Africa-Press – Angola. <\/strong> <\/span>The Algerian Mufdi Zakaria stands as a living witness to the phenomenon of the “intellectual activist” who transformed words into bullets and turned the shackles of French colonial prisons into a lyre playing the melody of freedom. In his intellectual journey, the writer merged with the politician; he crafted a strict pragmatic idea with a pen that grants it immortality and existential depth that shook the foundations of colonialism.<\/p>\nEarly Emergence and Maghreb Awareness<\/b><\/p>\n
The spark of struggle ignited in the son of Wadi Mizab (born in Beni Yazgan, Ghardaia in 1908) in a conservative environment where he absorbed religious knowledge and memorized the Quran in traditional schools, which later endowed his poetry with rare linguistic strength. Following French repression and the ban on teaching Arabic in Algeria, he traveled on a scientific mission to Tunisia, where the schools of Al-Attarine, Al-Khaldounia, and Al-Zaytuna nurtured the beginnings of his national consciousness. There, he joined the “Constitutional Youth” and mingled with intellectual elites such as the poet Abu Al-Qasim Al-Shabi, instilling in him an unwavering belief in the unity of the Maghreb as an indivisible whole.<\/p>\n
His nationalist positions did not stop at mere theorizing; at the age of seventeen, he published his first poems in the Tunisian press, including the poem “To the Rifis,” praising the Rif Revolution in northern Morocco against Spanish colonialism led by Emir Abdelkrim Al-Khattabi. It included lines such as:<\/p>\n
“Congratulations, O sons of the Rif, for paradise has opened for you…”<\/p>\n
This maturity was practically translated upon his return to Algeria; he was at the forefront of the independence scene, joining the “North African Star,” then rising to become the Secretary-General of the “Algerian People’s Party,” and the Democratic Freedom Movement, culminating in the National Liberation Front with the outbreak of the revolution. Mufdi Zakaria viewed politics as an existential duty, paying the price with many years of imprisonment in French jails, the harshest of which was the dreadful “Barbarossa” prison, where he was subjected to torture, which only made his pen more luminous and powerful.<\/p>\n
Political and Activist Path<\/b><\/p>\n
He was arrested multiple times by the French occupation and spent many years in prison due to his political activities. He penned the words of the national anthem (Qasam) in 1955 while in Barbarossa prison, and it is said that he wrote the anthem in his own blood, which became a symbol of the revolution and independence. In one of its verses, he states:<\/p>\n
“O France, the time for reproach has passed…”<\/p>\n
After escaping from prison in 1959, he continued his struggle from Morocco and Tunisia, contributing to raising awareness of the Algerian revolution.<\/p>\n
Literary Genius: Words as a Secret Liberating Weapon<\/b><\/p>\n
As resistance intensified, the poet faced close colonial censorship that banned his mobilizing poetry. He resorted to clever activism, using pseudonyms to write poetry under the name “Ibn Tumart” and articles under “The Young Man of Morocco,” continuing his work in journalism and Tunisian radio to be a voice for truth.<\/p>\n
In April 1955, from cell number 69 in Barbarossa prison, the poet wrote with his blood and sweat the words of the national anthem “Qasam,” crafting a political statement that forcefully demanded freedom, punctuating his message with powerful words:<\/p>\n
“I swear by the descending calamities… and the pure, sacred blood…”<\/p>\n
The anthem included a decisive and bold section confronting the colonizer directly:<\/p>\n
“O France, the time for reproach has passed…”<\/p>\n
His national poetry and firm stances were evident in commemorating the martyrs of the revolution; in his famous poem “The Sacrificed Ascending,” he mourned the martyr Ahmed Zubana (the first sentenced to death by guillotine), articulating a philosophy of sacrifice and defiance for the resistance men as they were led to death, with his verses resonating in squares and prisons:<\/p>\n
“He stood proud like Christ, swaying…”<\/p>\n
His literary contributions extended to immortal collections such as “Sacred Flame” (which also included stern verses directed at the French and their tyranny) and “Under the Olive Trees,” culminating in “The Iliad of Algeria” (1001 verses), which he recited in 1972 at the Islamic Thought Conference to redefine Algeria’s identity and its gardens throughout history:<\/p>\n
“Algeria, O dawn of miracles…”<\/p>\n
Clash, Death, and Eternal Legacy<\/b><\/p>\n
After Algeria’s independence in 1962, his free stances and aspirations for democracy and Maghreb unity clashed with the political directions of some leaders of the nascent state. He chose voluntary exile, moving between Tunisia and Morocco, preferring to preserve the freedom of his pen and thought over approaching the seats of power. He maintained his principles, advocating for unity until his death in Tunisia on August 17, 1977, after which his body was transported and buried in the soil of his birthplace in Beni Yazgan, fulfilling his will, having left his home there to become a library and a center of scientific radiance.<\/p>\n
Algeria honored him with the highest awards such as the “Order of the Ether” and the “Resistance Medal,” and his name became associated with the “Cultural Palace” in the capital in recognition of his indelible contributions.<\/p>\n
Find more news and analyses on Angola<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Qamar Al-Anbiya Imara Africa-Press – Angola. The Algerian Mufdi Zakaria stands as a living witness to the phenomenon of the “intellectual activist” who transformed words into bullets and turned the shackles of French colonial prisons into a lyre playing the melody of freedom. In his intellectual journey, the writer merged with the politician; he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":99559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[329],"class_list":["post-99560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-culture-and-art","tag-angola"],"yoast_head":"\n
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