Algiers, Third World Capital: Freedom Fighters, Revolutionaries, Black Panthers

by Elaine Mokhtefi

A fascinating portrait of life with the Black Panthers in Algiers: a story of liberation and radical politics

Following the Algerian war for independence and the defeat of France in 1962, Algiers became the liberation capital of the Third World. Here, Elaine Mokhtefi, a young American woman who had become involved in the struggle and worked with leaders of the Algerian Revolution, including Frantz Fanon, found a home. As journalist and translator, she lived among guerillas, revolutionaries, exiles and visionaries, was even present in the groundbreaking The Battle of Algiers.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Algeria, Africa, Memoir, Politics, Northern Africa

266 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2018

About the author

Elaine Mokhtefi was born in New York. After the Second World War, she joined the youth movement for world peace and justice, becoming director of a militant student organization. In 1951 she settled in France as a translator and interpreter for international organizations in the new postwar world. In 1960, she joined a small team in New York as part of the Algerian National Liberation Front, lobbying the United Nations in support of the government in exile and working for Algerian independence. When the struggle was won, she made Algeria her home, working as a journalist and translator. She married the Algerian writer and liberation war veteran Mokhtar Mokhtefi, who died in 2015. A painter as well as a writer, she lives in New York.

Reviews

[Maryam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A riveting read. Some empirical errors, some facts overshadowed by opinions. I have learnt a lot more about the characters of the former Black Panther Party - they were human and very much flawed.

Some affirmations made to me by the author: it is true that Algerians are nosy about some issues, however, in a way we are tight lipped and do not interfere in serious issues that do not concern us. Here is something that is reflected by the relationship between the former BPP and the Algerian government.

Elaine Mokhtefi boasted her achievements rightfully so, but I would not give all the credit to a single white woman. She was an important character, yes, but was seemingly naïve about what it was like for the average Algerian to emerge from a 130-year war. Nevertheless, her insights on the BPP are valuable. Also, her interactions with Fanon are precious. He is everything I imagined him to be and I very much enjoyed her observation of his brutal and dead-pan humour, especially about his cancer (“I will fight it with the cortex!”).

This book is a must read, but I would not expect all Algerians to care enough to read it. The involvement of the BPP in Algeria was interesting but not necessary in understanding the history of the Algerian identity. In fact, if anything, members of the BPP underestimated who we were. I thought this part of history was lost to us but this book proves that it is not. Mokhtefi has made sure the legacy lives on through her words.

5/5 and may Algerians never forget the struggles of our ancestors who lived and fought before us.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gossipy autobiography centered around the years Mokhtefi spent in Algeria, with an impressive list of famous names who changed the world. As a narrative it placed too much emphasis on name dropping for me, and I found Mokhtefi's fascination with serial rapist Cleaver shocking and puke enducing.

Beyond that it is without doubt a historical document that will help in reconstructing part of how a number of inspired Algerians and non-Algerians worked to help Algeria achieve international support in its fight to become independent, and begin its life as a free and sovereign nation.

[Stephen King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elaine Mokhtefi has certainly led an interesting life. As part of a new wave of American leftists in the 1950s she lived in Paris and elsewhere in Europe, helping liberation movements get organised, promote themselves and secure recognition at the UN. She was an early foreign supporter of the Algerian independence movement, the FLM and ended up, post independence, in Algiers. She also helped set up the Algiers bolthole for the Eldridge Cleaver-led part of the Black Panther Party, following the ‘Split’ with Huey Newton. This is a fascinating if slightly disturbing episode tinged with violence and misogyny. I had little idea that Algiers had become the base for so many liberation movements and the preferred destination for hijackers in the 70’s. It’s also remarkable how (pre-digital) people could slip in and out of countries untracked and unnoticed, which Elaine did frequently after being declared ‘persona non grata’ in France. This is not a particularly well written book, but is a fascinating account of life with the BPP and the heady days of ‘third world solidarity’ liberation movements in the 60’s and 70’s- it’s this part, the role of China and Cuba as paymasters and puppet masters- hinted at but not fully explored that I would have liked to hear more about.

