22 It was the same feeling that overwhelmed us as young people following the struggle of the heroic Algerian people as they fought tooth and nail for their freedom and independence from a colonial power that never intended to leave Algeria at all. It is the same thought that crosses our minds every time we remember the Algerian Revolution and confront the bitterness of our Arab situation. As individuals who are at the helm of our nation, we now often ask ourselves: how can we overcome the crisis of our Arab condition and where can salvation lie? The answer can easily and plainly be expressed in the following statement: had we not been a nation with a long and venerable heritage, a nation with a culture that goes back centuries, we would have never been able to overcome the colonisation that continued for around a hundred and thirty years in our dear country Algeria. We would not have stood firm today in confronting centuries-old challenges which imposed on us a detestable situation filled with divisions, backwardness, weakness and the loss of freedom and the ability to take action. Yes, my dear brothers. If the Arab nation had not had its own cultural legacy, we would have become like grains of sand carried by the wind hither and thither. We might even have been annihilated, a mere reference in the books of old or recent history. So, no matter how bad our situation is today, we realise it is only the symptom of an ailment that will soon disappear if we have the resolve to fight it and get rid of it. The weapon we
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