Emir Abdelkader back in Marseille – Jeune Afrique
The first time that the Emir Abdelkader, hero of the Algerian resistance against the French conquest in 1830, set foot in Marseille dates back to December 1852, after more than four years of captivity at the Château d’Amboise. One hundred and seventy years later, he returns to Marseille, through the major exhibition dedicated to him by the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem), from April 6 to August 22.
Victor Hugo called Abdelkader “the thoughtful, fierce and gentle emir”, Arthur Rimbaud said of him that he was “the grandson of Jugurtha” and Gustave Flaubert noted: “Emir. Only said when speaking of Abdel-Kader. To highlight this historical figure, the Mucem has brought together an impressive collection of 250 works and documents from French and Mediterranean public and private collections, including the National Overseas Archives, the National Library of France, the Museum of the Army, the Palace of Versailles or the Musée d’Orsay.
The Thousand Lives of a Scholar
Camille Faucourt, curator of heritage and curator of the exhibition, explains the perspective of this leader of the resistance, considered the founder of the Algerian state: “The objective of this exhibition is to bring together objects and archives in number, in order to cross the sources coming from the two shores of the Mediterranean, and, thus, to enlighten this character who seems to have had a thousand lives. A man constantly on the move, who traveled a lot. And who, spiritually, has learned and evolved. Abdelkader was one of the great minds of his time. »
This exhibition is also intended – even if its initiators are careful not to give it a political scope – a way of bringing together the memories of France and Algeria at a time when we are preparing to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the independence of the latter.
At the Mucem, the visitor will therefore be able to travel, through these archives, in the life and work of the Emir, from the beginning of his resistance against the French troops in 1830 until his death in 1883 in Damascus. In addition to the paintings and frescoes depicting the long war (1832-1847) between Abdelkader and the French generals, one can read the letters and personal correspondence of the emir, contemplate his sword, given to General Louis Juchault de Lamoricière upon his surrender. , in December 1847. In his report to President Macron, the historian Benjamin Stora also suggests that this saber be returned to Algeria as part of memorial work and the reconciliation of histories.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the caftan that belonged to the emir
One can also read the solemn declaration of October 30, 1852, signed by the hand of the emir and designated to Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, by which the illustrious captive of the castle of Amboise undertakes, in good faith and as a sign of gratitude for his release, to no longer exercise political or military power and never to return to Algeria.
The exhibition also came across numerous photographs of the resistance fighter, in particular the first shot that the photographer Gustave Le Gray took in 1851 in Amboise, or even photos of the emir during his exile in Damascus. One of the highlights of the exhibition is the caftan that belonged to him. Khaled Ibn Hadj Abdelkader, one of his sons, donated it to the Army Museum in 1897 so that this first resistant would be honored in France. Algeria has made an official request for its restitution, which is still under study.
A guest in the Marseille city
Between the Emir Abdelkader and Marseille, it is also the story of a brief but intense encounter. On Saturday, December 18, 1852, the Emir and his suite, made up of nearly 70 people, arrived in the evening on board a boat that had sailed on the Rhône from Lyon, always accompanied by Commander Alfred Boissonnet, who did not never leaves since the beginning of their detention in Amboise, in 1848. On the quay, a handful of pilgrims returned from Mecca await them to greet the emir before embarking for Algeria.
From the moment he was captive, the emir was spied on, controlled, watched until paranoia
The local population may not be paying attention to the arrival of this large delegation. It is located in the Hotel des Empereurs, one of the most prestigious establishments in Marseille, which no longer exists today. The Mucem presents the correspondence of the time which recounts this stay and in particular sets out the bills for the food and laundry expenses of the guests. “From his captivity, the emir was spied on, controlled, watched to the point of paranoia,” says Florence Hudowics, another curator of the exhibition. But in Marseilles, the emir is not treated like a captive. He goes to the theater, where he is invited; visits the library of the Alcazar, where he is presented with precious Arabic manuscripts; and met socialites in the city, notably Clot-Bey, a French doctor and collector of Korans, who practiced at the court of the pasha of Egypt.
While he was to embark on Labrador to reach Turkey, the Emir had to wait because of a strong mistral which was to delay his departure. On Tuesday, December 21, 1852, he finally left Marseille at 4 p.m., in the presence of a huge crowd who came to greet him on the Canebière. Years later, he is back in Marseille for an exhibition installed where his boat took to the sea.