Kamel Daoud’s ‘Houris’: A Trojan Horse of Misinformation, Betrayal

BY: Dzair Tube

Algiers, Algeria | September 30th, 2024 — Kamel Daoud’s latest novel, Houris, is nothing short of a Trojan horse disguised as literature. While the book has received different reviews in France, its real intent is clear to anyone familiar with Daoud’s longstanding agenda. Nominated for the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens 2024 ‘Goncourt Prize for High School Students 2024’, Houris has been embraced by certain intellectual circles in the West, eager to consume narratives that confirm their skewed perceptions of Algeria. But to those who have taken the time to examine this work, it becomes evident that it is less a novel and more a thinly veiled assault on Algerian values and history.

Daoud, who has lived in France for over a year, having acquired French nationality in 2020, claims that his relocation was motivated by a need for security and creative freedom to explore his country’s memory. Yet, this latest piece of writing reveals his true ambition: to cater to his Western patrons by discrediting the land and people he claims to remember.

Perpetuating Orientalist Tropes and Islamophobia

In his previous works and columns, particularly in Le Point, Daoud has made a habit of attacking Algeria and its values. His latest novel continues this trend, bolstering the same tired stereotypes that fuel the imagination of a Western audience hungry for sensationalism. Daoud’s work has not gone unnoticed by scholars and critics either. A recent editorial in Le Monde, signed by several sociologists, journalists, and historians, accused him of perpetuating “the most hackneyed Orientalist clichés” and feeding “the Islamophobic fantasies of an ever-growing European public.” Yet, instead of self-reflection, Daoud presents himself as an authority on Algeria’s contemporary society, a society he has turned his back on while thriving as the spokesperson for those who harbor animosity towards his homeland.

Reviving the Dangerous “Qui tue qui” Narrative

Daoud’s rhetoric is insidious, particularly because it comes from an Algerian, which gives it more credibility in the eyes of his readers. He revives the toxic “Qui tue qui”  or “Who kills whom” narrative, a slogan once wielded by those who sought to undermine Algeria’s sovereignty and legitimacy during the civil war. This novel, Houris, masquerades as fiction, but in reality, it is Daoud’s attempt to pass off his distorted version of the truth as fact. He himself admits to self-censoring, claiming that certain scenes were omitted because they would seem too outlandish, yet insists that “nothing in Houris is symbolic, everything is true.”

Daoud’s portrayal of Algeria’s National Tragedy, the devastating civil war of the 1990s, is a dangerous revisionist attempt. He implies that the violence witnessed during this period is merely a continuation of the “barbarities” of the War of Independence. Such statements are not only historically inaccurate but also serve to reignite old wounds, in line with the agendas of those who have long been hostile to Algeria’s unity and independence.

A Failed Attempt to Divide Algerians

Through the character of Aube, Daoud presents a distorted narrative of Algeria’s history. His protagonist, who has survived the civil war, is painted as the “true witness” of the war, someone who supposedly carries the weight of a decade of suffering. But Daoud’s ultimate goal is transparent: to sow discord among Algerians by portraying their history as one of violence, betrayal, and misery. He writes not with the intention of shedding light on Algeria’s past but to cast doubt on its present and future.

However, Daoud’s attempt to destabilize the Algerian spirit is doomed to fail. The Algerian people, having lived through the horrors of the civil war, made their choice clear in the referendum for peace and national reconciliation. This choice was not about erasing their painful history, but about using it as a foundation to build a better future. Algeria’s model of reconciliation has since become a blueprint for other nations facing internal conflict, such as Libya, further proving that the path Algeria chose was the right one.

Algeria’s Triumph Over Divisive Narratives

Kamel Daoud and those who seek to weaponize his words to tarnish Algeria’s image will find themselves on the wrong side of history. The Algerian people, resilient and united, have moved beyond the tragic events of the past and are focused on a future of progress and peace. While Daoud and his handlers in the West attempt to manipulate public opinion with their intellectual provocations, Algeria continues to stand as a beacon of resilience, peace, and sovereignty.

Daoud’s Houris is not the work of a creative mind exploring the depths of history; it is a deliberate attempt to undermine the very fabric of Algeria’s identity. The Algerian people see through this facade, and no amount of literary praise or foreign accolades will change the truth: Kamel Daoud’s agenda is clear, but it is destined to fail, just as every previous attempt to fracture Algeria’s unity has failed. The spirit of reconciliation and national solidarity will continue to guide Algeria forward, despite the best efforts of those who wish otherwise.”

Translated with adaptation from:

https://www.horizons.dz/?p=167288

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