Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune issued a new decree on Saturday, reinstating a portion of the Algerian national anthem which–when originally composed–featured an unfavorable reference to France, thus helping to re-energize the historical toxicity of politics between the two states.
The decree by Algerian President Tebboune stated, “The official anthem should be performed in its entirety on political and military occasions that warrant it, such as commemorating official events attended by the President of the Republic.”
The passage that included France had previously been deleted from the anthem to avoid political awkwardness.
The segment in question promises a direct threat of revenge against France following the extensive period of colonization (1830-1962).
The Algerian national anthem—lyrics of which were composed by Algerian poet Moufdi Zakaria during his captivity in the 1950s, along with the melody contributed by Egyptian musician Mohamed Fawzi–is the only one in the world to reference another country.
The Algerian national anthem–with regard to the last official decree occurring in 1986–did not at that time stress the above-referenced controversial fifth passage, thus clearing the way for its removal from the original version. The passage was officially removed from textbooks in 2007.