Unlike Fantasia and a Dying Colonialism, which are based on real accounts given to the reporters that were there at the time of the battle. Beneath the Sky of Porphyry is a fictional piece based off of real events that during the War of Liberation in Algeria. The book takes place between the years of 1954 and 1974. Similar to the previous books mentioned the war of independence where the Algerian people wanted to free themselves from their French colonizers and pave their own path after so many years of oppression. The natives were sick and tired of not feeling that the lands of Algeria were not their own.
It’s as if they never felt the connection to the land, they are just living there. The push from the revolution gave the people the chance to rise up and free themselves from this injustice that they have been so wrongly imprisoned. The main character, Ali, belongs to the Brothers organization that were a big part of the conflicts and brings to light the thousands of lives that were taken in order for the future generations to have a chance at freedom. Much of what he understands as true, he learned from his father about people really thought about them as a person and their culture.
As a child, he began to understand the world around him was changing and would put him in a position that would lead him down a path of tragedy. Taking a glimpse inside of Ali’s diary provided a strong sense of the trials and tribulation that many Algerians had to endure during this time span. “There is always a moment in our childhood when the door opens and lets in the future… ” However, this quote is the exact opposite for Ali and the other Arabic child that he grew up with. This was the type of future that Ali’s father was preparing him for. The outside world is harsh and unpredictable.
Unlike the other kids in his, class Ali had to work hard to get where he wanted and even then it was not always his choice. After the death of both his parents, he began to spiral out of control and began his long journey towards seeking justice out of the harsh world he had been living in. “I am going in search of freedom and to defend a certain idea of honor… From that moment, I had only one aim, to devote my life to a worthwhile struggle. ” At first, Ali was unsure of how he was going to accomplish his goals, but he knew deep in his heart that this is what he was meant to do.
When he first joined up with the Brothers, Ali was ready to take on some action. He was ready to express the anger he felt against the enemy for the death of his father. Like many young Arabs during, this time, they felt a strong need to take part in a movement and push out the enemy from their homeland. But most of the men thought that Ali was too young and inexperienced to take part in a serious mission. Until one man stepped forward, Tahar, saw something in Ali that the others had missed. The first mission that Ali went on changed his meaning of life and felt that he was actually contributing to a cause.
Also throughout the book we see a young brash boy grow up into a man that has a wide perception of his surroundings. Ali becomes a very important member of the cause and changes into the man he never thought he could be. Starting off as a small child with a dream to change his world to actually making it there has shown Ali that the French can be moved. Even though most of this book is fictional, it does an excellent job depicting the event in a way that anyone reading the book could feel as though they are in the very shoes of those that lived through it.
Through Monsieur Kimper, Beneath a Sky of Porphyry enhances the realistic side to the cause. This man is seen as someone who does not have to do anything but chooses to risk everything for justice. Ali and the other are in the same boat, they combine their common goal for what they seek, justice. They wish for an end to this war, in hopes that the outcome will be for the betterment of their country and future generations will not be plagued by war or racism. They fought so that their children would no longer feel that they are in danger or have to fear about an oncoming attack, “He glimpsed a new horizon full of promise…
He realized that everyone involved in the struggle was already training for the future, according to their vocation” Each of the men in the cause contributed in their own way, and they reach a common goal for justice. Many innocents on both sides had died because they had the misfortune to get caught up in this war, The author of Beneath a Sky of Porphyry oped that this would draw attention to the war in Algeria in hopes that something like this would never happen again.
In the cinematic analysis that preceded over the Algerian struggle for their independence from France exposed the ambiguous nature of Western imperialism in an effort to combat the resistance and terrorism that followed. Judging by how the filmmakers oriented the visuals throughout the movie, it was clear that they depicted the French as having some sort of counterinsurgency tactic such as torture that might have won them the Battle of Algiers, but it unexpectedly backfired on them causing the French to be unable to maintain their control over Algeria .
Pontecorvo’s film focused on the anti-imperialistic resistance that occurred during the Algerian Revolution. The Battle of Algiers wanted to portray the struggle that the National Liberation Front or the FLN had to endure during their fight for independence and free the people from their oppression. A goal for the film was to present the FLN as freedom fighters that resorted to terroristic attacks as a last resort in order to combat the French colonizers.
As preparation for the masses and to get them ready for the struggle the French, the FLN began a program to that would start to eat away at the French. They began clear the out the accumulation of drugs and prostitution, that the French had encouraged and tolerated. Following this campaign, the FLN also resorted to assassinating French police officers that they found roaming the streets If they were going to take back their city they were going to need to start somewhere and taking out the local authority was going to get their attention that this was a real resistance.
However, not much animosity was aimed towards the French citizens. As a countermeasure, the French placed bombs in the Casbah, indiscriminately taking with them Algerian families that were sleeping. This in turn anger the FLN and in retaliation sent three women dressed in European clothing to three separate locations that were frequented by young people. Another retaliation was enacted by the French and eventually the FLN leadership in Algeria had diminished.
This movie was not meant to show that both sides had the means to confront one another, but to expose the roots of anti-colonial violence and the wars of national liberation. The people of Algeria were tired of being pushed around by their colonizers and ready for a change. As the Algerian revolution raged on, it became apparent that this was more than just being about the freedom of the people, but their entire livelihoods were at stake. If they did not fight back then there would be no compromises and oppression would continue on for another generation. It takes a nation united to overcome any obstacle.
