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18 Mar 02 - 11:07 AM (#671293) Subject: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: Paddy Plastique Today is the 40th anniversary of the Evian Agreement which ended the Algerian War of Independence. Lot of media coverage for it here in France. Gives we Irish a wee bit of consolation for the failure of the Year of the French and the far bigger French effort of 1796 - 'there but for the grace of God..' A nation born in a very bloody fashion and, sadly, still shedding its blood today. Lazy journalists sometimes class Algeria as 'France's Northern Ireland' to convey a sense of the conflict to Anglos. |
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18 Mar 02 - 11:24 AM (#671310) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: greg stephens Your chosen name(plastique) brought it all back,I was living in Paris then, and the explosions of the plastiqueurs woke me at night sometimes. Only time in my life I've ever seen amusician at a band practise cleaning a pistol(lefties preparing to go on the funeral procession for Daniel Ferry,killed by the flics).And playing with some Algerian musiians then was my first introduction to "world" music. |
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18 Mar 02 - 08:55 PM (#671593) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: Irish sergeant An anniversary of liberty is a cause for celebration. It is a shame that so many had to lose their lives in a brutal end to France's last North African Colonial bastion. I have always admired the French people but like all governments including mine don't always agree with their policies. Vive La Belle Algerie! Neil |
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19 Mar 02 - 02:50 AM (#671723) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: sledge The Algerian crew here on the rig didn't make that much of yesterday, but then we are in the middle of a rig move so busy busy. At least it was a beautiful day for the aniversery, then we tend to get a lot of those in the desert. A touring party did show up last week and perform, no explanation as such was given, just traditional music, dance and then off. Apparently they had a lot more sites to visit. Sledge |
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19 Mar 02 - 03:04 AM (#671726) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: Wilfried Schaum Just reminds of my last travel in Algeria in 1969. They were celebrating the 15th anniversary of the beginning of the struggle for liberation in the region. A band marched before the National Flag playing French marches, and the last files played a trio with their native instruments. Quite an interesting contrast. Worst with the French colonialism were theit vestiges in the cultural system. The local newspaper had to announce this anniversary in FRENCH; the local Arabs could not speak nor read their high language, because it never was taught at school. Since the French held their language at the peak of culture they saw no need to give their colonial subjects a chance for their own heritage. For the Irish (Sunday I helped to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in my native German town) I see only one chance: Liberty comes out of the barrels of the rifles, but peace out of the human heart. Wilfried |
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19 Mar 02 - 06:06 AM (#671772) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: Peter K (Fionn) And last time I saw him, Ahmed Ben Bella was fit and well - campaigning against the sanctions imposed on Iraq and Cuba, as vigorously as he had previously campaigned against Portuguese rule in Mozambique and against the Rhodesia Front. On reflection, it must be four years since I've seen him - plenty of time for the great man to have shuffled off. |
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19 Mar 02 - 07:52 AM (#671795) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: GUEST,keith A at work So is there anyone going to challenge PP's gratitude that Wolf Tone (?) failed to get the french ashore at Bantry Bay? Was he a traitor? |
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19 Mar 02 - 07:56 AM (#671797) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: GUEST Is algeria, that home of liberty, still a haven for terrorists ? |
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19 Mar 02 - 08:43 AM (#671829) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: sledge To imply that Algeria is a haven for terrorists is simplistic and naive. A haven is a safe shelter and Algeria is anything but that. Algeria does however have a significant problem with with very active domestic terrorists. Every week reports of soldiers, civilians and terrorists are made, many of them quite graphic. The scale of the problem is never really reported fully in the British press and so not appreciated for what it is. People see an arabic country with the words terrorist attached and assume the worst. It is also worth noting that some events that are called terrorist are really nothing more than old fashioned banditry, often quite brutal. But a haven no I don't think so, I have yet to drive past the "Hilton holiday rest home for Psycohpaths" and I have nearly three years to do so. Sledge |
