Amar Benhamouche and Hamid Aftis present the project of their association, Apulivre. It involves a monument in memory of Mohamed Saïl, an important Kabyle anarchist activist. This artistic and political undertaking is part of the internationalist commemoration of the ninetieth anniversary of the Spanish Civil War. ---- Mr. Benhamouche, could you present the project you are leading within the Apulivre association concerning the memorial to Mohamed Saïl, a Kabyle anarchist buried in the Bobigny cemetery?
Amar Benhamouche: This year, the Apulivre association, chaired by Hacene Lefki, will pay tribute to an important anarchist, anti-militarist, and anti-colonial activist: Mohamed Saïl, whose Kabyle name was Mohand Ameziane Saïl, was born in Kabylia in 1894 and died in Bobigny, France, in 1954. Before arriving in France, he had the courage, despite the context of his Kabyle society, which clung to conservative, religious, and archaic values, to transgress the social codes of his time. He was enlightened and audacious, refusing both to submit to the colonial order and to compromise with religious leaders who maintained their hold over the Kabyle population.
Amar Benhamouche (left), a psychologist by training, is the secretary of the Apulivre cultural association. Hamid Aftis (right) is a sculptor and visual artist.
Regarding our association's project, it focuses on the restoration of his tomb, the installation of a bust in his likeness, and the application to name a street in Bobigny after him, a request that has been submitted to the town hall of this municipality in Seine-Saint-Denis. We also plan to dedicate a day to him, with conferences, discussions, and poetry readings centered on his struggle and his work.
What place do you think Saïl holds in the collective Kabyle memory in 2025?
Hamid Aftis: Like all Kabyle figures who have made history, Mohamed Saïl symbolizes the powerful resistance of a territory in constant struggle, generation after generation. Kabylia refused submission to the Romans, the Arabs, the Turks, the French, and today it refuses it to the regime in Algiers. The spirit of Saïl embodies Kabylia. Kabylia is Saïl collectively. Like him, she embodies the values of freedom and solidarity, to which Kropotkin dedicated a chapter in his work *Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution*[1].
A.B.: But what characterizes Saïl, at least within his own generation, is his early awareness of the universality of the revolutionary struggle and the necessity of standing alongside oppressed peoples throughout the world. Moreover, he remained largely unknown in Kabylia for a long time, even to this day. He is better known in France and Spain, primarily due to his involvement in the labor movement and his anti-fascist activities. And then, of course, for his participation in the Spanish Civil War of 1936, within the famous Durruti Column.
He was a man of great worth who deserves not only this tribute, but above all, writings, films, and documentaries to make his work and his struggle more widely known.
The International Durruti Column Group at his funeral (Barcelona, November 23, 1936).
Mr. Aftis, how did you design the Saïl memorial on his grave in Bobigny?
H.A.: The tomb design is quite simple, based primarily on restraint. The bust is based on a period photograph of Saïl, which was partially blurry and reworked and its contrast adjusted. The bust was modeled using 3D software. This allowed us to create the official model that will serve as the final copy. It should be delivered in bronze. Its dimensions are: 70 cm high, 40 cm wide, and 30 cm deep. The final weight should be seven kilograms. It is a simple, effective, and commemorative project.
Do you think that Saïl's life, his internationalist commitment, his migration to France, and his struggles in working-class neighborhoods are still inspiring for the younger generations of the contemporary diaspora?
A.B.: Absolutely, like anyone with a sincere commitment and dedication to a just cause. He has left his mark on several generations, and his ideal of struggle inspires not only his community but also transcends national and cultural boundaries. Saïl is a role model and an ideal of identification. It is significant that his name is still mentioned, even if primarily within small activist circles. His message still resonates, like a powerful ode to insurrection.
However, we must be clear-eyed about contemporary social realities. Today's youth, whether or not they come from immigrant backgrounds, are victims of society's consumerism, happy victims of their misfortune, who see political or union activism as a waste of time and energy.
3D model of the bust of Mohamed Saïl that will be used for his tomb in Bobigny.
Apulivre
H.A.: The Algerian diaspora, and particularly the Kabyle diaspora, recently settled in France, is the product of an Algerian national education system that has exploited ignorance and perpetuated alienation. For those born in France, they live as heirs to this rupture and suffer from a lack of information regarding the history of their country of origin. But the very act of considering paying tribute to him is tangible proof that his struggle still inspires in 2025 and, we hope, that it still speaks across time, toward the future.
In these troubled times of rising international fascism, this project resonates as a desire to dismantle all the political stereotypes perpetuated in the media about African communities and anarchist activists. Was that your intention from the outset?
A.B.: Historical truth transcends these political stereotypes and any reactionary ideology. No one can silence political expression. But if we focus solely on the Kabyle context, which I know best, we can say that the very essence of the Algerian national movement during the 1920s was initiated by trade unionists, workers, and politicians who were very active in the French trade union and political movement.
Having arrived in France in large numbers very early on, leaving behind a mountainous Kabylia that offered few job opportunities, the Kabyle diaspora was able to take advantage of a favorable social climate to integrate into French trade unions and political organizations. As a corollary, an anti-colonial political consciousness emerged, one that would propose the project of a future independent, pluralistic, and democratic Algerian state. Our political spheres have long been interdependent. They nourish each other.
