The Sand Filterers
1 The sand filterers Majnoun, the passionate lover of Leila, wandering in the desert, was seen one day filtering sand in his hands. “What are you looking for?” He was asked. “I am looking for Leila.” “How can you expect to find such a pure pearl like Leila in this dust?” “I look for Leila everywhere”, replied Majnoun, “hoping to find her one day, somewhere.” Farid Eddin Attar, as reported by Emile Dermenghem, Spiritual Masters’ Collection. 2 Introduction Whatever judgment passed in the future on Mostefa Ben Boulaid, Bachir Chihani or Adjel Adjoul, a place in the mythical Algerian revolution will be devoted to them. Many controversies will arise concerning the nature of this place. As for me, I only hope to be faithful to their truth. To achieve this, I think time has come to unveil the history of the Aures- Nememcha insurrection and rid it of its slag, reaching deep in its genuine reality which makes it fascinating. The events told here go from November 1st, 1954 to June 1959. They depict rather normal facts, sometimes mean, often grandiose, and men who discover their humanity and whose everyday life in the bush is scrutinized as if by a scanner. As it is known, it is not easy to revive part of contemporary History, particularly the one concerning the Aures Nememcha insurrection of November 1954. I have started gleaning testimonies in 1969, leaving aside those dealing with propaganda or exonerating partiality. I have confronted facts and witnesses, through an unyielding search for truth, bearing in mind that each witness, consciously or not, is victim of his own implication.
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