[sab · Rating 5 out of 5]

c'est un livre incroyable, on se sentirait presque dedans tellement l'écriture est facile et explicative ! un livre sur un pays riche en histoire simplement excellent pour mon cœur d'historienne !

[Inem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very good. It evoked various emotions from idealization (“this was the life that I was meant to lead”) to disappointment and disillusionment (“don’t romanticize the revolution”) to existential (something emotional about reading the story about someone’s life beginning when they were exactly my age and ending with them growing old). It was intriguing. I’m not sure who I would recommend this to; I mean I would love to discuss this with some of my comrades. It really does make me think about what it is I’m meant to be doing with the short period of time I’ve been given on earth and as someone from the u.s. living and organizing on the African continent, there are a few lessons and takeaways here.

[Jonny Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read and interesting perspective on some of the politics of the time. Major problem with this memoir is that it reads at times more like a corrective to various other accounts that have already been published and at others — ironically enough — as rather too self involved, recounting the minor travails of this one white woman in Algeria as major characters are all milling around slightly off stage whilst we hear about what the author was doing. It’s a good book and interesting to read, but the blurb somewhat oversells it and the title makes it appear as if it will give us something (historical and/or political narrative) that the text does not actually do. This is not the story of Algiers, but the story of Elaine Mokhtefi — and should be labelled as such in my opinion.

[Mnarvidz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agreable a lire, ajoute une perspective a des faits en relation avec l'Algerie.

[Henry Hakamaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book by a woman who has seen a few lifetimes' worth of seminal moments and people. Where does this book succeed? In its focus on the inner workings of the international branch of the Black Panthers as well as the connection of the Black Panthers to the decolonial struggle, in this case particularly in Algeria, as well as its highlighting of many players of the international solidarity movement. Where does this book fall down? Some of the events could use more backgrounding, many points could use further analysis beyond the "first hand accounting", and a lot of somewhat odious things (particularly in the case of Eldridge Cleaver, whom the author was close with) were essentially brushed aside with little more than a mention.
Overall, a fast read and will be of interest to people who themselves fantasize about being in the middle of a decolonial struggle or the immediate aftermath of one.

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mokhtefi was there: when Paris dissolved its post-war shell, when Algeria gained its independence, when the Black Panthers went international, she was there as a fly on the window, a generous host and so much more. Her prose is straightforward and clear and her voice is incomparably hers - who would have a perspective like hers?

Reading this book is history's improbable window opening - carefully, gently, mysteriously, and ultimately irresistible.

[Carlos Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating, vibrant and engaging memoir from someone that had been witness to, and sometimes participant in, some key moments in 20th century politics, including the Algerian Revolution, the formation of the International Section of the Black Panther Party, and the Pan-African movement in the 60s and 70s. An exciting story told with skill, humour and humility.

[Sarah reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elaine Mokhtefi est une américaine qui a contribué à faire connaître la cause algérienne pendant la colonisation française, à côté de nos représentants algériens aux nations unies. Elle n’a visité l’Algérie qu’après l’indépendance, et elle s’est installée à Alger et y vécue 12 ans, travaillant comme journaliste et traductrice, ce que lui a permet de côtoyer des personnalités importantes, elle a même aidé les Black Panthers dans leur exil en Algérie.
Considéré comme la capitale de la révolution, l’Algérie a ouvert ses portes aux différentes nationalités cherchant exil. Le récit d’Elaine m’a permet de plonger dans l’Algérie d’après l’indépendance, avec ses chalenges, ses réussites, et ses échecs. J’ai découvert à travers elle les Black Panthers, un mouvement révolutionnaire afro-américain dont j’ignorais l’existence, j’avoue sue certains passages m’ont ennuyé et je sentais que c’était du bavardage beaucoup plus mais je comprends le besoin d’Elaine de parler de cette période marquante de sa vie et surtout son attachement aux BP qu’elle trouvait à travers eux le pays qu’elle a laissé derrière elle. l’histoire est enrichissante et ça a suscité mon intérêt sur les premieres années de l’indépendance, par contre j’étais gênée par le désordre des évènements genre on nous raconte un événement en 1970 après on se retrouve au 1965 et on revient vers 1972 je me perdais. Comme je l’ai déjà dit, l’histoire est enrichissante et ce livre demeurera parmi mes meilleures lectures 2019.

