History and Politics in French-Language Comics and Graphic Novels

CHAPTER SEVEN: The Algerian War in Road to America (Baru, Th

139 The Algerian War in Road to America (Baru, Thévenet, and Ledran) IntroductIon: on the SIde of BoxIng The impossible wish to evade nationalist politics during the Algerian War (1954–62) is the principal theme of Le chemin de l’Amérique, a graphic novel by Baru [Barulea, Hervé]1 (art and script), Jean-Marc Thévenet (script), and Daniel Ledran (colors) (1990, 1998). This graphic novel was recently translated into English and published as Road to America by Drawn and Quarterly (Montreal), a comics publisher (1995–97, 2002). Its main character, an Algerian boxer named Saïd Boudiaf, wishes to avoid taking sides either for the Front de libération nationale (FLN [National Liberation Front]), fighting for Algerian independence, or for the French government and army, attempting to keep control of the North African colony. Instead, Boudiaf proclaims himself to be “du côté de la boxe” [on the side of boxing] (plate 12),2 which he believes to be a politically neutral position. He thinks that he can achieve success in an arena where, it seems, individual effort and ability reign supreme, inherited social privilege is absent , and working-class men have traditionally excelled. Alternatively, we could interpret the choice of boxing as an unacknowledged displacement, into a violently combative sport, of the aggressiveness created among Chapter seven —mark mckInney 140 Mark McKinney the colonized by colonial domination. The cartoonists never completely resolve this ambiguity, even though they have Boudiaf make a de facto choice between the two nations at the end of the story. An Allegory of colonIAlISm When Saïd fights in his first amateur competition he is still working as a butcher’s errand-boy (figure 1). The fight is an improvised roadside attraction , in 1955 in the Algerian town of Philippeville, renamed Skikda after independence (1–4). The match features a Pied-Noir3 boxer, who challenges all comers, most probably as part of a gambling setup, although we never see any money changing hands: the promoter tells Saïd to absorb a few punches that his heavy-set opponent will throw, then land the hardest one that he can, and raise his hands to celebrate an apparent upset victory in a lopsided match that the young, thin boy should have lost, in all likelihood. The opposing boxer is described by the promoter as Bobby Ruiz, the “boucher de Bablouette” [Butcher of Bablouette] and the “canonnier de la Casbah” [Casbah Gunner] (2.4; figure 2). His Americanized first name (Bobby) is the first hint at one aspect of the American theme suggested by the book’s title: for a boxer, the road fig. 1. In 1955 saïd, a young butcher’s boy, shadowboxes in the courtyard behind a butchery and cold cuts store in philippeville, a coastal city of colonial algeria. From Baru, thévenet, and Ledran, Le chemin de l’Amérique, plate 1, frames 1–3; © Baru. 141 Algerian War in Road to America to America is the way to a world championship match, given the American influence in the sport (including its commercial aspects), and therefore holds the prospect of the highest professional success attainable.On the other hand, the boxer’s family name,“Ruiz,”alludes to the Spanish origins of many European settlers in colonized Algeria.4 The aggrandizing epithets designate Ruiz as a boxer from Algiers, the provincial capital of what were then still three French départements, roughly the equivalent of states in the United States: “Bablouette”is a literary representation of the settler-accented pronunciation of “Bab El Oued,” then a working-class European neighborhood of Algiers; and the Casbah is of course the oldest Algerian section of the same city. This suggests that Ruiz has established his dominance over challengers from both working-class European settlers and the Algerian colonized.5 fig. 2. an allegory of colonial power relations: on his way to make a meat delivery, saïd comes across an amateur boxing setup. From Baru, thévenet, and Ledran, Le chemin de l’Amérique, plate 2, frames 1–5; © Baru. 142 Mark McKinney It also reminds us that the settlers arrogated to themselves the identities of Africans or Algerians (in addition to their French national identity), and called the Algerians not “Algériens,” but “indigènes” [natives] and “Musulmans ”[Muslims].6 This interpretation is supported by Ledran’s color scheme in these pages: Ruiz wears warm-up pants and boxing...