
abstractbut I only usehim to dislodgeSekfaliwho is a traditionalistand
a reactionary. Even in performancehe voluntarily standsasideto make
room for Sekfali.202

Tle play aims to show at one and the same time both the real nature of Sekfali
andthe reasonswhy Bli'ffin is determinedto 'carry on' towardshis 'socialist city'. As
the conflict betweenthe two charactersbuilds up Sekfali is caughtout, mainly in scene
VH (WEDDING) andsceneX ('THE DIRECTORGENERAL') which revealSekfali's
selfishnessand the personalinterestswhich hide behind his 'devotion to Islam', his
'education'and his 'knowledge'. Becauseof peoplelike Sekfali andbecauseof all the
wrongsandinjusticesin societyBu'lHinhasdecidedto leavefor a betterworld.

Onemajor characteristicof Carry On BUIGm and Benaissa'sotherplays is the

fact that the playwright alwaysisolateshis charactersfrom the outsideworld and uses
confrontationto breaktheir outer shell and graduallyrevealtheir inner self, their inner
feelings and thoughts,their frustrationsand their dreams. Sekfali and BU'llm, for
instance,are alone in the desert.In Friday, the continuationof Carry On BT15m,
threeyoung menin a bed-sitterarefirst confrontedwith eachother then with a woman.
In A Ship Sank, threemen areon boarda small broken-downship in the middle of the
sea and totally isolated. In all three plays situations are created to trigger off
confrontationand conflict. The situationsare such that there is no intrusion from the
outside world and the charactersare totally isolated. I'hey must thus dependon
themselves.At the sametime, the spectatoris alsoconfrontedwith himself andhis own
contradictions.

201Baffet, Roselyne, Tradition Th6fitrale et Modernitý en AlLpirie LHannattan,

Paris, 1985, pp. 118-119.
2m Our interview,op. cit.
 194

Carry On-BB113m is still very successful in Algeria and among the North
African immigrant community in France and Belgium. It also won acclaim in Kuwait
which, becauseof its socio-political nature, is a good yardstick by which to evaluatethe
suitability for Arab-Muslim audienceselsewhere. Indeed Kuwaiti audiencessaw in the
play the denunciation of religious fanaticism and identified Sekfali with Muslim
fundamentalismin Iran.

Language

Benaissa'slanguagematcheshis characterswell and clearly reflects the nature

and levels of conflicts and contradictionsthey experience. It is well adaptedto the
situationsdepictedand gives them addedsubstanceand momentum. Although both
SekfaliandBT17arn speak'standardAlgerian Arabic'203therearetwo major differences
in the way they speakwhich reveal their social and cultural statusand which add
tensionto their conflicts. BTIarn speaksthe simpleandmodestlanguageof the average
ordinaryAlgerian whereasSekfali usesa pompousand arrogantvocabularyborrowing
words, phrasesand proverbs from classicalArabic and Islamic tradition. It is an
approachtypical of the old fashionedelite. In their 'DUEL WITH POETRY' BU'larn
cites from a wide rangeof authentictraditionalverseand songbut Sekfali quotesfrom
famousArab classicslike AI-MutanabbiandAI-Ma'arn.

Many Frenchwordshavepassedinto Algerian and are now usedspontaneously

in ordinarydaily life. In makinguseof them, Benaissaseemsto challengethe classical
languageand its purist champions. This is well expressedin the scene called
'ARABISATION' whenSekfaliteachesBB'I',ZmArabic:

Sekfali- Do You know 'B'?

Bulam - B? No, thereis no songthat...

Sekfali-B asin tGb. Rr, baraka.

BU'17am Am
LBce I 71ra.
buliric.
-
Sekfali- nat is not Arabic.

Bu'larn- Why noL?All AmbshaveRw, Lheyall like b7ra

andtheyall indulgein buliric.

Sekfali- Godforbid!

Bu'larn- Nowadaysthereis lessprejudiceaboutsuchthings...

Sekfali- look, insteadof giru you shouldsaymak-tab,

maktab,maktab
andinsteadof Mirk you shouldsayfiyasa,siY2ISa-

203We meanby 'standardAlgerianArabic' a neutrallanguagedevoidof regional

wordsandphrases.
 195

Sekfali- Look, whenyou saymaktab.you pronounceM, K, T andB which

areArabiclettersthereforeyou arcspeakingArabic.

13TEM- Why, whenyou say1pirudon't you pronounceB andR which

areArabicletters?

Sekfali- but utteredin a foreignlanguage.

TheyareArabicconsonants

BU'lam- So theyaretraitorsin your view.

Sekfali- Exactly...theybetrayedArabicandadoptedFrench.

BT13m- Theswines...B andR traitors! You're gettingdeep,andsinceI am

your brother,pleaseteachme ArabicthroughFrenchand
FrenchthroughArabicso I canlearnKabyle.s4r.

Mu'l-arn- Master Sekfali, you didn't tell me what you call bira in Arabic.

Sekfali- May Allah saveus from suchpeople."

This sceneshowsclearly Sekfali's narrow mindedness,his prejudice and his

arrogancetowards Algerian Arabic. To him even the word beer is taboo and should not
be uttered becausealcohol is forbidden in Islam. This, however is a fake attitude as his
utter hypocrisy is later revealed, for instance in 'THE DIRECTOR GENERAL' scene
where he fantasisesabout things amongst which some are against the Islamic code of
conduct like his perverted attitude towards secretariesand his dream to have a statue
after his death. Furthermore he uses French words which he condemned BU'lam for
using:

Sekfali- 7be bureaumustbe large

I alsowanta sallede bain because

after
..
a goodbathI like to takea shower...

