‘Macron Failed Everything’: Why Did a New Algerian Currency Anger France?

For the first time in the history of Algerian banknotes, only the Arabic and English languages ​​are on the new Algerian currency, without the French.

On November 3, 2022, the Central Bank of Algeria announced on its Twitter account that the issuance of the two thousand dinars note comes in commemoration of the convening of the Arab States Summit in Algeria and in commemoration of the 68th anniversary of Algeria’s independence from France.

French political and nationalist activists expressed their disappointment with the decision of the Central Bank of Algeria, which issued its decision to celebrate the anniversary of the Algerian revolution.

The French opposition poured out its anger on President Emmanuel Macron, indicating that his policy caused Algeria’s political and cultural separation from French hegemony. Algerian singers and activists considered their country’s attempt to get rid of France as “natural” and a continuation of the Algerian struggle that began against France decades ago.

They emphasized that the colonizer had no right to impose his conditions and identity after these years, especially since France robbed the country of its capabilities, wrested its independence, and tried to dominate it even after leaving it.

 

French Anger

The Algerian government deliberately chose the national occasion for independence from France to issue its currency and put English next to the Arabic language without using French, which had clear indications of the state’s strategic quest to overcome the colonial era and to break away from the hegemony of Paris.

The new currency (2000 Algerian dinars), equivalent to 14 dollars, was of high quality and bears the image of the Great Mosque of Algiers, the third largest mosque in the world, with an area of ​​200,000 square meters.

On the other side of the coin, a picture of the shrine of the martyr is placed, which is the symbol of Algiers, the landmark that was built during the era of the late Algerian President Chadli Bendjedid in 1982, and symbolizes the resistance of the French colonizer.

This move angered France’s politicians, who see that their country is regressing in terms of foreign relations and is losing its places of influence, especially in Algeria.

Among them is the former radical left presidential candidate, Jean-Luc Melenchon (leader of the Proud France movement), who criticized the French government’s policy towards Algeria.

“This is an Algerian banknote. The common language is no longer. Sadness. Macron [and Elisabeth] Borne [Prime Minister of France] have failed in everything and for everything,” Jean-Luc said in a tweet on Twitter.

The Algerian political activist, Abdul Halim Shado, tweeted: “The banknote included both Arabic and English. The dinar banknotes in circulation no longer contain any phrases in French.”

 

The Eternal Enemy

The currency was not the only blow the French language received in Algeria. On June 19, 2022, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced “the adoption of the English language starting from the primary stage.”

Teaching English began at the intermediate level (preparatory), and according to the decision, English became the second foreign language in the primary stage besides French.

Relations between Paris and Algeria have been tense recently, to the extent that on April 8, 2021, Algerian Minister of Labor, Hachemi Djaaboub, described France as the “eternal traditional enemy” of the Algerians.

On October 10, 2021, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called on the Elysee Palace for “full respect” for his country, saying that “France should forget that Algeria was once its colony.”

But the most important steps came with Algeria announcing the start of a gradual break with the French language.

 

Continuous Resistance

Since October 28, 2021, decisions began to end dealing with French in several government sectors amid calls to enhance the position of Arabic as the official language of the country, as well as support the presence of English in education.

The most prominent of these decisions was the issuance of 3 ministries (vocational training, youth and sports, and labor) instructions for ending dealings in French, and the use of Arabic exclusively in all correspondence, reports, minutes of meetings, and documents. As well as circulating information within other ministries confirming, with verbal instructions from the country’s highest authorities, to end dealing in French within other government sectors.

The Algerian lawyer, Adel Bouchentof, saw that Algeria, in its history of struggle, and its continuous quest to get rid of the French colonizer, who colonized our country for 132 years, has lost a lot of its civilizational and cultural balance, and not only lost its resources, interests, and martyrs.

He added to Al-Estiklal that “malignant French colonialism is one of the most dangerous types of colonialism, because it does not only intend to benefit only from the country’s resources, but seeks to annihilate and crush its identity, so it becomes a humble and fallen copy of it.”

He added: “The peoples of those countries are treated as second- and third-class citizens. The Algerian people, known for their valor and dignity above all, have shown great rejection for it.”

He emphasized: “The new Algerian currency carries clear messages to France and the international community. It does not lie in mere intrigue, but in a new Algerian cultural revolution, which has a set of determinants.”

The first is adherence to Arabic as the mother tongue and symbol of the Islamic religion, secondly the English language, as the language of modern science, and the most widespread and important, according to Bouchentof.

He explained: “Therefore, we establish our roots through our Arabic language, and we look to the future, science, and civilized communication through English. Most importantly, we do not follow or submit to a colonial culture that has always killed and harassed the Algerian people.”

He indicated that “studying its crimes and bloody history is a duty for every Algerian citizen, instead of studying the language, which caused us to be late at all levels.”