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19 Mar 02 - 09:04 AM (#671845) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: sledge Amended version of the above so that it makes a bit more sense, knee jerk responses to moronic statements should always be proof read. To imply that Algeria is a haven for terrorists is simplistic and naive. A haven is a safe shelter and Algeria is anything but that. Algeria does however have a significant problem with with very active domestic terrorists. Every week reports of soldiers, civilians and terrorists being killed are made, many of them quite graphic. The scale of the problem is never really reported fully in the British press and so not appreciated for what it is. People see an arabic country with the words terrorist attached and assume the worst. It is also worth noting that some events that are called terrorist are really nothing more than old fashioned banditry, often quite brutal. But a haven no I don't think so, I have yet to drive past the "Hilton holiday rest home for Psycohpaths" and I have had nearly three years to do so. Sledge
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20 Mar 02 - 04:53 AM (#672442) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: Paddy Plastique Keith A, not sure if it was 'gratitude', now (Theobold Wolfe Tone is the full name). That part of my initial post was a bit tongue in cheek. Might express it as '...better the colonising devil you know...'. Greg - no intention to evoke plastic explosives or anything like that - more whiskey in plastic bottles sort of thing. GUEST, did anyone evoke Algeria as a home of liberty ? Anything but - it's still basically a military junta with the front of occasional elections - albeit faced with an Islamic fundamentalist opposition with a very vicious element within it (there's that 'devil you know' crux again). The last 10 years have seen a very costly, in terms of human life, 'Dirty War'. The Berber-speaking minority don't enjoy too much liberty either. As Sledge says, tens of thousands of lives lost and precious little mention in the English-speaking media. Sledge, are you actually in Algeria ? They produce some fine music alright - Rai and all its cousins.. Wish I could afford to buy some of it :-< Finally - actual Independence didn't kick in for a few months after the agreement - commemorated in Algeria on the 5th of June. I can see why the Algerian population would view it all with indifference, all the same. |
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20 Mar 02 - 08:21 AM (#672514) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: sledge Hi Paddy, Yep I'm currently working on an oilfield developement project and have been for several years. I'm in the southern central Sahara near a small town called In Amenas. Quite a striking area what with 200 metre dunes to the south of us, high cliff faces to the north and now and then evidence of early man living here. Wildlife is not too easy to find but if you look there is a small antelope to be seen, small foxes and of course camels pass by on a regular basis. Lots of flies. Snakes, scorpians and my favourite the camel spider (or wind scorpian). As far as music goes most of the rig crew listen to the westernised version of Algerian music which I consider awful, but then thats the same as far as I'm concerned with most types of music once the drum machine and synth get in there. The real celebration does take place in June as far as the guys are concered, special meals, flags and hopefully another dance troup. Sledge |
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21 Mar 02 - 05:15 AM (#673219) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: InOBU Hey Sledge... I can relate to jobs with bad music... been there, worse yet, small boat, no where to go but overside when the music gets really bad... sometimes the North Atlantic in winter looked inviting... BUT, well, do you have a CD player? I'd be happy to send you a Sorcha Dorcha CD (my band) for a bit of audial respite. Besides, there is a nice wee song about an African killed by the police in New York, Amadou Diallo, that your messmates may find of interest, as well as Engine 33, one of my songs also recorded by our own fellow MCAT McGrath. SO, PM me a mailing address and I will post it post haste. No drum machine on the CD. Cheers, Larry |
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22 Mar 02 - 04:34 AM (#673867) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: Paddy Plastique A sledge is a funny thing to have in the middle of a desert, all the same :-> I think the category 'Rai' covers the amplified version, alright. I don't mind it as much as yourself. It does have acoustic ancestors - I've been trying to find recordings of its direct ancestor 'tran' without much success - mebbe your workmates might know more about it... Keep on the right side of the wildlife. |
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22 Mar 02 - 06:44 AM (#673895) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: Wilfried Schaum Hi Sledge, have you tried Radio Cairo? Sometimes the music sonds like the real traditional stuff. About Radio Tunisia I can't say anything anymore, since its over 30 years I have been ther. At this time the music was quite good, not westernized. Wilfried |
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22 Mar 02 - 06:51 AM (#673897) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: sledge When you have 200metre sand dunes sledges are great fun even if they are also used as basket stretchers the rest of the time. I'll be getting a digital radio soon as my old world radio just isn't up to much any more so I'll be more able to explore the airways. Just a thought, some times a western influance on the traditional music style sometimes works just look at Bhangra, but then you look at Russian pop music these days, calling it dire is often being charitable. Cheers Sledge
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22 Mar 02 - 08:05 PM (#674421) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: GUEST I beleave that Algebra is nearly 3000 years old. |
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23 Mar 02 - 08:06 AM (#674680) Subject: RE: BS: Algeria - 40 Years Old Today From: GUEST Ya fool. Its Algeria: a type of pain associated with arthritis. |