I alsowanta big secretariat.

All the following words are borrowedfrom French:bureau ('17iru), salle de

bain (bathroom),douche(shower)andsecretariat.

It appearsthat Benaissa,through the linguistic confrontationbetweenSekfali

and B? 17am, demystifiesclassicalArabic as the 'noble and sacredlanguage'204 and
givesAlgerianArabica morerespectable status.Althoughhis language appears simple
hehasmadegreateffortsto makeit workon stagefor it is indeedaccessible notonly to
Algerianaudiences but also to anyArab audiencedespitethe presence of Frenchand
localwordsandphrases.Benaissa's in
abilityto communicate this accessible language
due
is certainly to his background his
and education. Zfts-menJI fi RegjjP, j5, Jib,.
hftd6been=expoftdsineehis e A-IgerimFA-rabI
-J=to=BBerbcr;
a
204In the sensethat classicalArabic is oftenrefer-redto asthe languageof the Holy
Koran.
 196

isýbackgwund: dn As mentioned in his biography, he

-jr, ngrtainly-dlie= and -I...
had been exposedsince his childhood to Berber, Algerian Arabic, and was educatedin
both French and modem Arabic. In fact he has a good commandof theselanguagesand
a good knowledge of their correspondingcultures.

Performance devices

With Carry On B5113m.Benaissahas shifted from agit-prop methods to a new

form which he wantsto be simpleandaccessibleto ordinaryaudiences.He arguesthat:
After my experiencein Mohamed. Prends Ta Valise [by Kateb
Yacine], I wanted to try for the last time this form of theatre[;ýIth a play
on oil], a form in which I did not believe any longer. I could seethat this
form of theatre was somehowdefective but I did not know why. It was
adaptableto collective creation and was very practical but it could not
solve all the problems. Now I am more concerned about
communication, about my relationship with the audience. Since I am
anxious about the audience I must use a language,a code and ways of
performancethat people can understandand do not feel alienated.205

Benaissainsists on using all aspectsof languageand voice such as eloquence,

diction, rhythm, pace, tone and vocal range. Becauseof a long standing and deeply
rooted oral tradition Algerians are, in general, very sensitive to words and to the
different language registers. Benaissahas chosen to exploit this as he has the right
experience and material available in his background and his life experience. He
remembers his father reminding him every time they went to the souk (market) when he
was still a child: "Remembernot to speakthe urban way, people will laugh at you. So
you must speaklike them, behavelike them..."206

Sekfali and BU'llm are a good illustration of all theseaspectsand the actorswho
play theseroles go througha wide rangeof speech delivery. Indeedthe entire play is
essentiallybased on speech. The actingareais limited astherearehardly anyprops. In
fact the sequences the the
where pan and push-cartareusedcould be mimed. Lighting
is simple and reducedto a few spotlightsto mark the beginningand the end of some
scenes.This flexibility allows Carry On BU115mto be performedin any location. It
wasfor this reasonthat it wasableto travel so muchat homeandabroadandreachso
manypeopleevenin remoteareas,like HassiMessaoudan oil field in southernAlgeria.
Benaissaexplainsthatbecause:

Algeria is a huge country and audiences are scattered, it is

extremely hard to make a tour with a play. One is obliged to create a
4guerilla-theatre' to be able to perform anywhere- no set, no props,just
two or three actors and no technicians back-stage. Everything depends
on the actor. What remains is language, performance, the level of
conflict and the rhythm of the play.2w

205Our interview, op. cit.

206 Ibid.
m7 Ibid.
 197

As a playwright, director and actor Benaissa sees his text in relation to

performance. He has always played the role of Bu'lam and his acting technique
borrows from the traditional story-teller (madMý) poets (rhymed verse) and daily life.
The acting techniquehe developedfor Sekfali projects mainly arroganceand hypocrisy;
it consists of a wide range of mannersand behaviour proper to the traditional Muslim
clergy, land owners, rich merchants- the old dlite educatedin Arabic and old fashioned
Arabic teachers.

In general the play developsswiffly and coherently describesideological

conflicts and contradictionsinherentin Algerian society. They are well translated
through the conflicts betweenSekfali and BTI-am and through expressiveuse of
language. It seems,however,that the final sceneis rather ambiguousbecausethe
significanceof BTu'l9nreachingthe socialistcity and gettinga job is not clear. Does
theauthormeanto imply that Blu'ffin is rewardedfor his determination,that the values
represented by Sekfali are deadand that socialismexists? If suchis the case,thenthe
play endswith a moralisingnotewhich the authorclaimsto avoid. However,this scene
makesthelink with Benaissa'snextplay Friday and,in this context,makesmoresense.
Indeed,in the latter play, ECu'lEm
sharesa bed-sitterwith two friendsandhe revealshis
frustrationsand deceptionsin his new world. It would then be more appropriateto
beginFriday with the scenein questionand endCarry On BZ11Wm with the death of
Sekfali and an indication of Blu'ffin continuinghis journey towardshis socialistcity.
The play would thenendwith a questionmark over Bu'lam's dreamworld which is to
berevealedin thenextplay.
 198

