Messali Hadj - A Life In Service To The Algerian People

Synopsis

The life and political activism of Messali Hadj (1898-1974), an Algerian internationalist politician who played a pioneering role in the process leading to Algerian independence, which he demanded as early as 1927. He was initially secretary of the North African Star (ENA), then in 1937 he founded the Algerian People's Party (PPA), in 1946 he founded the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD), and finally in 1954, the Algerian National Movement (MNA). In 1937, the leadership of the North African Star (ENA) created its flag, green with a white star and crescent. Messali Hadj's wife, Emilie Busquant-Messali, simply sewed this ENA flag by machine; it would later become the flag of the PPA. In 1943, Messali Hadj, in conjunction with the party leadership, created the ENA-PPA flag, green and white with a red star and crescent, which would later become the current flag of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.

Cast

Messali Hadj

Algerian politician (archive footage)

Jean-Marc Schiappa

French historian

Émilie Busquant

Anti-colonial activist (archive footage)

Djanina Messali-Benkelfat

Self (archive footage)

Léon Blum

French politician (archive footage)

Mustapha Ben Mohamed

PPA-MNA activist

Ali Messali

Self (archive footage)

Ali Agouni

PPA-MNA activist & Moudjahid

Bachir Ferrag

PPA-MNA activist

Rabah Bélaïd

Professor of History and Political Science, University of Batna