ALGIERS-The Minister of Mujahedeen and Rights holders, Laid Rebiga called on Algerian youth to make their own the Message of 1 st November Revolution bequeathed by the Shouhadas (martyrs) and Mujahedeen (veterans), and to ensure its continuity and transmission to future generations.

In an interview with APS on the eve of the commemorative celebrations of the 60 th anniversary of Independence, Rebiga said that Algeria "experiences a succession of major events marked by the festivities commemorating independence and our liberation from colonialism.”

“These festivities are part of a special symbolism that the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune would like to promote to the height of the sacrifices of the Algerian people. Therefore, our youth are urged today to ensure the continuity of the oath of the shouhada and mujahedeen,” continued the minister.

He said that "the high authorities of the country, led by President Tebboune, seek to give a special symbolism to the commemorative celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Independence, to preserve the Message of the shouhada and mujahedeen among successive generations.

"The historical responsibility of the Algerian youth, who represent the majority of society, consists in ensuring the commitment of future generations to the values and principles of their forefathers and the sacrifices they made," he stated.

The minister stressed that "the program of festivities of this glorious anniversary has been developed and decided upon instructions from the President of the Republic so that young people attend and enjoy the celebration of this glorious date with pride and dignity.”

A digital platform on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Independence

As part of the promotion of national memory and the writing of history and its teaching to younger generations, Rebiga said that his department had developed "an important project on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Independence.”

“This initiative has been undertaken by a committee under the supervision of the Prime Minister who personally ensures its success as it reflects the reality of Algeria,” affirmed the minister.

The content of this platform to be launched on July 5 fits perfectly with the slogan adopted for the celebration of the anniversary of Algeria's independence (A glorious history and a new era), he said.

The first part (A glorious history) highlights "the depth of Algerian civilization from the prehistoric period until today, as well as the military history of Algeria, its culture, its arts and everything that concerns this great country.

As for the second component, "A new era," it focuses on "the achievements of all ministerial sectors during the 60 years of independence, in addition to the monitoring of all activities related to these sectors that support the implementation of the programs outlined for the celebrations of the 60th anniversary for one year," he said.

The minister said it was possible to access the platform's content that highlight the history of Algeria and the struggles of its people through 132 years of colonialism via new information and communication technologies.

He referred, in this regard, to the approaches aimed at "documenting national memory and referencing its various events through the achievement of a qualitative leap in the exploitation of direct testimony on the liberation war, being a living historical source and an academic and scientific reference," he said.

"it is necessary to give a scientific character to these testimonies, which amount to more than 36,000 testimonies, and to classify them according to scientific mechanisms to be stored and then used by historians via a digital platform," added Rebiga.

The minister also expressed his sector's commitment to " to develop a historical discourse derived from the national historical school ." "Efforts were focused on the correction of historical concepts that some seek to distort, and this, by ensuring the foundations of a national school in history, he said.

"It is time to set things straight and entrust the writing of history to specialists," he said, reporting, in this respect, "a special research project that defines the concepts and readjusts the terminology used in the writing of history.