CONCLUSION

The three plays in this study share two major aspects in common: comedy
through irony and satire togetherwith denunciationand protest. In Palestine Betrayed
Kateb Yacine aims to show that originally Arabs and Jews lived together in peace as
good neighbours and friends and that the conflict in Palestinewas generatedfirst by the
two main religions involved - Islam and Judaism - and then developedand increasedby
Zionism, Western powers such as Britain, Franceand the United Statesand the betrayal
of Palestineby someArab leaders. These factors are criticized and denouncedthrough
satire in a series of tableaux. The play tackles a problem of international importance
and breaks through national boundariesto acquire a universal dimension by calling on
all exploited people to unite and continue the struggle againstinjustice and imperialism.

The Story of the Generous PMle is a bitter attack and protest against the
abusesand the injustices of a corrupt system. The title of the play refers to the
generosity and the good nature of Alloula's characterswho - despite their poverty and
the problems they encounter in their daily life becauseof the aberrationsof a system
ruled by incompetenceand corruption - care about their work and about society as a
whole. In this play too, irony and satire are major supportsof the different tableauxand
alternatewith the songswhich function as comment. The overall tone is optimistic and
the messageseemsto be one of hope and faith to the 'generouspeople', to the ordinary
Algerian worker, not to give up becausethere are still ways to beat the system. The
kind of problems portrayed in this play are in many ways similar to those in other
developing countries and it seems that The Story of the Generous P would
appeal to audiencesin those countries as it does in Algeria. It would be even more
successfulin developedcountriesbecauseof its original form and humour.

SlimaneBenaissahasoptedfor a kind of theatrewith a minimumof characters

andprops,thusCarry on BiNlim involvesonly two protagonists,a push-cartanda few
otheraccessories.Benaissa'stheatreis differentfrom theothertwo becausehe not only
protestsagainstwrongsin Algerian societybut he also challengesa wide spectrumof
-valuesand receivedideasandbringsto the surfacethe malaiseand anxietyof society
throughan approachbasedon ideology. The conclusionsto be drawn are that the
problemsand thecontradictionswhich exist in contemporaryAlgeriansocietyareof an
ideologicalnatureand if thereis progressto be madeit is only by doing away with
taboos,hypocrisy and conservatismand by assumingone's true national identity,
history and culturein orderto movetowardssocialism. Hereagainirony andhumour
prevail.

It is no coincidencethat thesethreeplays samples

of the threemajor trends
-as
in contemporaryAlgerian theatre belong to the 'theatre of protest' genre. It is a long-
-
standingtradition which goesback to the French occupationof Algeria in the nineteenth
 199

centurywhenthe nw&6ý andthe Karaguz(Theatreof Shadows)changedthe natureof

their materialto criticize, condemnor protestagainstthe Frenchoccupantandinjustice
he brought. It wasa traditionthatlasteduntil independence.

Throughout its history Algerian theatre has already developed essentially

throughcomedywhich is a form which seemsto be favouredby Algerian audiences.
The first major play in Algerian Arabic was Joha a comedywritten by Allalou and
producedin 1926. The comic folk hero still finds echo in contemporaryAlgerian
theatre,mainly with Kateb Yacine who makes extensiveuse of the facetiae. The
traditional Joha always plays tricks on notablesor rulers and ridicules them. When
confrontedby therulers or whenin troublehe alwaysfinds a solutionandcomesout on
top. Joha,like manyotherfolk heroesin othercultures,is a meansby which dominated
peopletake revengeon the ruling class,a meansto releasetheir frustrations,andalsoa
weaponof defence againstthose who exploit them. If the social function of humour,
irony, satireand laughteris to ridicule, take revenge,demystify or releasefrustrations,
as a sharedexperiencefor instance,and also as a sharedand hidden agreementas
Bergsonsuggests,it seemsthat this is preciselythe aim of the threeplaywrightsin this
studyandindeedof mostcontemporaryAlgeriantheatre.

As we have seen, modem Algerian theatre developed through different stages.

It startedwith improvisedsketchesby young enthusiastswho had no training in the art
of the theatre. It then developedthrough the creation of full length plays until the
1940s.Later, a new generationwith more training took over andproducedplayswhich
were mainly adaptationsof the world repertoireat the 'Opdra d'Alger' from the mid-
1940suntil 1954when the war of Independence started. During the armedstrugglethe
FLN theatre group in exile was not very productive despiteits best efforts. After
Independence in 1962the 11datre NationalAlgerien, which wasvery active,produced
a large number of plays (mainly political) from the world repertoire and very few
nationalplays. In the 1960sand 1970splays wereproducedthroughcollective writing
in the regional theatres,essentiallythroughthe amateurtheatre.\Jhth the exceptionof
Ould AbderrahmaneKaki who started his own experimentsin Mostaganemmuch
earlier, it was only during that period that experimentalwork took place in searchof
new forms. So far the performingarts which exist in the cultural heritage,particularly
in the oral tradition, havebeenignoredwhile Westerntheatricalforms havebeenused
or adapted.

