Late Assia Djebbar’s adoptive son Mohamed Garne reveals to Echorouk his life story with his « mother »

Mr. Mohamed Garne was informed by the newspaper “Echorouk Al Youmi” on Wednesday that the municipality’s civil status services were locked in an emergency because of the lack of a bona-fide birth certificate bearing the name of late Assia Djebbar, once her mortal remains arrived from France to the capital Algiers.

He immediately got in touch with us and gave us the complete relevant file containing all official documents related to his adoptive mother including the birth certificate and family certificate as well as the marriage certificate, the certificate of civil status in addition to his adoption documents.

On the sidelines of his visit to the premises of ”Echorouk”, today, we had a meeting with him to know more about his eventful life story with his adoptive mother late Assia Djebbar.

The story of Assia Djebbar’s adoption as a son of Mohamed Garne

The son of the late Algerian novelist Assia Djebbar, bitterly revealed the dramatic details of his life, and how he was transformed from an innocent baby into a helpless youth after being adopted by Assia Djebbar together with later divorcee, Ahmed Ould Rouis. The young man Mohamed was then lost between past and present, in the search for his biological mother, which they made him believe that she was dead.

“My adoptive mother Assia Djebbar, got married with Ahmed Ould Rouis in the capital Algiers in 1958. … And as she was sterile, she wanted to adopt two children “male and female” on September 15, 1965″. Echorouk possesses a copy of the application for adoption then submitted to the Directorate of health and social protection which explained the family status in detail.

The document said: “We hope you’ll accept our request to adopt two children and we pledge to provide all the care and compassion to them, and to fulfill all their needs.”

“She had made me believe for years that my biological mother passed away.”

“The husband’s request was endorsed on September 27, 1965, based on the data of encouragement contained in “a medical certificate attesting to physical and mental integrity, decent housing and regular monthly salary”, as the husband was a Professor of Arab language.

At that time he earnt 830 dinars as a monthly salary, while my mother, Fatima Zahra Imelhayine was Professor of history, and her salary was up to 1220 Algerian dinars “. And since that time whenever I asked for my biological mother, Assia said to me that she was dead”.

“Her husband used to beat her and to beat us up as well and to lock us into the wardrobe”.

The hapless adoptive son continued to list the details of his tumultuous relationship with the novelist Assia Djebbar, saying: “There was a very strained relationship between her and her violent husband, who often beat her up in front of our eyes, and he beat us too, and he usually confined us inside the closet for hours with no remorse.

They finally divorced in 1975, and she then asked me to return to the orphanage in the vicinity of “Palace of the people”, but she had failed to write to the orphanage to officially disavow me and as a result, I formally remained until her recent death, her son by adoption.

I was then 15 years old, and I couldn’t cope with the children at the orphanage, I was lonesome most of the time, especially as they nicknamed me the “son of Al Kaouariya”, and I used to hide from them in the locker room.

“I was jailed in prison for over 3 years due to a deed”

Mohammed also affirmed during his visit to Echorouk premises that he continued to yearn for his biological mother hoping she was still alive, adding that he had spent hard times and couldn’t cope with the life in the orphanage, as he considered for long Assia Djebbar, as his own mother and her family, his own family.

“So I decided to go back to her place that I was brought to quit in a moment of recklessness and anger. I then returned to it and I hoped she would accept me in the house, because I gave her the deed. Surprisingly, she contacted the police, and with the help of Nouria Hafsi, I was arrested and sent to the prisons of  prisons of El Harrach and Berrouaghia for 3 and a half years.

“I found my biological mother “Kheira” who was brutally raped by French Army officers”

“When I was out of prison, she  started to call me and advised me to perform the national service, and actually I lived up to her wish but I left the barracks before completing the required period, because of the lack of stability of psychological wear. My grandmother asked me to marry and to start a family. But, she inscribed her name on the invitation cards for the wedding.”

“I founded a family and started looking for my biological mother, and I named my son Adel or the “just” in the hope that justice will do me good in this life, having lost 30 years in obscurity. Then, I managed to find my biological mother “Kheira” and I took her to my adoptive mother “Assia Djebbar”, but she was not enthusiastic at all about the news, and refused to even look at her picture just out of curiosity “.

“My biological mother the wife of a revolution martyr now rests with the dead in the cemetery of Sidi Yahya in upper Algiers“.

 An incriminating article by the French newspaper “Le Monde” dealt a blow to Massu,  Bigeard and Aussaress

Mohamed added: “After my arrival in France,  an article on the story of my biological mother “Kheira” was published by the French daily “Le Monde” under the title:  “The poignant story of “Kheira” who was wantonly raped by French army officers”in Algeria. It was a big slap in the face of French Army Generals namely Massu, Bigeard and Aussaress who later admitted the horrendous crimes and hideous practices committed against innocent Algerians during the French colonial yoke in Algeria.

“But, all in all, I want to tell my late adoptive mother to be forgiving because I forgave her myself!”