Every year, Algeria commemorates several historic milestones linked to its time as “French Algeria,” legally an overseas department of France. Two stand out: Independence Day on July 5, marking sovereignty in 1962, and Revolution Day on November 1, recalling the 1954 uprising that ignited the liberation war.

These are not mere celebrations; they remind people that colonial wounds still remain. This November, the 71st anniversary arrives amid one of the worst diplomatic rifts in decades – the expulsion of diplomats, suspended cooperation, and Paris’ support for Morocco’s Western Sahara claim, seen in Algiers as a provocation.

None of Algeria’s national commemorations evokes ease or celebration, as each is steeped in remembrance of sacrifice. They recall the blood and resilience that transformed the country from a French overseas department into a sovereign state. November 1, 1954, remains the most defining – the day the National Liberation Front (FLN) launched its revolt that drew ordinary citizens into a collective struggle, not only to reclaim their land but to forge an African model of liberation. Algeria’s experience would later inspire independence movements across Africa with many adopting its strategies and organizational discipline in their fights against colonial rule, including French.

Seven decades after the revolution began the shadows of French colonial rule still hang over both Algeria and France, albeit for different reasons. Algeria demands acknowledgment, accountability, and compensation, while France prefers to forget its past, or at least confine it to the buried past.

Never before have these commemorations come at a more difficult moment for ties between Algiers and Paris. To make things worse, France openly chose to support Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara – a move Algiers perceives as both provocative and dismissive of its regional influence. Against this backdrop, the rituals of remembrance take on added significance. The same independence struggle that once demanded sacrifice now........

© RT.com