The threeplaywrightsin this studyhavebenefiteda greatdealfrom the previous

experiencesof Algerian theatre as a whole. They have, each in his own way,
extensivelydrawn from the Algerian traditional cultural heritage to develop theatre
forms which areoriginal andhighly successfulas they alsoseemto suit public tasteand
identify with their expectations.The art of the madd-ab,in particular,has beenand still
is being thoroughlystudiedand adaptedto the requirementsof the modem stage. I'lie
 200

revival and developmentof sometraditional performing arts and certain aspectsof

traditional culture such as folk tales and rhymed verse into new forms of theatre has
provedto be successfulandviable not only in Algeria or North Africa but in
also the
Middle East where similar attemptsare just as successfulor even more so like the
Palestinian'Hakawati' theatregroup who seemto win more and more acclaimamong
Europeanaudiences.

KatebYacine apparentlydoesnot wish to modify his approachwhereasSlimane

BenaissaandparticularlyAbdelkaderAlloula still pursueresearchandexperimentation.
Onemajor areawhereKatebYacinediffers from the othertwo playwrightsis language
which, in his is
case, not elaborateenoughandrather limited to the ordinary Algerianor
North African audiences. Benaissaand Alloula, on the other hand, use a language
which corresponds to the changesand evolution of Algerian society. If, as Benaissa
says "language acquiresthe standardsof those who speak it"208 then the language
spokennowadaysby the averageAlgerian is certainly richer and of a higher standard
than the language spokenten or twenty yearsago. The influence of French is still felt
but peoplearemore exposedto modemArabic throughthe media,somepublic services
andadministrationandthe environmentitself - namesof streets,different signs,posters.
This takesplace alongsidethe educationsystemwhich operatesin Arabic. Benaissa
and Alloula have adaptedtheir languageto this changewhich helps towards a better
expressionof ideasin their plays because,"Colloquial Arabic as we know it is unable
to carry a discourse it
which aimsat expressingthe complexityof societyas exists. One
mustexploit languagethroughall its registers."209

Ibis, Alloula and Benaissacertainly do and their language is developing

towardsstandardArabic, the languagebeyondregional and colloquial boundariesand
by
understood all which makestheir plays accessibleto Arab audiencesoutsideNorth
Africa.

The fonns developedby the threeplaywrightsare well establishedand Alloula

andBenaissaare still exploringnew materialfrom thecultural heritage. It is, however,
interestingto notethat mostof contemporaryAlgerian theatre,including the new trends
studiedhere, is based on plays involving charactersasstereotypesand that, as Benaissa
remarks' "everybody d
avoids the thg6tre personnages= because of the lack of
competentand well trainedactors. "211 It seemsthat Benaissaoverlooks the fact that his
in
theatreor stereotypecharacters general also require great skill. Furthermore, if
in
attemptsare made the direction of developing characterswith psychological depth,
the th,66tred personnagesmay well flourish in the future. 'niis implies that it is rather

208Our interview with Benaissaon 12 January, 1988.

209Ibid.
210Implying - characterswith psychological depth.
211Our interview, op cit.
0
 201

premature to say that the three trends will remain as they are or even change or give
way to new forms becausethere is still potential available. Furthermore, the recent
dramatic political change towards democracy and a multi-party system means more
freedom of expression and will certainly contribute to a major development of the arts
in general and cinemas and theatrein particular.
 202

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. General Works
The Bible

The Koran

EncyclopaediaJudaica Company,
Editorin ChiefCecilRoth,TheMacmillan Keter
Publishing
House Ltd.,Jesrusalem.
1972
The Encyclopaediaof Islam, newedition,
editedbyB.Lewis,C.H.Pellat,andJ.
LuzarandCO.,1965.
EJ.Brill - London,
Sa cýt, Leiden,
AbuAl-Tayyib
Abmad
IbnA]-Husayn A]-Mu=abbi),Divan, DarSader-Dar
(called Beyrouth,
ieyrouth,1958.

Actes Du Premier Congr6sD'Etudes DesCultures Wditerraniennes D'Innuence

Arabo-Berbýre,SNED,Alger,1973.
AhmadIbn'Abd AU. 2l_'(Ab-uA]-'AM Al-Maam", Attrar AbTAWA15 AI-Warrlf, Cairo,1965.

Tin
Al-frafiz ShilrabAl-I: A@Al Fadhl-"Asqafaj;cafledAO Hajar,Fath Al ga-ri rd-Sharb Al-
Bukli-a Vol. 1,Cairo, 1959.1.

Arberry,AJ. Poems of Al-Mutanabbi, CambridgeUniversityPress,1967.

Assad,Muhammad, Qur'in, Dar Al-Andalus,Gibraltar,EJ. Brill, London,1980.

Aaza,A., Mestfa Ben Brahim, Barde de 110ranais et Chantre des

Bfni Amer SNED,Alger.1979.

Barbour,Nevill, Nisi Dominis A Surveyof thdPalestineControversy,The Instituteof

PalestineStudies,Beirut, 1969.

Basset,Rend, Recherches sur Si D jehla et les anecdotes qui lui sont

attribu kes, Introductionaux fourberiesde si Djeha contesKabyles
recueilliset traduitspar AugusteMoulidras,Le roux,Paris,1892.

Belhalfaoui,Mohamed, La PoAie Maghr6bine d'Expression Popfflaire, maspo-Iro,

Paris,1973.

Bencheikh,Telli, AI-Shilr A] - Shalbi M-Jazalri Fi AI-Thawra - 1930-1945,

SNED,Alger,1983.

