France will spotlight the issue of self-determination for Kabylia (MAK) by featuring Ferhat Mehenni, the exiled leader of the Movement for Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK) and President of the Kabyle Government in Exile, at the 36th Paris Book Festival on October 25-26 in Brittany, according to media reports.
According to a statement by the festival’s organizers, the festival in Carhaix will focus on the Kabyle region and feature Mehenni as a writer, poet, composer, and peaceful activist, as well as the leader of the Kabylia independence movement and the Kabyle government in exile in Paris.
Despite the movement’s pacifist philosophy, Algeria classified the MAK as a “terrorist” organization in 2021 under the notorious Article 87 bis, a designation the US rejected as “political” in 2022.
France recognizes MAK’s activities as peaceful and lawful and hosts the Kabyle government in exile on its soil.
The festival will provide an opportunity for intellectuals and writers from around the world to discuss Kabyle’s identity and culture. The organizers highlighted that Mehenni will be honored not only as a political leader but also as an artist and thinker who has significantly contributed to preserving and promoting Kabyle language, culture, and history.
The book fair will shine a light on issues of freedom of expression and human rights, especially in light of the current political climate in Algeria and the repression of intellectuals and dissidents such as free thinker and French dual citizen Boualem Sansal who was arrested in Algiers in December allegedly for his connection with MAK.
Discussions will highlight the struggles of the Kabyle people and their longstanding struggle for cultural and political recognition.
The announcement coincided with the celebration of the Amazigh New Year. During a press conference, Mehenni condemned the imprisonment of French-Algerian writer Sansal by Algerian authorities, criticizing Algeria’s suppression of free expression.
In solidarity, the festival’s organizers launched a Brittany-region initiative calling for the immediate release of Sansal and all prisoners of conscience in Algeria.
The organizers described Mehenni’s invitation as a recognition of his role in the cultural and humanitarian struggle