Latest news with #postcolonial
France 24
6 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88
Ibrahim "passed away today, leaving behind an immortal literary and humanitarian legacy," Culture Minister Ahmed Fouad Hanno said in a tribute, calling the writer a "pillar of modern Arabic literature". Born in Cairo in 1937, Ibrahim was famed around the Arab world as a chronicler of social injustice, known for his sparse, documentary-style prose and his fierce independence. His writings -- which blurred the line between the personal and the political -- captured the struggles of the Arab world in the postcolonial era, particularly those of his native Egypt. Arguably his most famous novel, "Zaat" (1992), tells the story of Egypt's modern history -- from the overthrow of the monarchy in 1952 to the neoliberalism of the 1990s under president Hosni Mubarak -- through the eyes of an ordinary, middle-class woman. It was adapted into a prime-time television series in 2013, bringing Ibrahim's scathing portrayal of power to a new generation of Egyptians in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprising that ousted Mubarak. A dissident through and through, Ibrahim was first jailed for his leftist politics in 1959, under then president Gamal Abdel Nasser. His five years in prison would form the basis for his debut 1966 novel, "That Smell", which was initially banned. Ibrahim's renown later saw many of his works translated into English and French. In 2003, he refused to accept a prestigious literary prize from the Mubarak government charging that it "oppresses our people, protects corruption and allows the Israeli ambassador to remain while Israel kills and rapes". The last was a reference to alleged Israeli abuses in the occupied territories during the second Palestinian intifada or uprising. Among Ibrahim's most celebrated works are "The Committee" (1981), a Kafkaesque allegory of bureaucracy and surveillance, and "Stealth" (2007), a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood during World War II. Generations of Arab writers found inspiration in his minimalist style, heavy with irony and rooted in everyday life.
Telegraph
12-08-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
We should still read VS Naipaul, even if he was racist
Civil wars among Nobelists aren't unusual, but what struck me about Abdulrazak Gurnah's verdict on VS Naipaul was its dismissiveness: 'I can't read him anymore.' To be sure, there is no denying the ghastliness of some of the latter laureate's politics, and indeed his unedifying personal conduct. Naipaul was abusive to his wife, serially unfaithful, and disdainful of friends and acquaintances. Yet it would be churlish to wholly dismiss the man who held a caustic mirror to the postcolonial world. Naipaul's letters suggest he was acutely aware of his un-PC prejudices – but still remained unrepentant. Much of his disdain for black people, one suspects, stemmed from the gradual transfer of power from white and brown into black hands in his native Trinidad. 'The noble ni***r is really a damned nasty ni***r,' he wrote to his wife in 1956, alarmed at the global sympathy for black nationalism. Later in life, his biographer Patrick French slyly quipped, 'the only Blacks he associated with were Conrad and Barbara.' But Naipaul, that enfant terrible of postwar letters, did not merely punch down; he punched everywhere. His pitiless gaze spared no one: not the postcolonial elites of Trinidad nor the ruling class of India, the land of his forebears. All were skewered with withering prose. There is no moral comfort to be found in Naipaul's fiction or travel writing. In a clutch of early novels, A Bend in the River and In a Free State among them, he dissected the disappointments of decolonisation – often cruelly but with unmatched precision. His India trilogy, particularly India: A Million Mutinies Now, forsook romanticism for a granular, disillusioned portrait of a society crippled by kleptocratic elites and riven by religious and caste prejudice. He chronicled, with a clinical and sometimes gleeful disdain, the stagnation that followed the high hopes of mid-century Third Worldism. No self-respecting nationalist could refute the maladies he so coldly diagnosed: entrenched clientelism, military repression, persistent poverty, pervasive cynicism. A child of the Enlightenment, Naipaul treated no society with kiddie gloves. Deriding what he called 'multi-culti,' he rejected the bromides of liberal multiculturalism. There was little warmth in his world, and certainly no humour – and these are the real defects of his oeuvre. Yet it is that unsentimental lens that also contributed to Naipaul's achievement. His curmudgeonly worldview, while unforgivable in life, supplied on the page a sharp clarity. Perhaps, then, the only way to read Naipaul today is with qualified, even begrudging admiration. To acknowledge his flaws – personal, political, moral – is not to absolve them. But to ignore his work altogether is to pass over one of the more incisive chroniclers of the postcolonial condition.