Bergson,Henri, Le Rire, Essaisurla significationdu rh, PUF,273e6dition,Paris,1969.

Boal,A. Th6fitre de V-Opprim6, CollectionMalgr6Tout,La D6couverte.

Paris,1985.

Boutefnouchet,
Mostefk La Culture en Alg6rie: Mythe et RfalitC SNED,Alger,1982.

Brech4B. Les Arts et la Wvolution,, LArche.Paris,1970.

Ecrits sur le Th6fitre, L'Arche,Paris,1972.

Douttd.FL, La SocieteMusulmane au Mai! hreb. NU6-eeCR--e-r'.

9iOn
dans I'Afrigue du Nord, Jourdan.
Alger,1909.
Duvipaud, Jean, Sociologie du Th6fitre.: PUF,Paris,
1965.
 203

Itzin, Catherine,
Methuen,London,1980.

Julien, CharlesAndrd, Histoire de I 'Afrigue du Nord, Payot. Paris, 1931.R66dit6 1956

(Rdvision par Counois et Letourueau),2 vol.
V. I: Des Origines A la Con u6te Arabe.
V. II: De la Congu6te Arab " iý 1830.

Kishtany,Khalid, Whither Israel? A Study of Zionist expansion, Palestine

LiberationOrganisadon
Research
Center,PalestineBooks,No. 29, Beirut,
1970.

Lacheraf,Mostefa, Algirie - Nation et SociW, Maspdm,Paris,1965.

Laqueur,Walter, The Road To War 1967, We' de-afeWandNicolson,London,1968,

.
seconded. 1969.

Confrontation, WildwoodHouse Abacus,

London,
1974.
-
Laroui,AbdaUah, Histoire du Maghreb, Maspdro,Paris,1970.

Lounatcharsky.
AN., Thifitre et R6vol ution, Maspdro,Paris,1971.
Majd7ub(Al-)"Abd AI-Raýniin, Div6n SayvidTcAbd AI-Rahnran AI-Ms jd5b, n.d., no place
of publication.

Mazouni,Abdallah, Culture et Enseignement au Maghreb, maspdro,Paris,1969.

Nacib,Youcef, Elements Sur la Tradition Orale, SNED,Alger. 1982.

Philips,CJI., The Handbook of Oriental Histg-rl, London,1951.

Piscator,
E., Theatre Polifique, LArche,'Paris,1962.

Rodinson,Maxime, Israel et le Refus Arabe, Ix Seufl,Paris,Iffl.

Scelles-Mille,
Jeanne Khdlifa- Les Quatrains de Med 1doubLe Sarcastigue
etBoukhari,
Maisonneuve etLarose,
Paris,1966.
ContesArabes du.Maphreb, Maisonneuve Paris,1970.
etLarose,
ContesMyst6rieux d'Afrigue du Nord. Maisonneuve
etLarose,
Paris,1972.
Sykes,Christopher, Cross Roads To Israel, Bloomington;London.IndianaUniversity
Press,1965.

Tahar,A., La Po6sie Populaire Alg6rienne (Melhun),SNED,Alger, 1975.

Toualbi,Noureddine. Religion. Rites et Mutations, ENAL, Alger, 1984.

Vatildotis, Pi., The-History of Egypt, wela eA and Nicolson, London, 1980.

Victoroff, David, Le Rire et le Risible, PUF, Paris, 1952.

Vilar, Jean, Le Th6fitre Service Public. 2eMition, Pra6quedu Thdkre,

Gallimard,Paris,1985.
 204

Williams, Raymond Modern Tragedy, Chatto and Windus, London, 1956.

Drama From Ibsen To Brecht secondrevised edition,

HarmondsworLh,Penguin Books, IM.

B. Works on Arab and Algerian Theatre

AbdulNap, Ada, Les Sources Frangaises du Th6fitre Egyptien, (1870-1939).

SNED,Alger, 1972.

Allalou, A. L'Aurore du Thefitre AlOrien Mmoires), CDSH.Oran,

1982.

Arnaud4Jacqueline, La Litterature Maghr6bine de Langue Frangpise, 2 Tomes,

Publisud,Paris,1986. (Tome11- La Litterature Maphr6bine de
Langue Franoise - Le Cas de Kateb-Yacine).

Aziza,Mohamed. Regards sur Le Thefitre Arabe ContemMain. Maison

Tunisiennede I'Edidon, 1962.

Karagouze Au Service de I 'Amour, Tunis,1962.

Le Theatre et I'IsIaM, Tunis, SNED, Alger, 1970.

BachetarLi,Mahieddine, Memoires (1919 - 1939), SNED,Alger, 1968.

Mempires (Tome11),ENAL, Alger, 1984.

Badawi,M.M., Modern Arabic Drama in Egypt, CambridgeUniverittý Press.

1987.

Earl v Arabic Drama, Cambridge

UniversityPress.1988.

Baffet,Roselyne, Tradition Th6fitrale Et Modernit6 En Algkrie, LHamamn.

Pads,1985.

Boukrouf,Makhlouf, Maramih 'An AI-Masrah Al- J SNED.Alger, 1982.

Ddjeux,Jean, D joh'a - Hier Et Au jourd'hui., EdidonsNaaman,Sherbrooke,

Qudbec.Canada,1978.