Mohamed Saïl (1894-1953), anarchist and anarcho-syndicalist activist, in 1936 in Spain (front row, center) with members of the International Group of the Durruti Column.
DR
H. A.: The same was true for a brilliant intellectual class of writers and journalists of the time, including, among others: Jean Amrouche, Taos Amrouche, Kateb Yacine, Mohamed Dib, Malek Ouary, Mouloud Mammeri, and Mouloud Feraoun. Through their literature and reflections, they left their mark on the history of their people and were highly influential and respected in major French and international literary and intellectual circles. We humbly place ourselves in the internationalist tradition of these intellectuals who knew how to transcend particularisms and communalism to understand the world.
A.B.: Our association, created and launched by members from Kabylia, has set itself the mission today of overcoming the stereotypes that pollute the media of our time and of building bridges of fraternity and mutual respect between the peoples of the world. The tribute that will be paid to Spain and the 90th anniversary of the anti-Franco revolution is just one example. Mohamed Saïl will be honored in April 2026, in all his historical complexity-Kabyle, French, and Spanish.
This year, 2026, commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War. What light does this pivotal moment in European anarchism shed on our political reality?
A.B.: This is why history should be read, studied, learned, and understood by the peoples of the world, to prevent the risk of repeating the mistakes of the past. The Spanish Revolution, despite the collateral damage and regrettable loss of life, was a true history lesson.
On the one hand, it showed us the will of a people driven by an unwavering and ardent desire to flourish and break free from the monarchy and the military dictatorship. The democratic spirit, which swept through the Spanish masses, succeeded in triumphing, even if only for a short time.
But the primacy of political interests and the fear of the true power of the people hampered this revolutionary momentum, whether through internal forces in Spain or external forces in Europe, thus leaving the door open for Franco and his European fascist allies, who brutally crushed and repressed the Spanish people. Spain was subsequently, as is well known, plunged into the Francoist military dictatorship until the end of the 1970s.
Mohamed Saïl returns wounded from the Spanish Civil War and sentenced to 18 months in prison, article from International Antifascist Solidarity (SIA), December 22, 1938. ---- SIA
H.A.: Today, the peoples of Europe and the world should learn from this suppressed revolutionary and democratic experience to avoid wars and conflicts that only benefit politicians and their parties; purveyors of illusions who serve only their own interests.
"Civilization! Civilization! What does this word mean? The history of all colonizations will undoubtedly teach us: it boils down to intensive servitude; theft, piracy, and rape always accompany it![...]All of this is taught and imposed on the vanquished colonials. The subjugated natives are children, grown-up children who lived freely and simply, with their traditions. The soldier arrives: he holds the power, he defines the law, he also dedicates all truths." This is how Saïl wrote in his political pamphlet, Civilization! What is your perspective on his anti-colonial thought today?
A.B.: The history of humanity is a perpetual struggle between the dominant and the dominated. Every period in history has witnessed the rise or persistence of some form of discrimination, exploitation, and violence. Since the Neolithic Revolution, humankind has sought to conquer territories and impose its supremacy over nature, animals, and its fellow humans. The logic of domination is in constant flux, manifesting itself only in different forms depending on the historical and geographical context.
The 20th century saw a new world order and the emergence of independence movements that gave birth to new independent states. And today, peoples are still fighting for their independence and emancipation. Unfortunately, the world order is only equitable when it serves the interests of the world's leading powers.
Saïl is the voice of all free men and women who fight against colonialism and the subjugation of peoples. We (Saïl's heirs and friends) represent subversive radicalism. He was also the voice of his native Kabylia, ostracized and victimized by an oppressive Algerian regime that, even today, imprisons innocent people, silences free speech, and forces activists and intellectuals into exile, as is our case.
Do you have other artistic and political projects planned for 2026, the year dedicated to commemorating the Spanish Civil War?
A.B.: For 2026, the Apulivre association plans to pay tribute to Mujeres Libres[2]on Saturday, March 7, 2026, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. A tribute to Saïl will take place at the end of April 2026. A meeting in May or June will present exiled Spanish artists. And we will conclude this activist and artistic journey with the fifth edition of the La Tour Poétique poetry festival in September 2026, which will pay tribute to Spanish poetry through the feminist poet Lucia Sanchez Saornil. For more information, you can visit our association Apulivre's page[3], where we regularly post about our events and cultural activities.
Interview by a UCL supporter
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[1]Pierre Korpotkine (1842-1921), an important theorist of anarcho-communism, wrote Mutual Aid, a Factor of Evolution in 1902.
[2]The Mujeres Libres (Free Women) were a women-only organization active during the Spanish Civil War and the Spanish Revolution.
[3]"Association Apulivre" on Facebook.
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Amar-Benhamouche-et-Hamid-Aftis-Apulivre-Mohamed-Sail-symbolise-l-insoumission
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Link: (en) France, UCL AL #367 - History - Amar Benhamouche and Hamid Aftis (Apulivre): "Mohamed Saïl symbolizes the defiance of a territory in perpetual struggle" (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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