The deceptive absence of Arabic in Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie
Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie (2003) is one of a number of films that mark as well as chronicle the turn of a new leaf in Algeria. It was shot in Algiers at the onset of the twenty-first century, when the previous decade’s civil war meant that images of Algeria on screen had become associated with...
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| Language: | English |
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Liverpool University Press
2019-06-01
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| Series: | Francosphères |
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| Online Access: | http://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/franc.2019.5 |
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| author | Ziad Bentahar |
| author_facet | Ziad Bentahar |
| author_sort | Ziad Bentahar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie (2003) is one of a number of films that mark as well as chronicle the turn of a new leaf in Algeria. It was shot in Algiers at the onset of the twenty-first century, when the previous decade’s civil war meant that images of Algeria on screen had become associated with news of violence rather than movies. As the characters in Viva Laldjérie confront the trauma of war and their personal losses, they speak almost exclusively in French. Arabic remains conspicuously absent except for three specific instances during the film. Outside of these three instances, only a few words are perceived in the background. The circumstances of each use of Arabic indicate an evolution in the characters’ relationships with their pain and suffering following the shock of the war. French, in this context of Algerian civil war, becomes a language that allows a form of detachment from one’s own country for Algerians facing violence. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cfcb28561db8454e984da45d4bc38552 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2046-3820 2046-3839 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-06-01 |
| publisher | Liverpool University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Francosphères |
| spelling | doaj-art-cfcb28561db8454e984da45d4bc385522025-08-20T02:12:07ZengLiverpool University PressFrancosphères2046-38202046-38392019-06-0181738310.3828/franc.2019.5The deceptive absence of Arabic in Nadir Moknèche’s Viva LaldjérieZiad Bentahar0Towson UniversityNadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie (2003) is one of a number of films that mark as well as chronicle the turn of a new leaf in Algeria. It was shot in Algiers at the onset of the twenty-first century, when the previous decade’s civil war meant that images of Algeria on screen had become associated with news of violence rather than movies. As the characters in Viva Laldjérie confront the trauma of war and their personal losses, they speak almost exclusively in French. Arabic remains conspicuously absent except for three specific instances during the film. Outside of these three instances, only a few words are perceived in the background. The circumstances of each use of Arabic indicate an evolution in the characters’ relationships with their pain and suffering following the shock of the war. French, in this context of Algerian civil war, becomes a language that allows a form of detachment from one’s own country for Algerians facing violence.http://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/franc.2019.5Viva LaldjérieNadir MoknècheAlgerian cinemaAlgerian Civil WarArabicFrench in North Africa |
| spellingShingle | Ziad Bentahar The deceptive absence of Arabic in Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie Francosphères Viva Laldjérie Nadir Moknèche Algerian cinema Algerian Civil War Arabic French in North Africa |
| title | The deceptive absence of Arabic in Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie |
| title_full | The deceptive absence of Arabic in Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie |
| title_fullStr | The deceptive absence of Arabic in Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie |
| title_full_unstemmed | The deceptive absence of Arabic in Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie |
| title_short | The deceptive absence of Arabic in Nadir Moknèche’s Viva Laldjérie |
| title_sort | deceptive absence of arabic in nadir mokneche s viva laldjerie |
| topic | Viva Laldjérie Nadir Moknèche Algerian cinema Algerian Civil War Arabic French in North Africa |
| url | http://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/franc.2019.5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ziadbentahar thedeceptiveabsenceofarabicinnadirmoknechesvivalaldjerie AT ziadbentahar deceptiveabsenceofarabicinnadirmoknechesvivalaldjerie |