His Excellency Dr. Ghoulem Berrah – a recognized scientist in 1963, an Ambassador and Special Advisor to President Felix Houphouët-Boigny of Côte d’Ivoire from 1965 to 1993. With his untimely passing, Africa has lost a diplomat of exceptional talent, and the world has lost an untiring artisan of peace.

He was born on May 29th,  1938, in Aïn Beïda – a small town situated at the foot of the Aurès mountains in north eastern Algeria. Today, it serves as a road and rail junction and a trading center for agricultural produce. The town was originally founded as a French Military post with two forts, built in 1848 and 1850, with the sole purpose of controlling the powerful Arabized Harakta Berbers. 

He grew up with four siblings, comprising of three sisters and an older stepbrother. His mother gave birth to twin boys, but lost one at birth, and the other died at the age of three, when Dr. Berrah was still a baby. Although, his father died when he was only seven years old, he enjoyed a happy and pampered childhood with a loving mother and various paternal uncles overseeing his upbringing.

As a teenager, he obtained a baccalaureate degree at the lycée d’Aumale in the Algerian city of Constantine, on the banks of the Rhumel River, and he departed Algeria to begin studying medicine at a University in Bordeaux, France.

Enlisting in the Algerian Liberation Movement

During his time at the University, he became actively involved in the struggle for Algerian liberation, and he joined the movement for independence from France. This was the beginning of his metamorphosis into an effective leader. As the President for the General Union of Algerian Muslim Students (U.G.E.M.A) in Bordeaux, he demonstrated his organizational abilities and leadership skills within the student body. 

In the month of May 1956, a serious incident would alter his way of life. Members of the O.A.S, a French dissident paramilitary organization, fired on a group of Algerian students on campus at the University of Algiers. The sole purpose of the organization when it was founded by the French as a secret Army, was  to intimidate the Algerian natives and discourage all forms of revolt within the country, in order to maintain colonial rule. Enraged by the news of what had occurred back in their homeland, the U.G.E.M.A leadership ordered member students in France to embark on a general strike, in total solidarity with their comrades in Algeria

As a result, the French Police began to closely monitor the members of the organization, and fearing for his safety, Dr. Berrah decided to escape from France. With the assistance of professional smugglers at the porous mountainous region between France and Spain, he made his way through the small border town of Saint Jean-Pied-De-Port and arrived in Pamplona, Spain, where he surrendered to the Spanish Civil Guard. 

He was detained and subsequently, placed in confinement for several months, before being transported to Madrid, Spain and handed over toafounding member of the nationalist ISTIQLAL party, Mr. Abdelkebir El Fassi. A driving force in the Moroccan struggle for independence from French colonial rule, Mr. El Fassi  was also a famed author. 

Ultimately, Dr. Berrah was released in exchange for several Spanish soldiers being held captive by the Moroccan Liberation Army in the Mediterranean port city of Tetouan, Morocco. His imminent arrival in Tetouan was heralded as a major victory for the liberation struggle, and he was greeted with some fanfare by Dr. El Khatib, head of the Moroccan Liberation Army. 

From then on, Dr. Berrah was adopted by the El Khatib family and treated as though, he was one of their very own. He also claimed them as his family and till today, their relationship continues to flourish. Nonetheless, anxious to re-engage in the liberation struggle, Dr. Berrah decided to enlist in the combat brigade, and underwent tactical military training in Tetouan.

Tetouan’s geographical and unique topography, was strategically advantageous to his covert guerrilla operations within Algeria. Once again, his organizational capabilities and militant activism, would serve as an invaluable asset, enabling him to spearhead the launch of the Algerian Underground Movement, earning him the code name, Dr. Mahjoub.

In Missour, a small town in northern Morocco, located in the Rif Mountains, he gave a new lease of life to an abandoned hospital which had been vacated by the resident French Doctors, and he set up a mobile medical practice there. As gratitude for his services, the local peasants would donate some livestock to aid in the Algerian liberation struggle. He managed to balance his schedule as a doctor at the hospital, while continuing to conduct covert guerrilla warfare as an Algerian liberation fighter.

After several months, he moved on to the Moroccan capital city of Rabat, to commence an Internship program at the Moulay Youssef hospital. Upon arrival in Rabat, he was introduced to many high profile individuals within the affluent political sectors in the country, mostly by Mrs. Fatima Hasssar, niece of Dr. El Khatib, and her husband, Mr. Larbi Hassar. The sudden surge in an expanded nucleus, helped pave the way for him to conduct fund raising activities for Algeria’s National Liberation Front (F.L.N). As an added bonus, he received some scholarships and endowments from four different Embassies.

In March of 1959, Dr. Berrah was invited to China  as the head of the youth wing of the F.L.N, to represent the youth of the third world countries. Upon arrival in China, he met with Chairman Mao Tse Dong and Prime Minister Chou En Lai, and traveled countrywide to various universities, where he lectured students about the Algerian conflict with France.

