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07/09/2005:

"France: Recasting Colonialism As a Good Thing"

France and other European countries are claiming, either officially or through historians, that colonialism was a positive thing.

In a law passed on Feb. 23, the French parliament, dominated by President Jacques Chirac's right-leaning Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), demanded that teachers at schools all over the country and textbooks emphasise "the positive role (played by) France overseas, especially in the Maghreb region" in North Africa.

This move sparked debate among French historians, politicians, teachers, and representatives of former colonies, especially Algeria.

At first, the Algerian government considered calling a special joint session of the two chambers of parliament to discuss the issue and formulate a response to the French claims.

But President Abdelaziz Bouteflika decided against the special session. Instead, the two chambers will review the issue separately and adopt a resolution condemning "the crimes of colonisation."

While this official reaction comes against a backdrop of Algerian efforts to normalise relations with the former colonial power and a plan to sign a special co-operation agreement with Paris, Algeria's response to France's attempt to rewrite history shows that the wounds provoked by colonialism in the Maghreb are still sore.
Full:allafrica.com

As can be seen by the responses to the London bombings, with raw power comes the presumption of the right to tell the story.