The Manifesto of the 121: a declaration against colonial oppression

Abstract

The manifesto of the 121 entitled Declaration on the Right to Insubordination in the Algerian War is a declaration written as a reaction to the repression exerted by the french government and army against revolutionaries and their French supporters during the Algerian war of liberation. It was signed by 121 French intellectuals and literary figures. In order to denounce colonial violence and proclaim the right to insubordination, the text became a symbol of freedom of conscience by helping to change the perception of the Algerian war.
Although it does not have an imperative value, it remains a literary and historical text of political scope. It confirms individual and collective rights and serves as a living testimony, or an alert, regarding the cruelty of French colonial toward the Algerian people. It is a scholarly literary and historical work that demonstrates literature's contribution to the creation of norms governing human relations and protecting human rights.