The Boufarik colonization monument was a monument celebrating French colonization in

Boufarik Boufarik is a town in Blida Province, Algeria, approximately 30 km from Algiers. In 2008, its population was 57,162.popul ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. It was erected in 1930 and demolished in 1962.

History

The monument was erected in 1930 to mark the 100th anniversary of the French

Invasion of Algiers in 1830 The invasion of Algiers in 1830 was a large-scale military operation by which the Kingdom of France, ruled by Charles X, invaded and conquered the Deylik of Algiers. Algiers was annexed by the Ottoman Empire in 1529 after the capture of Algie ...

. Boufarik was chosen as its site because of its location at the heart of the fertile

Mitidja Mitidja, (Arabic: , Berber: Mettijet ⵎⴻⵜⵙⵉⵛⵝ) is a plain stretching along the outskirts of Algiers in northern Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , ...

plain, following a narrative according to which the region prosperous agriculture demonstrated the value of the colonization project. The monument was designed by sculptors

Henri Bouchard Henri Bouchard (13 December 1875 – 30 November 1960), was a French sculptor. His work was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1924 Summer Olympics. Biography The son of a carpenter, Bouchard was born in Dijon. He w ...

and with architect Xavier Salvador, in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style that was dominant at the time. On , their project won the design competition organized by the that coordinated the centenary celebrations. It took the shape of a massive wall, 9 meters high and 45 meters wide, at the western end of Boufarik's main thoroughfare, now N61 road, whose eastern end was (and still is) the town's central church. On the wall stood an inscription in colossal capital letters, " edicatedto the French colonizing genius" (french: au génie colonisateur français), with a text in smaller letters beneath that read "to the heroes, to the pioneers of civilization, to the makers of greater France" (french: aux héros, aux pionniers de la civilisation, aux réalisateurs de la plus grande France). At the center stood a group of standing larger-than-life figures in high relief, representing military leaders

Thomas Robert Bugeaud Thomas Robert Bugeaud, marquis de la Piconnerie, duc d'Isly (15 October 178410 June 1849) was a Marshal of France and Governor-General of Algeria. Early life He was born at Limoges, a member of a noble family of Périgord (Occitania), the y ...

and

Louis Juchault de Lamoricière Christophe Léon Louis Juchault de Lamoricière (5 September 1806 – 11 September 1865) was a French general. Early life Juchault de Lamoricière was born in Nantes. He studied at the École Polytechnique and the École d'Application. Servi ...

; leading figures of the Mitidja colonization endeavor such as Pierre-Martin Borély de La Sapie, Maurice de Franclieu, Maximilien de Tonnac, Augustin de Vialar; and local pro-French leader Hadj Allal ben-Bouzéid ben Chaoua. Below them was a bas-relief frieze representing scenes from the rural life of the Mitidja. The monument was inaugurated on by French President

Gaston Doumergue Pierre Paul Henri Gaston Doumergue (; 1 August 1863 in Aigues-Vives, Gard18 June 1937 in Aigues-Vives) was a French politician of the Third Republic. He served as President of France from 13 June 1924 to 13 June 1931. Biography Doumergue cam ...

, with numerous notables including

Louis Franchet d'Espèrey Louis Félix Marie François Franchet d'Espèrey (25 May 1856 – 8 July 1942) was a French general during World War I. As commander of the large Allied army based at Salonika, he conducted the successful Macedonian campaign, which caused t ...

attending. It was entirely demolished in July 1962 following Algerian independence at the end of the Algerian War.

Notes

French Algeria Art Deco sculptures and memorials French colonisation in Africa {{sculpture-stub

History

See also

Notes