Haddad,YoucefRachid, Art Du Conteur. Art De L'Acteur, ed. 1161tre

Cahiers Louvain,
LouvainLa Neuve,1982.-

Khozai(Al-), MohamedA., The Development of Early Arabic Drama (1847-1900)

Longman,LondonandNew York, 1984.

Khouri(EI),Chakib, Le Thefitre Arabe De L'Absurde ed.A.G.Nizet,Paris,1978.

Landau.
JacobM. Studies In The Arab Theatre and 1958.
_CtinenaPhiladelphia,
Ramdani,
Boualem, Al-Masrah Al-jaia"A Bayna-Al-Micff Wa-Al-Hadir, ENAL,
AJger,1985.

Roth,Arlene, Le Theitre Algirien De Langue DialeclWe (1926-1954).

Maspdro,
Paris,1967.

Le Theatre Arabe. UNESCO.

lmvain, 1969.
 205

Sanders,
N.K., The Epic-of Gilgamesh, newversion,PenguinClassics,
England,1973.
Harmondsworth,

Sbouai,Taieb, " La Femme Sauvage" De Kateb Yacine, Arcantbre,Paris,1985.

UNESCO, Le Theatre Arabe, UNESCO,Paris,1969..

C. Journals and Periodicals Published in Algeria.

The following contain mainly play reviews and reports on cultural activities.

1920 to 1939

L'Afrique.

L'Afrique du Nord Illustree.

L'Algerie.

La Br6che.

Le Courrier Nord Africain.

La DHense.

La DdpecheAlgdrienne.

La DepecheColoniale.

La Depechede Constantine.

La D6pechede,I'Est.

La DepecheOranaise.

L'Echo d'Alger.

L'Echo de la PresseMusulmane.

L'Entente.

L'Ikdam
La Lutte Sociale.

L'Opinion Libre.

OranR6publicain.

Le ParlementAlgenien.

La PresseLibre.

La PresseNord Africaine.

Progres.

Er-Rihala.
At-Takaddum.
 206

La Voix Indigene.

1939 to 1945

Alger Rdpublicain.

La Depýche de Constantine.

Dernieres Nouvelles.

Le Messager. %
Le ParlementAlgenen.

La Quatrieme Republique.

1945 to 1954

Ach-Chabab.
Alger Republicain.

Alger Soir.

L'Algerie Libre.

Derniere Heure.

L'Echo D'Alger.

Egalit6

Le JeuneMusulman.

Le Joumald'Alger.

Liberte.

La Voix desJeunes.

Between1954and 1962therewashardly any activity apartfrom the 'Troupedu FLN.'

which wasoperatingoutsideAlgeria andwhoseactivitiesweremainly reportedin
L'Action de Tunis andEI-Moudjahid,which waspublishedby theFLN in Tunisfa.

1962to 1988

The following containa largenumberof play reviews,articles,andpaperson Algerian

theatreandmanyinterviewswith playwrightsandpeoplein the theatre.

Algerie Actualit6.
 207

Al-Halqa - TNA.

Al-Sitar - TNA.

AN-NASR.
Ech-Chaab.

El-Moudjahid.

Flash- TNA.

Kalim
Republique (d'Oran.)

Revolution Africaine.

Promesses.

L'Unite.

Voix Multiples.

D. Journals and Periodicals Published in France

The following containessentiallypublicationsby KatebYacineandarticlesandpapers

on him.
Actualitede l'Emigradon.

AlgerienEn Europe(L').

Annuaired'Afrique du Nord.

CahiersNord-Africains.

Esprit.
Europe.

JeuneAfrique.

LettresFrangaises.

LettresNouvelles(Les).

Monde(Le).

NouvelleCridque (La).

NouvellesLitteraires(Les).

Nouvel.Observateur(Le).

Quinzaine,Litt6raire (La).
 208

RevueDe L'Occident Musulmanet de la M6diterran6e.

TdmoignageChr6tien.

TempsModemes(Les).

and
Action (L') - Tunis.

E. Kateb Yacine.

1. - Published Works
Solilogges, (poems),Imprimeriedu RdveflB6nois.B6ne,1946(out of print).

Abdelkader ef L'Ind6pendance Alg6rienne, Alger, En Nahda,1948.(Publiclecturedelivered

in Parison 24thMay 1947at SalledesSoci6t&Savantes).

Nedjma, (novel),Le Scuil,Paris,1956.

Le Cerde des Repr6sailles, (drama,includingLe Cadavre Encerck, La

-Poudre
d'Intelligence, andLes Anckres Redoublent-de F&qcW,
followedby a poem"Le Vautour")Le Seuil,Paris,1959.

Le Polygone EtoiW (novel),Le Seuil,Paris,1966.

L'Homme Aux Sandales de Caoutchouc (drama)

Le Seuil,Paris,1970.
L'Oeuvre En Fragments, UnWitslittdraireset textesretrouvds,rassembl6s par
et prdsent6s
Amaud),Sindbad,Paris,1986.
Jacqueline

2. - Unpublished Plays*

Mohamed PrendsTa Valise.

La Guerre de 2000 Ans.
.6

Falistin Maghd5ra.

Malik Al-Gharb.

Al-Khubza AI-Murra.

* We haveattendedperformances
of all theseplays.

3- Thesesand Dissertationson Kateb

-Yacine
Alessandra,
Jacques, Le Theatre de Kateb Yacine, 3ecycle212,
Nice, 1980.

