Content creator highlights the forgotten history of Algerians exiled to New Caledonia

For over a century, this narrative remained largely untold, preserved in family silences and fragmented archives. Content creator Mehdi Chettah, with over 1.1 million TikTok followers, recently published a video featuring an elderly witness who shared a moving account of this exile. The witness described how some individuals faced immense pressure to change their names and convert to Christianity to access education, highlighting the fragility of their original identity.

Despite being born in New Caledonia and holding French nationality, the witness expressed profound pride in his Algerian identity, emphasizing that his roots, passed down by his family and grandparents, remain strong. This video underscores a living collective memory where Algerian identity persists despite exile and generations. The deportations, particularly after the 1871 uprising led by Cheikh El Mokrani, saw over 2,000 Algerians condemned to forced exile, a journey of 18,000 kilometers on penitentiary ships under brutal conditions.

Upon arrival, they were subjected to forced labor, contributing to colonial development. Over time, some settled in areas like Bourail or La Foa, forming communities. This history, long confined to families due to shame or pain, was largely absent from official French and independent Algerian historical narratives.

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