The often-overlooked role of comic book scriptwriters took center stage on 3 October 2025 during a panel held at the Algiers International Comic Festival (FIBDA). Speakers Ahmed Haroun, Mahfoud Aider, Slimane Zeghidour and Boukhalfa Amazit shed light on the structural weaknesses of a cultural ecosystem where scriptwriters still struggle to gain recognition as creators in their own right.

For Ahmed Haroun, understanding the roots of Algerian comics is key to grasping this marginalization. He recalled that the country’s first comic magazine, M’quidech, was launched in 1968 through the initiative of Abderrahmane Madoui. « He laid the first stones of Algerian comics at a time when everything remained to be built », he noted.

Mahfoud Aider highlighted a persistent problem: the lack of interest in scriptwriting. « The script has always been our Achilles’ heel. Authors looked down on comics as a minor art form. Very few were willing to write for illustrators », he said. He also pointed to the financial precarity of the early years: « At 40 dinars per page, it was impossible to make a living. Many ended up abandoning the field ».

Journalist and writer Slimane Zeghidour broadened the discussion, emphasizing that this fragility is not limited to comics. « It’s the same in cinema and theatre. For any art form to thrive, you need a triangle made up of creators, an audience and producers. Without that, production remains sporadic and lacks continuity », he explained.

Boukhalfa Amazit placed the issue within its historical and economic context. In the 1970s, he recalled, nearly 75% of Algerians were illiterate. « How could a comic readership possibly emerge in such a context? », he asked. He also lamented the long-standing dominance of the State as the sole cultural actor, a situation that, in his view, continues to hinder the development of a true comic book industry. The absence of private initiatives, he argued, prevents the creation of a viable market, sustained investment in production and lasting distribution networks