Agujil
18/11/2005, 02h04
Guy de Maupassant 1880:
here we are in the richest and most populated area of Algeria: Kabylie. The country of Kabyles is mountainous, covered with forests and fields. Over there draws up an immense mountain, The Djurjura. Its highest peaks are gray as if they were covered with ashes. Everywhere, on the less raised tops, one sees villages which, by far, look like white stone. Others remain built on the slopes.
In this fertile region the fight is terrible between the European and the native for the possession of the land.
Kabylie is more populated than the most populated department of France. The Kabyle is not a nomad, but sedentary and hard-working. However, the colonist does not have any other concern than to strip him.
Here are the various systems employed to despoil the indigenous owners. Any individual, leaving France, will request from the office in charge of the distribution of lands a concession in Algeria. he will be given a hat with numbered papers in it, he draws a number corresponding to a batch from a certain ground. This batch, from now on, belongs to him. he goes there. finds over there, in an indigenous village, a whole family installed on the concession that have become his property. This family is spoiled, and has nthing to live with. The foreigner
expels them. resigned, they leave their land to the stranger since it is the French law. But these people, without resources from now on, gain the desert and become revolted.
The European colonist, frightened by the heat and the aspect of the country, employs a Kabyle to work the farm for him. And the native, remained on his ground, sends, good year, or bad year, fifteen hundreds, or two thousand francs to the European colonist who has return to France.
That is equivalent to a concession of a tobacconist's shop. Another method:
The Room votes a credit of forty or fifty million intended for the colonization of Algeria. What will be the use of this money ? Undoubtedly one will build stoppings, one will timber the tops to retain water, one will endeavour to make fertile the sterile plains? By no means!! they expropriate the native. However, in Kabylie, the ground acquired a considerable value. It reaches in the best places sixteen hundred francs the hectare; and it is sold eight hundred francs commonly.
The Kabyles who own their lands, live quiet on their exploitations. they are Rich, they do not revolt; they only ask to remain in peace. What happens? we have one fifty million. Kabylie is the most beautiful country of Algeria therefore we expropriate Kabyles in favour of unknown colonists. But how do they expropriate them with 50 millions? One pays them forty francs the hectare which is worth eight hundred francs at least. And the head of family leaves without saying anything(it is the law) with his world and his family.
These people are not commercial, nor industrial, they are only farmers.
Thus the family lives as much as the little money remains. Then misery arrives and war commences... and french authorities will use this situation to prove once more that Algeria can only be governed through militay force.
One asks himslef:
- As long as we lack Europeans We leave the native in the fertile parts ; then, when we get new europeans we expropriate the first -native- owner.
- Very well. But, when you will not have any more fertile parts, what will you do?
- We will fertilize, "parbleu"!
- well! why don't you fertilize immediately, since you have fifty million?
-How!
-you see companies creating gigantic stoppings to give water to whole areas; you know, by remarkable work engineers of talent, which it would be enough to timber certain tops to gain with the agriculture of the miles of countries which extend below, and you do not find any other mean than to expell the Kabyles!!!
Guy de Maupassant
here we are in the richest and most populated area of Algeria: Kabylie. The country of Kabyles is mountainous, covered with forests and fields. Over there draws up an immense mountain, The Djurjura. Its highest peaks are gray as if they were covered with ashes. Everywhere, on the less raised tops, one sees villages which, by far, look like white stone. Others remain built on the slopes.
In this fertile region the fight is terrible between the European and the native for the possession of the land.
Kabylie is more populated than the most populated department of France. The Kabyle is not a nomad, but sedentary and hard-working. However, the colonist does not have any other concern than to strip him.
Here are the various systems employed to despoil the indigenous owners. Any individual, leaving France, will request from the office in charge of the distribution of lands a concession in Algeria. he will be given a hat with numbered papers in it, he draws a number corresponding to a batch from a certain ground. This batch, from now on, belongs to him. he goes there. finds over there, in an indigenous village, a whole family installed on the concession that have become his property. This family is spoiled, and has nthing to live with. The foreigner
expels them. resigned, they leave their land to the stranger since it is the French law. But these people, without resources from now on, gain the desert and become revolted.
The European colonist, frightened by the heat and the aspect of the country, employs a Kabyle to work the farm for him. And the native, remained on his ground, sends, good year, or bad year, fifteen hundreds, or two thousand francs to the European colonist who has return to France.
That is equivalent to a concession of a tobacconist's shop. Another method:
The Room votes a credit of forty or fifty million intended for the colonization of Algeria. What will be the use of this money ? Undoubtedly one will build stoppings, one will timber the tops to retain water, one will endeavour to make fertile the sterile plains? By no means!! they expropriate the native. However, in Kabylie, the ground acquired a considerable value. It reaches in the best places sixteen hundred francs the hectare; and it is sold eight hundred francs commonly.
The Kabyles who own their lands, live quiet on their exploitations. they are Rich, they do not revolt; they only ask to remain in peace. What happens? we have one fifty million. Kabylie is the most beautiful country of Algeria therefore we expropriate Kabyles in favour of unknown colonists. But how do they expropriate them with 50 millions? One pays them forty francs the hectare which is worth eight hundred francs at least. And the head of family leaves without saying anything(it is the law) with his world and his family.
These people are not commercial, nor industrial, they are only farmers.
Thus the family lives as much as the little money remains. Then misery arrives and war commences... and french authorities will use this situation to prove once more that Algeria can only be governed through militay force.
One asks himslef:
- As long as we lack Europeans We leave the native in the fertile parts ; then, when we get new europeans we expropriate the first -native- owner.
- Very well. But, when you will not have any more fertile parts, what will you do?
- We will fertilize, "parbleu"!
- well! why don't you fertilize immediately, since you have fifty million?
-How!
-you see companies creating gigantic stoppings to give water to whole areas; you know, by remarkable work engineers of talent, which it would be enough to timber certain tops to gain with the agriculture of the miles of countries which extend below, and you do not find any other mean than to expell the Kabyles!!!
Guy de Maupassant