Algiers, Third World Capital
Freedom Fighters, Revolutionaries, Black Panthers
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A fascinating portrait of life with the Black Panthers in Algiers: a story of liberation and radical politics
Following the Algerian war for independence and the defeat of France in 1962, Algiers became the liberation capital of the Third World. Elaine Mokhtefi, a young American woman immersed in the struggle and working with leaders of the Algerian Revolution, found a home here. A journalist and translator, she lived among guerrillas, revolutionaries, exiles, and visionaries, witnessing historical political formations and present at the filming of The Battle of Algiers.
Mokhtefi crossed paths with some of the era’s brightest stars: Frantz Fanon, Stokely Carmichael, Timothy Leary, Ahmed Ben Bella, Jomo Kenyatta, and Eldridge Cleaver. She was instrumental in the establishment of the International Section of the Black Panther Party in Algiers and close at hand as the group became involved in intrigue, murder, and international hijackings. She traveled with the Panthers and organized Cleaver’s clandestine departure for France. Algiers, Third World Capital is an unforgettable story of an era of passion and promise.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The behind-the-scenes work of post-WWII liberation movements comes to the fore in this gripping memoir from Mokhtefi, an "innocent American" whose 1951 move to Paris after college leads her into an unexpected and awe-inducing life of revolutionary activity in Algeria and beyond. After renting a room in a cheap hotel on the edge of the North African quarter in Paris, Mokhtefi (n e Klein) becomes involved in the Algerian immigrant labor struggle and soon an essential fixture in the Algerian war for independence thanks to her skills as a translator. Algeria's war of liberation from France (1954 1962) changes the course of Mokhtefi's life, rerouting her in 1960 to a New York City office where the "hands and feet" of the Algerian revolution operate, and eventually to Algiers, which becomes a hub of activity for numerous liberation movements. The arrivals of Eldridge Cleaver and several fellow Black Panthers as the party splits triggers a tumultuous period of clandestine activity and international intrigue that concludes with Mokhtefi's 1974 deportation from Algeria. Despite her pivotal role aiding various leftist movements, savvy handling of delicate situations, and connections to world-historical persons, Mokhtefi remains humble throughout, even when describing hobnobbing with singer Miriam Makeba during a Pan-African music festival while trying to convince a drunk Nina Simone to perform. Mokhtefi has never been back to Algeria, but she makes palpable the turmoil and fervor of her experience there while sharing unbelievable stories previously known only to their participants.