France 24
07-08-2025
- Politics
- France 24
Macron urges tougher line in standoff with Algeria
Tensions have grown in recent months to new levels between Paris and Algiers, with Macron's hopes of the historic post-colonial reconciliation that he espoused at the start of his presidency now appearing a distant dream. Algeria is holding in prison French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal and also the prominent French football journalist Christophe Gleizes, while Paris has accused pro-Algiers influencers of inciting hatred inside France. "France must be strong and command respect," Macron said in a letter to Prime Minister Francois Bayrou published by the daily newspaper Le Figaro online late Wednesday and in its print edition Thursday. "It can only obtain this from its partners if it itself shows them the respect it demands. This basic rule also applies to Algeria," he writes. Among the measures requested from the government, Macron called for the "formal" suspension of the 2013 agreement with Algiers "concerning visa exemptions for official and diplomatic passports." Macron also asked the government to "immediately" use a provision in a 2024 immigration law, which allows the refusal of short-stay visas to holders of service and diplomatic passports, as well as long-stay visas to all types of applicants. To prevent Algerian diplomats from being able to travel to France via a third country, France will ask its EU partners in the Schengen free travel space to cooperate. Macron pointed in the letter to the cases of Sansal, sentenced to five years in prison for "undermining national unity," and Gleizes, sentenced to seven years in prison in Algeria for "apology for terrorism." Supporters of both men say they are entirely innocent and victims of the current political tensions. But Macron insisted that his "objective remains to restore effective and ambitious relations with Algeria." Macron angered Algiers in July 2024 when he backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front. Meanwhile, atrocities committed by both sides during the 1954-1962 Algerian war of independence have long strained relations -- even half a century later. Upping tensions further, Algerian consulates in France have suspended cooperation with French government services on returning Algerians deemed dangerous back to Algeria after being ordered to leave by Paris. The French government fears that it will have to release Algerian nationals currently detained in detention centres due to the inability to keep them there indefinitely. jmt-bpa-Dt-sjw/jh/giv © 2025 AFP
Arab News
07-08-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Macron urges tougher line in standoff with Algeria
PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron urged a tougher line from Paris in an intensifying standoff with former north African colony Algeria, saying France's stance needed to 'command respect.' Tensions have grown in recent months to new levels between Paris and Algiers, with Macron's hopes of the historic post-colonial reconciliation that he espoused at the start of his presidency now appearing a distant dream. Algeria is holding in prison French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal and also the prominent French football journalist Christophe Gleizes, while Paris has accused pro-Algiers influencers of inciting hatred inside France. 'France must be strong and command respect,' Macron said in a letter to Prime Minister Francois Bayrou published by the daily newspaper Le Figaro online late Wednesday and in its print edition Thursday. 'It can only obtain this from its partners if it itself shows them the respect it demands. This basic rule also applies to Algeria,' he writes. Among the measures requested from the government, Macron called for the 'formal' suspension of the 2013 agreement with Algiers 'concerning visa exemptions for official and diplomatic passports.' Macron also asked the government to 'immediately' use a provision in a 2024 immigration law, which allows the refusal of short-stay visas to holders of service and diplomatic passports, as well as long-stay visas to all types of applicants. To prevent Algerian diplomats from being able to travel to France via a third country, France will ask its EU partners in the Schengen free travel space to cooperate. Macron pointed in the letter to the cases of Sansal, sentenced to five years in prison for 'undermining national unity,' and Gleizes, sentenced to seven years in prison in Algeria for 'apology for terrorism.' Supporters of both men say they are entirely innocent and victims of the current political tensions. But Macron insisted that his 'objective remains to restore effective and ambitious relations with Algeria.' Macron angered Algiers in July 2024 when he backed Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria supports the pro-independence Polisario Front. Meanwhile, atrocities committed by both sides during the 1954-1962 Algerian war of independence have long strained relations — even half a century later. Upping tensions further, Algerian consulates in France have suspended cooperation with French government services on returning Algerians deemed dangerous back to Algeria after being ordered to leave by Paris. The French government fears that it will have to release Algerian nationals currently detained in detention centers due to the inability to keep them there indefinitely.
Russia Today
03-06-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Fair trade is critical for Africa
Fair trade is essential for Africa's future, according to Irada Zeynalova, Russia's ambassador to Mauritius. She stressed that African nations must be empowered to build self-reliant economies instead of remaining dependent on foreign aid. In an interview with local weekly Bizweek on Sunday, Zeynalova stated that 'fair trade is critical,' as Africans should have the freedom to shape their own development, free from the constraints of post-colonial economic patterns. Reflecting on Africa's historical challenges, the ambassador said the legacy of colonialism continues to cast a shadow across the continent, adding that colonial rule stripped Africa of its people and natural wealth, and that today's generation deserves a chance at a better, sovereign life. 'The time of colonialism must end,' she went on to say. Zeynalova noted that poverty in Africa is not merely financial but deeply rooted in the lack of access to essential services such as education, clean water, and healthcare. Drawing on her experience in Sudan, where her son worked prior to the outbreak of conflict, she said sanctions crippled the agricultural sector despite the presence of the Nile, adding that 'People there survive on $2 a week.' People in Sudan, according to Zeynalova, have a clear demand: 'Leave us alone. Give us safety, medicine, education. We can develop our country ourselves.' The ambassador pointed to the role of the BRICS group as a platform for empowering the Global South. Unlike Western-led alliances such as NATO or the EU, BRICS promotes inclusivity and mutual respect without imposing strict conditions on its members. She characterized the group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, among other nations, as 'an open platform where countries are equal and respected.' Zeynalova also stressed that Russia has always viewed African nations as valuable partners rather than countries to exploit. Turning to Mauritius, the ambassador affirmed Russia's enduring commitment to the island nation's sovereignty and independence. 'Russia was one of the first countries to recognize Mauritius' independence and freedom,' she said, adding, 'In Russia, we remember everything.'
