Other characters are the boy Petit Omar, a street urchin who is an FLN messenger; Larbi Ben

M’hidi, a top FLN leader who provides the political rationale for the insurgency; and Djamila,
Zohra, and Hassiba, three FLN women urban guerrillas who carry out a terrorist attack. The
Battle of Algiers also features thousands of Algerian extras. Pontecorvo intended to have
them portray the “Casbah-as-chorus”, communicating with chanting, wailing, and physical
effect.

Beneath A Pile Of Rubble

The poet eulogizes the revolutionary fighter and guerilla leader of Algeria’s National
Liberation Front, Ali la Pointe.

In the first stanza the poet talks about the sufferings he and the people faced by the French
army. Every day they look out for hope and that one day they will be freed from the French
army. A man who died proudly for his country was buried under a pile of rubble. They
wanted to ruin or tear their life’s apart. A fighter who all forgot, Ali La Pointe who with out
any hesitations fought for his country and died at the sight of their guns.

In the second stanza, the poet is referring to a meeting that Ali la pointe along with his
companions had attended with the French officials in order to negotiate the freedom of
Algeria. The poet through the phrase I quote “their blood gorged breath” signifies the horror
of brutality that was being carried out by the French tyrants. In the next couple of lines, the
poet is bringing up the cause for Ali la point to engage with a meeting with the French as he
is there as a voice for all those natives of Algeria who experienced the most darkest hours of
slavery during the French invasion. Then the poet brilliantly puts the horrific cruelties
committed by the invaders in the wake of colonialism as the line reads – “ His face- mirror of
cruelties” so this line suggests that pointe’s face reflects or mirrors the cruelties of the
invaders. As already said he represented the entire Algerian population who had been
suffering under colonialism and his collective voice Demanding or negotiating for freedom
sharpens their urge for freedom and their hope. Here he is again....this lines can be
interpreted in various dimensions. One meaning that can be deduced is that the French
captured the Algerian fighters including our hero Pointe directly from the sight of the rest of
the population which accorded to the shattering of hopes in regard to freedom. The phrase
“wrinkles around our eyes” signifies the period of invasion and the resultant physical, mental
as well as psychological degradation of the natives of Algeria. Further the poet says that the
sole reason behind engaging in a meeting with the French officials was that they were well
aware of the fact that death was stronger than hunger and pointe along with his supporters
wanted to gain freedom at any cost for the sake of the lives of the natives of Algeria. Towards
the end of the second Stanza the poet once again glorifies the sacrifice made Ali la pointe. In
the concluding stanza, the poet also brings up another reason other than colonial invasion
that contributed to the misery faced by the people of Algeria. Since the Algerian society was
class based certain problems also were induced into the society which is described through
the initial lines of the third stanza I quote “yesterday strapped down...incest misery” these
problems also include incest. As generation passed by and when each generation engaged in
a mission to devour their past and when their joy tells the stories of present freedom what
remains in the vanguard is the one and only one name and that is Ali la pointe and his name
is always whispered in silence and through out their life. In the concluding lines of this
poem, Djamal is declaring the greatest reason behind their enjoyment of freedom today and
That is the “Child of the Casbah”. Overpowering and leaving behind the winter of
colonialism, the spring of freedom has destroyed or dismantled the barricades and chains
that deprived the natives of Algeria the freedom of movement into the forbidden garden. And
the forbidden garden signifies the freedom that had been rejected to the Algerians for almost
a hundred and thirty two years.