2123e cycle = Doctoratde TroisiemeCycle.

 209

Anglais,A. L'Univers th6matique de Kateb Yacine dans Le Cercle des

Repr6sailles, Miünise,Montpellier,1971.

BeUakhdar,Said.
3ccycle,ParisVII, Octobre1980.

Nedjma(Tebbouche),Politigue et Production LiWraire chez Kateb Yacine,

Benachour,
DM. A., 213Constandne, 1974.

Bensetd,Lahouia, Le Champ S6mantique de la Femme dans les Romans de

Kateb Yacine. DX. A., Oran,1976.

Bouchentouf,AbdeWder, 'William Faulkner et Kateb Yacine, Y cycle,Montpellier,1982.

Bousaha,Hassen, L'Heritage Culturel Occidental dans L'Oeuvre de Kateb

Yacine, maitrise,Paris111,1975.

La Technique RomanesgUe chez Kateb Yacine, 3ecycle,Paris

X. Juin 1980.

Chebani,Abdelkader, Le Substrat Arabo - Ma6r6bin dans Nedima et le Cerde

des Repr6sailles de Kateb Yacine, 3ecycle,Ter Leam, Bordeaux
HI, 1976.

Elias, Marie Maher Al-Charif) Le Thefitre de Kateb Yacine, 3ecycle, Paris 111,1978.

CouenneMichel,
Cacn,1977.

Grandpierre,
Sylviane, Le Thefitre A16rien ContemiRorain. Llexample de Kateb
Yacine, 3ecycle,ParisX11,1980.

Gu6naoui,
Aomar, Le Theätre A1LY6rien Längue d'Origine: Le Retour ä la
Halga?, Mdmoire, -en
CET,UCL,Belgique,1987.

Matmad,Frie-da Mohamed Prends Ta Valise de Kateb Yacine

Mablissement du texte), Maltrise,Aix, 1976.

Le Thefitre Dialectal de Kateb Yacine: 6Wblissementdu

Texte et Traduction, 3t cycle,Aix,Juin1982.
Mekld,Dalila,
D.E.A., Alger,Janvier1985.

Nekkouri,Khadidja, Le Mythe des Andfres dans I'Oeuvre de Kateb Yacine.

Maltrise,Alger 1974.

Le Discours Mythigue dans le Cerde des Repr6sailles de

Kateb Yacine,3ccycle,Aix, 1977.

TouabtýFadila(Laouar), La Tradition Orale dans La-Poudre d'Intelligence de

Kateb Yacine-. Wactualisation et Utilisation de Djhoha,
D.E.A., Constanfine,1975.

Zout&.Latifa, Le Thime de la Colon isation ch ez Feraoun.

Mammeri. Memmi, Maltrise,Tunis,1970. -Kateb.

213D.E.A. DiplOmed'EtudesApprofondies.
 210

F. Works by Abdelkader Alloulal

1. - Unpublished Plays

1969 - A]-'Alae.

1970 - Al-Khubza.

1972 - Homq Salim, (Adapted from Gogol's Diary of a Mad Man

.
1973 - AI-Mayda (Written with the actors of the 'Th8tre R6gional d'Oran').

1974 - Al-Mant7u i (Written with the actors of the 'Tb6ftre R6gional d'Oran').

1975 - HamTTia

Mt Ya'lkul Mt (Written with Benmohamed).

1980 - M-AgyEal.

1984 - AI-AINN75d.

1989 - Al-Littram.

2. - T. V. Scripts

1972- go-rine, directedby MohamedIfdcýne RadioT616visionAlg6rienne(RTA).

-
1982- Jalti, directedby MohamedIfficene- RadioT616visionAlg6rienne(RTA).

G. - Plays by Slimane Benaissa- Unpublished 2

1969- Translationandadaptationof KatebYacine'sLa Poudre d'Intelligence into

Algerian Arabic.

- La femme AlOrienne (Collectivecreationwith 'Th6atreet Culture").

- AI-Shalb. AI-Shalb.

1971- La Situation Economigueen Algirie.

1975- EVIgm Ed Al-Guddim.

1977- Y"umA]-Jamla Kharju Rfam

- AI-MahCur (Basedon Andrei Makainok'sThe ApmtI

111-Treated
1982- PreliminaryVersionof M-ur Ghraq.

1983- Final Versionof BaKu'rGhmq.

 211

2 We haveseenboth films andattendedperformances

of all playsexceptLat
Situation-Economigueen Alg&iý andAl-Littram.
 ST COPY

AVAILA L

Variable print quality

 212

APPENDICES:

Falistin MaghAra (PalesdneBetrayed

Al-AjN;rad(! be StQa of The GenerousPeoRUe

Bý'Iam fid M-Gudd5m(Cagy On Bblim

 049

a; EPILOGUE

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Bouälem tout en iridtälant le decors

en forme de. bureau ; derrit sa ville.

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 (D3

SCENE' IX Nouvelle grammairo

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Ils partent Sekfali pousaý'la. cih'arettc
'Bouglem devant
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Apres. un mou,ent do marche

Sakfali zlnrrete penscif

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SEUALI dcscend de son podium et

va vers Bolialem L,

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BOUALUI descend du podiun at va
vora Sekfali "

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Ila prennent chacun un podium

face a face et'nonte dessus

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.0 SCENE VIII LE DUEL DE POESIE

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BOULM rentre Slasseai sur la charette

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Pendant que Sakfali d6clame son po'cerne. I llavant-scbne. On installe

llarriere scýne des mari6nnettes jdantes, qui rtq6r6sentent les, invit6s.
Sekiali sladresse bLelles. Las fait parler.

