A study day dedicated to the Algerian nuthatch (or Sitta ledanti or Sitelle kabyle) was organized a week ago by the AREA-ED. This news gives me the opportunity to mention this association and also to speak of this species which was discovered in October 1975 and is Algeria’s only endemic bird species. The Algerian nuthatch is unfortunately endangered with less than 2000 (1000 according to other sources) pairs. You may want to watch this related communication from the university of Bejaia (part 1, part 2, part 3).
Alexis de Tocqueville: The father of Western liberalism is also an advocate for colonising Algeria. The author of this article speaks of Tocqueville’s stance on colonising Algeria and also of the fact that what he called “the other Tocqueville” wasn’t taught to him as a child. You may want to read a somewhat different perspective in Tocqueville’s bio on Wikipedia and his letters and reports on the topic. Google Tocqueville and Algeria for more.
And the French colonization left us a heavy legacy and many bad souvenirs. I blogged in the past about the “French anti-personnel mines, another positive outcome of colonialism“. Our Saharan compatriots “experience cancers, blindness and birth defects” which are caused by the French nuclear tests in the Algerian desert. Read “Algerians still suffering from French atomic legacy” for more.
More on French colonization legacy, these past days, many Algerians used a hashtag to campaign against the overuse of French and the position this language holds in the country. I’d blog about the topic if I weren’t too lazy. Here are two related articles.
Pourquoi les Algériens et l’Algérie sont toujours en retard du reste du monde moderne ? I shouldn’t share this link because the content is in my opinion utterly stupid and useless but this is the very reason I am sharing it. This is the type of articles one mustn’t read. The title alone is a warning sign that you’d be wasting your time if you go further.
This text by Badreddine Mili who discusses whether or not the Algerian bourgeoisie is able to govern Algeria is more interesting.
Finally, the below video is the first episode of a New Yorker series dedicated to Syrian refugees.
Patriots on Fire 
Merci pour tous ces liens, enfin.. pas pour celui que tu ne devais pas partager 😉 un ramassis de haine de soi.. finalement tous ces liens nous renvoient à des posts et commentaires précédents, sur le colonialisme, le complexe du colonisé, le français comme langue étrangère au même titre que les autres, et l’obligation de reconnaissance (ou pas) de la France coloniale de ses crimes commis en Algérie. Tocqueville, le maitre à penser de BHL, rien d’étonnant :p
Merci pour celui sur la sitelle, et l’AREAED, une association active pour la preservation de l’environnement, mais dont on ne parle pas beaucoup. Il faut dire qu’elle n’est pas complaisante 😉
Sinon pour cette série du New Yorker, et même si je m’en méfie, mais bon, suivons et voyons, j’espère qu’elle vaut le détour. Quel drame !
You’re welcome and thanks for mentioning the New Yorker, I had written NYT in the post, perhaps an influence of Kamel Daoud’s op-eds. 🙂
I didn’t know about the AREA-ED, looks like a decent association and I thought it would be good to link to their website here 🙂