(It's better to hear a truth that hurts than a lie that pleases).
Mohand Talanana has just started his PhD in the Computational Material Science group, Faculty of Applied Physics. He is a very open and talkative guy and as far as known the only Algerian on campus. He experienced living abroad before coming here because he spent the last two years studying in France in a collaboration project between the University of Kabylia, his native county, and the University of Strasbourg. However, for Mohand, only the geographical distance between Algeria and France was big but not the distance between educational systems. 'Algeria was a French colony until the War of Independence in 1962,' Mohand explains, 'The official language nowadays is Arabian but the language of education remains French. At every step in the educational system you could consider yourself to be in France. Even the marking is from 1 to 20 as in France. The entire structure of university education is based on the old French system.' Mohand felt at home in France. There were many Algerians but that was not the only fact that made things easier. He loved the cosmopolitan French style. The food, the working manner, the way of approaching problems reminded him of his native country.
'I am not speaking only about French people but all the people I met in France were very friendly and hearty. The whole University was one witty and open society, even with the mosaic of nations present. The way in which we are taught to behave and react, to learn and work in my country is very similar to the French way.'
In Algeria Arabians and Berbers live together as the two main populations. They neither fight nor interact. Mohand stresses: 'I am Berber and I do not like it when people call me Arabian. There are a lot of differences between us, starting from the big ones like language and traditions and ending with the way we dress. Nobody knows which is the dominant population in Algeria and the government keeps this ambiguity and never organises a census.'
Mohand takes a picture of a nice girl out of his pocket, his fiancé. 'She is Berber as well. Seldom will you see a marriage between an Arabian and a Berber. They prefer to live in distinct communities.'
For me it was February the 27th 2001 when we had this talk but Mohand corrected me gently. 'For my people, today is 15 Furar 2951', he said watching his wristwatch, 'We started to count the years from the victory day of the battle between the ancient Numidian Berbers and the Egyptian Pharaohs'.
.aut Andreea Merticaru
mohand talanana