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Boualem repart dormir Se'kfali, pkit de vertige, par la, peur,

.
se lance dans une danse extatique. Boualem se releve furieux.

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REVE ET CAtTCHEMAR

Boualq; n se 1bve presque en oomnabule et sladresse directement au public.

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Sekiali se Ave en hutiant.

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Sekfali slassoit et continue I marmoner Boualem au, public.

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Sekfali se met I psalmodier

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X haute voix.
Ils slaUongent pour dormir.

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Et Us dorment... Musique.
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Sekfali ast v6x6 almeporte dans une colýre noire.

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vi

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lui tend la gamelle avec le ser-)
pent.

Sekfall tout en pr6parant minutieusement sa couche.

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Sekfall part alendormir. Boualem, pr6pare son coin pour

dormir a4sel. Ambiance de nuit.

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M tu habite Au Douar. Tu an vu les Fellagas.....

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Val pas vu. Tu as des enfants. Oui Cinq.
Tu mens Je mens je mens pas Mr.
. .
Les arabes cleat des cons.
Non Mr. Oui Mr.

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ApAs un circuit dtudii. en mise en scbne , ilsse r6installent

comme auparavant en changeant de place.

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S IV PREMIER DEPART

Boualem pousse la charette. Sekfali le suit.

Pol=e dit)

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u- qi

chanson du dipart

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Putain, Vache. Con, Connard. Bicaud. Bounioul

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Boualem sourit et continue son recit.

LS

Tu peux pas faire attention, espece de SaleTrabe.

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Nous sommee sales I cause de vous.

Vous ches propres gr. Ace I nous.
Mais il viendra un jour, on fera la, lessive.

Quel t6upet, il parle frangais, par-des-Le--^4

sue le marchi

Par-dessus tous les marchAs, il ya

le Souk, Madame.

I
 CA
0

S IH HISTOIRE DE BOUALEM

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Aujourd'hui lea mandarines

Demain lea grenades

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1'eve. debarrasse le campement. il ramasse lea

1.3oualem se
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Les deux se levent et se dirigent y*rs Ilavant-scene.

Les mains ouvertes au ciel face au Public.
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Boualem ecras6 sous le poids de Sekfali slicroule, tombe I genoux.

Sekfali reste assis sur lea 6paules de Boualem.

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Sekfali se lbve, rejoint sa chaise.
Boualem rejoint son coins.
Sekfali fait son discours du Vendredi.

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Cj- SSSIS":

CjL
quatre chemins

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Boualem descend de la charette et rejoint sa place. 'I*T:.ý-
Il s'assoit lea genoux pli6s, lea fesses sur lea talons.
Sekfali essaic de monter seul dans la charette. Il remarque
Boualem assis
.......

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cr-- (.; 3 : -!ý-
db

Sekiali monte aur les dpaules de Boualern qui le souleve.

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Sekfall quitte la scene, en marmonant. Boualem Dort.

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S II 1.A PRIERE

Boualern dort, Sekfall revient.. ...

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Sekiall slapproche pour manger, hisite et se r6volte ......

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Ylen a marre
ylen a marre ...... J. 1il

yeen a marre Lr

1e
y en a marre
tmýt- : i.

tg

Boualem, part slallonger pour une sieste. Sekfali vient jusqu'11

lui, et au-dessu.: Ae sa tete. lui lance
.......

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tant pis
Boualem mange. Sekfali le regarde...
Sukfali, d6goOt6, d6prlmd, me'datatiL jU 15

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Boualem tend býSekfali la gamelle avec serpent cuit.

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L;., L4ý-Ij
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Boualem sans se soucier de ce que diront les livres, met le serpent

cuire. Sekfali rentre sur scene en poussant devant lui une charette
remplie de livres. il slinstaUe, et se met b, les consulter, -' -

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tj

US L*, I ý*
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%ä

S LE SERPENT

En ombre Chinolse Boualem fait sa prilre sur une musique itouide

de Muedzan 11 fluit sa priýreo a avance vers I avant-scý. ne.
....
Pendant qulil remet see chaussures, entre Sekfali en hurlant
...

.St. "

LS
I
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LSJ ! J. I 6J )IS I LSJ

A
tr.;

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ci 61; ý 6.C.; S
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t:; " t;
Isj L5.J I Cj15J

LSJ L2 i... ýj l>S L5 L,

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00 T CjLS II
CU CPýý r-ý cr_-,
Iýj L--, I Lj; T L. UTC. L LSJ U
A &--j V. ýj '. Aj
CJ6 : C,

BOUalem ayant une chaussure 5 la main. d1un coup violent tue le

aerpent , et le prdsante k Sekfali *
...
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coinj_pl, ýýU CjLSt; ý-2--J co. 5-JI LS

Cr!
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Selkiall I la vue du serpent. recule lentement Pair digofLtd, et surtout
apeur6.
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p
 BENAISSA
Slimane

OUALEM ZID EL
GOU DEM.

op,
1.975
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