History has refused to forget what Europeans have done to the world. Most especially the French humanism, which has proven to revolutionarized the entire Europe. The French revolted against the idea of slavery. When Black Jacopin and Toussaint L’Ouverture inspired a slave revolt, the whole of French supposedly adopted detestation for slavery, ‘The moment you pronounce the word “slave” you pronounce your own dishonour’! This was the attitude developed among all the French. Napoleon Bonaparte was another name that depicts the fight for human right. During his military reign, the Jewish camp was liberated.
Today, his name is referred to as the source of civil law in many countries around the world. Invariably, revolutionary France was hope to the Europe, a reason for humanism in the world. As much as many gladly welcomed the development in the new France, some frowned at it. The middle class in Germany for example chose not to imbibe the tradition but rather selfishly protect their own culture. England saw France as a treat and in Russia, Napoleon was tackled with maximum force to her own detriment, for Russia became far behind than other countries that welcomed Napoleon.
The mission of the French revolution was to achieve the ideal and eternal rights of man. However, the French humanism suffered its severest test in Algeria’s struggle for national liberation. Many parts of the world like Middle East, Africa, West Indies, Indo China etc, have always been acidic to the concept of universal rights of human. This is not unconnected to the colonial rule that did not only degrade citizens of those countries but have also bruced the history of the citizen.
The colonial concept of a universal humanity was ironic, simply because Algeria demanded for freedom, France declined. Universal humanity, when men and women were denied liberty, in the name of France, then ‘French liberty’ was reduced to an ideological cover for enslavement. The French Army under Napoleon attacked Egypt in 1798. Napoleon chose to free the oppressed natives of Turks and also took on the role of defender of the annual caravan to the Holy Places and later expressed a willingness to convert to Islam.
However, Bonaparte’s officer did not take this seriously, for a contemporary Egyptian observer states that they treated books and Quran as trash, throwing them on the ground and destroying them with their feet and shoes. Again, they soiled the mosque, spiting in it, pissing, and defecating in it. French rule in Algeria and Egypt remained tied to the demeaning corvee system of forced labour that prevented any substantial extension of civil freedom to the Muslims that lived next to the French empire. Even, the France’s enlightened social scientists contemplated subdividing the human race into advanced and lesser breeds.
IN 1830, French took over Algeria and the contradiction between humanism and imperialism reached its apex . The population of Algiers was reduced drastically, from 75 000 to just 30 000. The status of the Algerians and the French settlers was complicated. Laws were made officially designating Algeria a French territory and into two sections, one civilian, and the other military. The civilian section was largely European, based on Algiers and the ports. The military section was the countryside and almost wholly native, Arabic and Berber.
The Algerians were divided into three basic provinces and the Algerian natives were ruled through local chiefs recognized by the military governors, which was more liberal than the settlers would have preferred. In actual truth, the Algerian economy improved during the course of French rule, but still could not compare to that of French. Algerians became restless and wanted their freedom but the French denied Algeria her freedom in the name of the Rights of Man. The republican sentiments of the revolution, universal in their aspiration were facade to the selfish interests of French rule.
What was truly human was debased into a narrowly chauvinistic ideology that denied the humanity of the Algerians, even as it pretended to represent all humanity. In Algeria, France debased humanism, and made it into a fraud. The Algerian became aware of the fraud in ideology and fought till eventually the French had no choice but to withdraw. The humanism postulated was meant only for the French, for the black were seen and treated with contempt. The black were use in achieving goal of the white. Irrespective of the education of the black, they are treated as second class citizens.
In the novel Ourika, a typical example of the status of the black citizen is vividly described, when Ourika despite her education and exposure was seen as unacceptable to the society as an eligible spinster. She overheard her step-mother complaining about her status as a black lady, she was wondering how she would get married and settle into the society happily. “What kind of man would marry a negress? ” Her fate was such in the hands of all simply because of her black race. Same fate awaited all out to black race even in their own country.
However, the European made it appear that they were helping the black race, trying to develop their minds with the education they give them and also developing their country not for selfish interest but for altruistic purpose of impacting the entire world. The novel Ourika depicts black race as a race treated with disdain by the Europeans, their skin was like a cage, which encloses their fate, like a vicious circle, the skin subjected them to a permanent prejudice that limits them a great deal to many things the white are available to.
It was believed that it was a natural phenomenon for the black to take the back seat in the society. Anyone trying to refute this would be seen as radical, unnatural and rebellious. The novella, Ourika explicitly highlighted this with its plot, of the intelligent young black woman, who was oblivious of her predicament until she overheard the conversation of how the society will “avenge itself” for forcing her on it. The issue of women treatment is also worthy mentioning, as women interest was repeatedly trampled upon. The Women’s relationship to anti-colonial nationalism was rather a problematic one.
The ruling method tended to neglect both women and feminist discourses strategically. This phenomenon is far from limited to the Muslim or Arab worlds. The women’s interests conflict with most of the ideology of the day.
References
Azouz Begag,Alec G. Hargreaves and Naima Wolf, Shantytown Kid, 2007 Frantz Fanon, Algeria Unveiled, weekly. ahram. org. eg/2003/660/cu9. htm Lynn Hunt, Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein, R. Po-chia Hsia, . The Making Of The West Peoples and Cultures, Vol. 2: Since 1500: Claire du Duras’ Ourika, Nineteenth Century French Studies – Volume 32, Number 3&4, Spring-Summer 2004,