“This phase has known cruel colonial occupations which have lasted 300 years in Indonesia.”

With my government, we engaged in bringing our help to fights for national freedom.

When I was engaged in the struggle for my country, I was very young. My horizons were open.

I accommodated practically all of the liberation movements, including those of Latin America.

I am the son of poor peasants who came at a very young age to live in Algeria. I only recently saw the place where they were born, near the city of Marrakech.

It is obvious that taking the country from a state of war to being a lawful state won’t be easy.

I am not a Marxist, but I place myself resolutely at the left.

My life has been a bit special, this is true. I participated in the liberation of my country.

These are the multinationals, like General Motors and Nestle; these are the big industrial groups that weigh, on the monetary scale, much more than big countries like Egypt.

Let us all agree to die a little, or even completely so that African unity may not be a vain word

We trained them, we arranged for the weapons to reach them, we created networks.

Colonialism is known in its primitive form, that is to say, by the permanent settling of repressive foreign powers, with an army, services, policies.

In two years, there were 22 military coups d’etat, essentially in Africa and the third world. The coup d’etat of Algiers, in 1965, is what opened the path.

Algeria was therefore only the beginning of something that was in development: this is why I say that it’s the global capitalist system that finally reacted against us.

I can say now: all the combatants who participated in the fight for freedom in South America came to Algeria; it’s from there that all those who fought left.

At that precise moment, several countries were still colonised or had barely overcome colonisation. This was the case in practically all of Africa. We supported them.

We were but some tens of people throughout Algeria, a territory that is five times the size of France

To me, the main thing about living on this planet is to know who the hell you are and be real about it. That’s the reason I’m still alive.

The sterling moment of the present and the glorious future known only in our imaginations.

I know that my fans want to know who I’m sleeping with, but it’s really none of their business.

Nothing exists; even if something exists, nothing can be known about it; and even if something can be known about it, knowledge about it can’t be communicated to others.

If we hold on together I know our dreams will never die Dreams see us through to forever Where clouds roll by For you and I.

Job is perhaps the oldest piece of literature known to man.

You’re walking by the tomb of Battiades, Who knew well how to write poetry, and enjoy Laughter at the right moment, over the wine.

You got to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues…And you know it don’t come easy.