Dien Bien Phu Victory awakens colonial countries
Vietnam’s Dien Bien Phu Victory over the French colonialists had a decisive influence on other nations, of which Algeria was an example, Mourad Lamoudi, member of the Central Committee of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) party has told.
Lamoudi, who is in charge of the FLN’s external relations affairs, said that the Dien Bien Phu Victory is a symbol of Vietnam which carries international historical stature. What the Vietnamese people did and the victories they achieved were truly extraordinary.
He affirmed that the Dien Bien Phu Victory of Vietnam contributed to awakening other peoples who were submerged by colonialism by proving that the power of colonialism could be completely defeated, that if a nation is determined to achieve the goal of self-liberation, it can achieve that goal. The colonised peoples at that time admired the Dien Bien Phu Victory and loved the Vietnamese people very much, he stated.
Lamoudi underlined that the Dien Bien Phu Victory inspired colonial countries by opening up hope to other peoples, especially countries colonised by France such as Algeria and those in Southern Africa, West Africa and Central Africa. Immediately after the Dien Bien Phu Victory, the Algerian revolution started on November 1, 1954 with inspiration and experience learnt from Vietnam’s revolution, he noted. The Vietnamese and Algerian revolutions sparked national liberation movements in Africa and other countries around the world.
According to the FLN official, the revolutions of Vietnam and Algeria share the same goal to fight against colonialism to liberate the nation.
At that time, when people mentioned Indochina, they immediately thought of the three words “Dien Bien Phu” as an action slogan. People used the slogan “Dien Bien Phu” to remind themselves that they could win, said Lamoudi. “I think Dien Bien Phu is a turning point in colonial history on the world map. That history was divided into two periods of before Dien Bien Phu and after Dien Bien Phu,” stated Lamoudi.
The Dien Bien Phu Victory shattered the dogma of the invincibility of colonial powers, proving that oppressed countries can still make miracles against the power of colonial empires, he said, stressing that Algeria received that message.
In Africa, especially French-speaking countries, they talk about the Dien Bien Phu Victory with pride. This international victory helped unite colonial peoples, becoming the common victory of oppressed, said Lamoudi.