[Christopher Moltisanti's Windbreakers fan · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

There are few people on earth alive who are as cool as Elaine Mokhtefi. The historical struggles of Algerians under French colonialism and imperialism are often underlooked in the radical movement in the West nowadays (extremely disturbing, as they are too busy establishing Democratic Socialism modeled on Western European nations that long have exploited and still exploiting the Global South). Algeria triggered the anti-imperialist movement in Africa and has so much to offer in the movement-building in the West. Mokhtefi was part of the radical international organizing who palled around and organized with revolutionaries in Algeria (and other African nations) and with members of the Black Panther Party abroad both as a translator as well as a comrade who realized the urgent need for internationalism in the socialist movement and didn't shy away to take the violent approach in the movement prescribed by her old friend Frantz Fanon.
My only disappointment with the book which is full of wild accounts of Mokhtefi's time in Algeria and in other parts of Africa as well as in France is that it isn't 1000 pages long.

[Allison Meakem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book before a trip to Algiers. It was useful for me in that respect but I probably wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise. It gave me a great geographic sense of the city and Algeria’s place in international revolutionary movements of the 1960s and 70s, and I enjoyed Mokhtefi’s own personal recollections. I do wish she could have engaged more with some of the theory and ideological underpinnings of the Black Panthers and other movements she chronicles (e.g. the utility and righteousness of violence). The book could have also done with more background in certain places: For example, to what extent was French vs. Arabic the lingua franca of Mokhtefi’s Algiers? She only spoke the former, but I am not sure to what extent that represented the status quo at the time or just her own access.

[Hazellll♤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

He once asked me what I wanted in a relationship. When I answered, “To put my head on someone’s shoulder,” he was adamant: “Non, non, non: stay upright on your own two feet and keep moving forward to goals of your own"


I almost overlooked this book, but I'm so glad I didn't. Lost in my extensive Kindle library, this autobiography by Elaine Mokhtafi is a hidden gem. This remarkable woman, who played a significant role in post-independence Algeria, deserves far greater recognition. A true hero, she possesses a heart free from resentment and spite, navigating life's ups and downs with grace. Her profound love and admiration for Algeria are a testament to her extraordinary and unique spirit.
I appreciate the book's transparency and the author's candid discussions about the people in her life. However, I feel that her objectivity sometimes overshadows the emotional depth of her experiences. While I understand the need to present certain facts in a more restrained manner to protect privacy, I would have loved to delve deeper into her personal life and uncover the secrets that undoubtedly lie beneath the surface. This combination of objectivity and veiled mystery is what makes the book so intriguing.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passionnante autobiographie de Mokhtefi, sur sa carrière militante, son engagement pour l'Algérie indépendante, sa rencontre avec Fanon, sa collaboration avec la section internationale du BPP à Alger, mais aussi ses amours et amitiés pensant la période trouble de la guerre froide, des guerres d'indépendance, des années de plomb.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5- Meer memoir-ig dan ik dacht en veel name dropping, maar wat een tijd om in te leven

[Marth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Algiers, Third World Capital : Freedom Fighters, Revolutionaries, Black Panthers - 3.5/5

This was an interesting read, and not quite what I expected. This is an autobiography of Elaine Mokhtefi, the American born activist, focusing on her time working in the post-independence Algerian government and as a liaison between the Algerians and the International Section of the Black Panther Party led by Eldridge Cleaver.

