Algerian skulls in the cellars of the Human Museum

National liberation and anti-colonial war have always been at the center of the Algerian national narrative. These elements are among the foundations of national consciousness and serve as the foundations for our historical memory that is still being restored. But they are also political investment tools for self-legislation. These problems periodically come back in official letters, but reality is often opposed to them. Did the Algerian side remain silent after General Asars’ confessions of torture? Wasn’t this silence filled after the skull controversy fueled by a petition that had the support of almost thirty thousand people? This request was addressed to the French authorities, demanding that the skulls of the martyrs of the Zaatasha Revolution be repatriated. Despite the widespread resonance of the problem and the international influence he was aware of in addition to the French president’s commitment to return it, the skulls are still in shoe boxes inside metal lockers at the “Museum of Man” in Paris.

As for the French side, the war in Algeria was not legally recognized until 1999, when this word replaced “events”. Approximately 18 years later, during a visit to Algeria, Emmanuel Macron described colonialism as a crime against humanity. He was then a presidential candidate. Since then, the death of Maurice Odin under torture has already been recognized as a state crime, and his widow has been offered an official apology. As for the other colonial crimes, they are not yet on the show. We can even say that it is less than ever. Should the memory obligation be treated from legal logic or with a view to good political intention?
Regarding the first possibility, the path is technically complex due to:
1: Law of July 24, 1968, on amnesty for “acts” committed in Algeria
2: The basic principle that the French criminal laws, codified in 1994, codified the crime against humanity in particular. The question that arises is: do crimes against humanity cease to be obsolete? Is the reference to French law appropriate in these circumstances?
Regarding the second possibility, some facts that seem externally independent lead us to ask about what is at stake: destroying part of the files of the National Liberation Front, hiding part of the French files for the colonial period, the question of recovering the Algerian skulls of the “Human Museum” …
Amid neglect on both sides of the Mediterranean, the remains of the bodies of Algerian resistance fighters are still denied the right to be buried. He will also continue to do so as long as he continues reciting historical narratives for demagogic purposes.

* Algerian researcher and academic