Messali Hadj - A Life In Service To The Algerian People

The story

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

M Messali HadjAlgerian politician (archive footage) J Jean-Marc SchiappaFrench historian É Émilie BusquantAnti-colonial activist (archive footage) D Djanina Messali-BenkelfatSelf (archive footage) L Léon BlumFrench politician (archive footage) M Mustapha Ben MohamedPPA-MNA activist A Ali MessaliSelf (archive footage) A Ali AgouniPPA-MNA activist & Moudjahid B Bachir FerragPPA-MNA activist R Rabah BélaïdProfessor of History and Political Science, University of Batna M Mohammed MrabetPPA-MTLD activist H Hadj Omar LachachiPPA-MTLD activist

See more cast

M Mohamed DriciPPA-MTLD activist M Mohamed Ben-Eddine HemouriPPA-MTLD activist S Saïd Lhalali Ben MoussaPPA-MNA activist H Hocine LahouelAlgerian politician (archive footage) M Moulay MerbahSecretary General of the MNA (archive footage) A Annie CardinalMNA activist, Secretary of Messali Hadj H Hamidou BachirDoctor, son of PPA-MTLD activist M Mohamed BoughriouaPPA-MNA activist & Moudjahid G Georges BardinInternationalist activist C Charles de GaulleFrench President (archive footage) L Louisa HanouneAlgerian politician, Parti des Travailleurs (PT) E Emmanuelle StochlNarrator D Didier PratNarrator P Pierre LambertInternationalist activist