And Cleaver's name is important. His presence dominates this book, as his presence dominated in life, especially in its back half. Reading this felt almost like, and I don't want to read into the psyche of someone I've never met, Mokhtefi was attempting to come to terms with the Cleaver in the years she knew him and how he fit with what came before and after. She is fascinated with him: the way he speaks, his part in the BPP, his writings, the constant sexual and physical violence he commits against women.

Cleaver was a serial rapist. He continually abused his wife and other women. His writings celebrate sexual violence. At one point Mokhtefi describes Cleaver as "adept at programming rape". But still, he dominates this book, subsumes it until parts feel like a gonzo biography of Cleaver instead of a autobiography of Mokhtefi.

There are other focuses of course. A lot of time is devoted to the growing distrust and authoritarianism of the Algerian Revolutionary Government towards Mokhtefi and the Panthers, especially after Boumédiène's coup. We see some of the developing instability which led to the civil war in the 1990s. We see some of the networks of global anti-colonial and anti-capitalist resistance which are coordinated through Algiers and Paris. And we see Mokhtefi interact with and have to deal with all of this, seeing various storms coming her way over the span of the book. But so much of that is marginalised by Cleaver's presence being so central here.

And I realise that has tainted this review as well but hey, it was what I took away from reading. It did reignite my interest in Algeria and how it's global networks functioned so that is indeed a plus, and this is an interesting insight into those, and into the life of Elaine Mokhtefi herself.

[Nellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear-headed elaboration of Mokhtefi’s experiences working in (and with) Algeria, with a heavy emphasis on her work with Eldridge Cleaver and the international portion of the Black Panther Party. I appreciated her commitment to telling her own story without bias, and without excessive reference to future events in the lives of her compatriots, which she had bore no witness to. That said, I would’ve appreciated more info regarding Cleaver’s later turn to right-wing politics, as learning this fact (via Wikipedia) greatly complicated my understanding of the man. Also, the Epilogue felt a bit preachy at times.

[Lina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star ratings are of course such an arbitrary thing that doesn't mean much when you have mixed feelings about the book. I enjoyed reading it, and I'm happy I read it. I would definitely recommend it - it was such a quick read. I learned a lot from it, especially - as others have noted - about the Black Panthers. Perhaps the person we learn the most about in the book is Eldridge Cleaver (I understand how close she was to him and how her view is legitimately biased but I have to admit it was quite disturbing to see how forgiving she is of his misogyny). I also really appreciated the part about Franz Fanon and the few up-close moments we get with him.

I realise it's not fair to judge a book by what it's not, but I have to say my main issue with the book is its unfulfilled potential. I was so annoyed in many places by how the writer rushes over events, listing them dryly without stopping to offer a deeper take on the characters involved, or a deeper insight into how she felt about these events or what she thought of them. Some pages felt like endless name-dropping. To have lived through all this, to have been this close to all these people who played such a momentous role in Algeria's history, and then sum it up in a 240-page book is, in my view, a missed opportunity.

[Adrian]

Odd little memoir. Elaine Mokhtefi an American who gravitates to France in the 1950s. As a leftie she befriended African causes fighting colonialism and attached herself to the goal of Algerian independence. In a relationship with one of its players she parlays that into a job working for the international arm of the new Algerian independence government. Algeria became something of a clearing house for international revolution and Mokhtefi worked with the African branch of the Black Panthers. She came to know and work as something of a fixer for Eldridge Cleaver. She's pretty direct about his strengths and weaknesses. There is also a short encounter with a paranoid and out of control Timothy Leary. By 1974 conditions had changed and she is forced out of her government position- and never having secured more than permanent residency in Algeria- pushed out of the country. She and her husband go to France and eventually back to the US. It has to be said much of the woman's politics are noxious but one can't deny her grit and honesty.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ended up enjoying this a lot more than I thought I would. Perhaps because I was in Algeria when I read it so I probably got caught up in the atmosphere. No doubt Elaine Mokhtefi led a really interesting life. I’m told there are a few empirical errors and if you’re expecting a deep political dive into any subjects you are going to be disappointed. But I do love the atmosphere of great thinkers, intellectuals and revolutionaries meeting and you begin to feel as if you too are part of this circle. Obviously a very important historical document as well.

