Béni-oui-oui was a

derogatory term A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...

for Muslims considered to be collaborators with the French colonial institutions in North Africa during the period of French rule. French administrators in

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

relied heavily on Muslim intermediaries in their dealings with the indigenous population and many of these '' cadis'' (local judges), tax collectors or other tribal authorities were considered by nationalists to be mere

rubber stamps A rubber stamp is an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraving, laser engraved or Vulcanization, vulcanized onto a sheet of rubber. Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or ...

and incapable of independent initiative. The word is derived from "'' beni''", the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

term for "sons of", e.g. used to name tribes in Arabic, and "''oui''", the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Nor ...

term for "yes". It means "the tribe of the yes-men", a group of persons who systematically give their unanimous approval when asked for. An explanation given in the ''Bulletin de la Société d'anthropologie de Paris'' in 1893 is that some "natives" systematically answered "oui, oui" (yes, yes) when a colonial administrator asked them any question. The word was already in use by 1888–1889 in

Metropolitan France Metropolitan France (french: France métropolitaine or ''la Métropole''), also known as European France (french: Territoire européen de la France) is the area of France which is geographically in Europe. This collective name for the European ...

(used to label some members of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

) and Algeria and in 1919 in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beni-Oui-Oui Political slurs for people French colonisation in Africa Resistance to the French colonial empire

See also

References