Description

In his narration The Last Night of the Emir Abdelkader Djemaï succeeds in describing the Emir's last hours before his departure for an unknown country and at the same time in drawing a picture of his native Algeria at the time of French colonization.

Abdelkader, who appears as Emir, is a gifted warlord, but also a passionate peace fighter. Despite the fact that he is a faithful follower of his religion and traditions, he aims to make Algeria a modern state. When the French troops invade Algeria, Emir, as the leader of all believers, has to resist - but without success and for him and his family a path of suffering full of hopes and unfulfilled promises begins.

Reality and fiction are intertwined here - but it is neither a biography nor a historical outline. Instead, Djemaï focuses on the human size of Emir Abdelkader – a man who was ahead of his time, full of openness, tolerance and respect.

Reviews and press:

globaleblog:

It's raining when the Algerian Emir Abd el-Kader and his companions have to leave their country forever, in the port of Djemâa-Ghazaouët, while they stand on the hitherto unknown Mediterranean and think of their homeland. Algeria was conquered by what was then the most powerful colonial power in the world, France, and it will not liberate itself until almost a hundred years later, on July 5, 1962, when independence from Algeria is proclaimed. After fifteen years of resistance, the Emir Abd el-Kader is taken prisoner by General Lamorcière. (...)more

Literature News:

Emir Abdel-Kader appears in poems by Arthur Rimbaud and Charles Baudelaire and in Victor Hugo. more

Topic:

Interview with Abdelkader Djemaï – The Last Night of the Emir more