[z · Rating 1 out of 5]

as soon as i saw hussein dey referenced as "one of the city's most frightful slums" i knew much or at least parts of this book would be slanted with errors or, at the very least, misinterpretation.

i'm always very wary of the way white people recount our history and this mischaracterization has turned me off to reading. please read books written by algerian freedom fighters to get an accurate and real representation of our land, our fight, and our people's struggles. yikes

[Vuk Trifkovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely interesting stuff. Mainly focused on BPP, but stories so crazy, that it's OK if others get less airtime or that it's actually not *that* insightful about Algiers itself or that writing is pretty amateurish.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine getting stuck taking care of Eldridge Cleaver out of all the personalities here.

I enjoyed this. Not because I think it's the most comprehensive history, but it gave a real sense of time and place.

[Joseph Spuckler]

Algiers, Third World Capital by Elaine Mokhtefi is a memoir and history of an American involved in the newly independent Algeria. Mokhtefi was born in New York. After the Second World War, she joined the youth movement for world peace and justice, becoming director of a militant student organization. In 1951 she settled in France as a translator and interpreter for international organizations in the new postwar world. In 1960, she joined a small team in New York as part of the Algerian National Liberation Front, lobbying the United Nations in support of the government in exile and working for Algerian independence. When the struggle was won, she made Algeria her home, working as a journalist and translator. She married the Algerian writer and liberation war veteran Mokhtar Mokhtefi, who died in 2015.

Mokhtefi's short biography above speaks a great deal about the book. Her relationship with Algeria is somewhat unique. She was, after all, an American (Imperialist), non-Arab Speaking woman of Jewish descent. She was, however, at the right place at the right time and with the right attitude. Algeria's quest for independence was long, bloody, and vicious. Mokhtefi had the sympathy for the Algerians living in France and witnessed the violence against them. Algeria became her cause as she worked in the D.C. office of the Algerian National Liberation Front. The New York Office took responsibility for revolutionary Franz Fanon visit to the US although he never made it to New York. He died at Bethesda during his visit, and before his, The Wretched of the Earth was published.

She moved to Algeria after its independence and worked through some unusual times. Algeria became a popular destination for those fleeing US law enforcement. Mokhtefi met airline hijackers who made Algeria their goal, Black Panthers, and Timothy Leary. The hijacking was quite famous. William Holder and his female accomplice hijacked the plane with a fake briefcase bomb in Seattle. He successfully collected $500,000 and landed in Algiers although they did not secure the release of Angela Davis. The plane and most of the money was returned to the United States through diplomatic channels. Although Algeria wanted to free the oppressed and help other nations gain their independence, making an enemy of the US was not seen as a smart position. Algeria would need the US to buy its oil. Algeria was in a tight spot between the ideological and the practical.

Mokhtefi gives the reader a first-hand account of the early and turbulent history of Algeria.  Time has done much to curb her revolutionary vigor, and she presents a reasonably balanced view of her experiences.  I still imagine it is difficult to separate oneself from history and offer a completely unbiased account.  She does give the reader the inside view of a new government and a turbulent time. 

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The core of my childhood was spent in Algiers from 1976-81, so a book with this title is certain to catch my eye. It's a bit of a strange item, and would have benefited greatly from a stronger editorial hand on the rudder. It's a memoir by an American woman who was involved in the international student movement in the 1950s. This took her to Paris, where she fell in with people involved in the Algerian struggle for independence. Upon independence, she moved to Algiers to work for the new government as an interpreter and in a variety of other roles. Algeria's status as a torch-bearer for liberation movements around the world brought her into contact with all kinds of organizations and people, including Frantz Fanon.

