France urged to open colonial records by leading historian

French historian Benjamin Stora is calling for an end to government secrecy surrounding France’s 132-year rule over Algeria and the bloody war for independence that followed, according to Algerian government-friendly AL24 News on April 30th.

Speaking at a session of the 6th Annaba Mediterranean Film Festival, Stora argued that removing all administrative, bureaucratic, and security barriers is a critical step toward establishing a historical narrative that is not just told from the French point of view. The session, moderated by Ahmed Bedjaoui and attended by Algerian Mujahida Louisa Ighil Ahriz, focused on the need to provide academics with access to the military and political records of the colonial era.

Stora contended that the continued concealment of shared history under the banner of “national security” is a major roadblock to healing the public’s memory of the war. He asserted the right of Algerian researchers to examine original documents relating to the colonial system active from 1830 to 1962.

According to Stora, archival transparency is a political imperative required to protect the truth from being twisted, as withholding such records serves only to embolden “hate-based narratives”. He emphasised that the fight over how the war is remembered will continue as long as sensitive files are hidden for political reasons instead of being shown to experts.

Stora maintained that archives are a public asset and a right for future generations on both shores of the Mediterranean. He noted that the lack of access creates a profound gap in the understanding of contemporary identity, particularly as the history of the Algerian Revolution has become an integral component of France’s internal history.

On the subject of cinema, Stora observed that French film production during the Revolution was historically absent due to France’s censorship of images that might expose the nature of the war.

While anti-colonial cinema eventually emerged in France with directors such as René Vautier and Yves Boisset, Stora identified Algerian  director Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina as the person who created the most authentic representations of the liberation struggle.

He noted that French cinema in the late 20th century often presented a one-sided narrative that failed to address the crimes committed during the occupation. Stora concluded by stating that the joint Algerian-French commission of historians considers full archival access a non-negotiable priority, as documented truth remains the only viable bridge for a future relationship based on equality and the mutual recognition of historical facts.

Al24 News, Maghrebi.org