Eventually, in 1969 the Black Panther Party cofounder, Eldridge Cleaver, shows up in Algiers, and she winds up becoming his interlocutor and quasi-fixer. The core of the book tells the inside story of the Black Panther members and affiliated hangers on in Algeria from mid-1969 to the end of 1972. It's interesting as a warts-and-all insider account that refutes various myths and tells it like it was. But it's also tonally weird, because while she makes no bones about sympathizing with the Panthers cause (although she notably never really gets into what that actually was), and feeling somewhat privileged to be a part of it all, she also expresses exasperation at the group's behavior and lack of interest in their host country. It's striking the extent to which the Panthers in Algiers existed entirely on handouts and the sufferance of others. Murder, rape, and physical abuse are mentioned almost in passing in a way that's fairly shocking.

It's important to understand that the author is not a scholar or journalist by training, and so engages in some very broad and ill-advised characterizations. For example, her off-hand description of Algeria's "pied-noir" population is remarkably unnuanced. One gets the sense that her enthusiasm for righteous causes sometimes left her blind to some of the historical facts. But even with all its flaws, the book is essential reading for anyone with a deep interest in the history of the Black Panthers, as it contains insights, correctives, and a perspective that just isn't available elsewhere.

[Yasmine F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Algiers, Third World Capital is a fascinating memoir by Elaine Mokhtefi, a revolutionary whose position as a translator allowed her a rare look into the stories of powerful individuals. She details her life including personal affairs, money, family, relationships, and more, but also offers a view into the politics of the times. Mokhtefi dedicates a hefty portion of her memoir to the affairs and exploits of the Black Panther Party, specifically zoning in on Eldridge Cleaver. She seems to hold an unwavering fondness for Cleaver, even admitting her admiration for him despite his aggressiveness and mistreatment of women. Additionally, at times it seems she is simply listing names and places which can be quite draining to read, but overall, the memoir follows an engaging story line. With this in mind, I would rate the memoir 4 stars. I would recommend this book to someone interested in solidarity since it goes in depth on the topic, with Mokhtefi herself providing significant insight with her position as a Jewish woman. It does well to archive the rising movement for liberation in the “Third World” as well as provides a personal look into the life of Elaine Mokhtefi.

[Ellison Moorehead]

De estas memorias que te dan mucha envidia y ganas de vivir y militar en Cosas Importantes. Esta mujer ha vivido para 50. Yo quiero vivir tanto también, jo.

Su “historia” no necesita de estilo para contarse y leerse pero como soy una criticona, echaba en falta algo más de voz propia, de algo sobre ella, algo menos nota de prensa vital. Cuenta su vida pero no la conozco nada. Ni sé cómo es ni qué le gusta ni qué la vuelve loca. Da la sensación que ha vivido para otros, lo cual se casa difícilmente con su defensa a ultranza de la Idea y las Personas y una vida enterita dedicada a la militancia más firme. Me hubiera gustado conocerle a ella más y a Eldridge Cleaver (un tipo que por muy revolucionario y carismático que parece haber sido, también parece haber sido un grandísimo hdp) menos.

Dos cosas más: Quiero ir a Algiers. Yo (no como Mokhtefi, lo cual es inexplicable) aprendería árabe argelino. Ahora bien. Me curó de mi romanticismo asociado a las panteras negras. Bien curada me he quedado.

[zina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mokhtefi’s dedication to her life’s work with the Algerian and African liberation movements, the American Black Panthers, and the media is so apparent in the book- she truly believes in the work they all were trying to do. She paints a complete portrait of the notable figures she worked with, especially in the case of Eldridge Cleaver. Her unwavering support for their causes while admitting their flaws and shortcomings is remarkable. She describes her efforts with a sense of humility a d is indulgent in her praises of her colleagues. As usual I cried at the ending- she increased and crushed my hope at the same time, if that’s even possible.

[Soph Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting story to read, and helped fill in some political context that I was missing; but, at the same time, because it's deliberately written as a first-person reflection on really big political events, it also jumps around a lot and is incoherent at times. Doesn't totally detract from the book, and I would definitely read it if you're interested in the Black Panthers + Third World revolutionary solidarity - but the format did get distracting at times.