Shortly after he returned to Rabat from China, Dr. Berrah had a conversation with the cultural Attaché at the United States Embassy, Dr. Hammond, an acquaintance and an avid supporter of the Algerian struggle. He informed Dr. Berrah that the U.S had awarded ten scholarships to some elite students in Morocco  and expressed regrets that the Ministry of Education had reneged on the offer. He intimated that he saw an opportunity in that there was a possibility of re-awarding the scholarships to some Algerian students, if there was a way to get the green light from the Moroccan government. 

Dr. Berrah sought the help of his trusted friend, Mrs. Fatima Hassar, who in turn, approached Princess Lalla Aicha, daughter of King Mohammed V, the Sultan of Morocco. Soon thereafter, he was summoned to meet the Princess at a small reception in the Palace. Much to his delight, the Princess mentioned that she would use her influence to ensure that the U.S government’s scholarship program for elite Moroccan students, would be expanded to include prospective Algerian students. A defining moment with a positive twist of fate that would forever alter his destiny. He was soon awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States.

Accompanied by nine of his Algerian cohorts, they arrived in the U.S, where they were greeted by members of the Institute of International Education, in Washington, D.C. Some time later, Dr. Berrah set out to study at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, where he received a grant from the National Institute of Health Research, as he pursued his Masters in microbiology in 1961. He continued his studies in pursuit of a PhD, focusing on a more in-depth scientific research, and finally, he delivered a thesis on the selective and reversible inhibition of the synthesis of bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by phenetyl, earning him a doctorate in 1963.

The Medical Scientist

As a recognized man of science, some of Dr. Berrah’s discoveries were published in a number of medical journals, most notably, Journal of Bacteriology in 1961 and Biophysica ACTA in 1963. His accredited memberships include the American Society of Microbiology, The British society of Microbiology, SIGMA XI and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

At the Houston conference on viruses and cancer in 1963, he cited the theory of reverse transcriptase, also known as RNA-dependent DNA polymerase and established the hypothesis based on a DNA polymerase enzyme that transcribes single-stranded RNA into a single-stranded DNA – a synthesis that induces viral influence on the onset of cancer. The enzyme was isolated some twelve years later by David Baltimore, Howard Temin and Renato Dulbecco and the trio shared a Nobel Prize in 1975 for their contribution to Physiology or Medicine. The citation read – “for theirdiscoveries concerning the interaction between tumor viruses and the genetic material of the cell.”

Dr. Berrah went on to receive several offers to teach at some of the most prestigious Universities in the United States, including UCLA, Johns Hopkins and The United States Institute of Health. However, he chose to teach at the Yale School of Medicine, where he became one of the youngest professors on the faculty. He was awarded the Brown and Cox fellowships while at Yale. In 1983, he was inducted into the New York Academy of Science as a permanent member .

President Félix Houphouët-Boigny – A Meeting of Fate

During his tenure at the University of Indiana, Dr. Berrah would frequently conduct lectures at various Universities and Churches around the state, to inform on the Algerian War. He would also visit the United Nations on numerous occasions, in an effort to stay abreast of the Algerian Liberation struggle and other pertinent International Politics. 

Sometime in May of 1962, President Houphouët-Boigny of the Ivory Coast and his wife,Marie-Thérèse Houphouët-Boigny came to the United States as guests of honor of President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy. Through the assistance of the Ivorian Ambassador to the U.N, Mr. Usher Assouan, who happened to be a personal friend, Dr. Berrah was summoned to meet with President Houphouët at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City.

The meeting was very cordial, warm and relaxed. Despite having just met each other, the two men hit it off instantly like old friends. In a defining moment, President Houphouët’s humility would resonate in words so profoundly sincere – “Africa is in much need of you than the United States. We are in the process of building a country. Come and help us. You will be free to leave and go wherever you want to go. We have many things to do together.” Dr. Berrah asked the President to give him some time to think things over. 

He left the meeting and returned to Indianapolis to conclude the final phase of his doctorate. He however, remained in constant contact with the President. After Algeria achieved Independence from France in June of 1962, he travelled to his homeland, where he aspired to live a happy and peaceful life. But things did not go as expected. He disagreed with the newly elected President, Ben Bella’s Trotsky policies. Conversely, after only ten days in the country, Dr. Berrah decided to leave.

He returned to his tenure as a lecturer at Yale University in order to extrapolate on further research in virology. Throughout that period, he espoused that Africa would have to position itself on an equal level of development on par with the rest of the world, because he was convinced that leveling the playing field would usher in a new chapter, leading to peace and understanding amonghumankind. In 1965, he decided to respond to President Houphouët-Boigny’s request and report to duty in the Ivory Coast.

An Active and Discrete Diplomat – Special Envoy to the President

From the very beginning, President Houphouët-Boigny and Dr. Berrah developed a very deep bond and the ties that bound them together was quite unique. The President considered him a spiritual son, a younger brother and a close confidant. They were together and virtually inseparable from the moment Dr. Berrah arrived in the Ivory Coast in 1965, until the passing of the President in 1993. He helped the President on many levels as his Special Assistant. He was assigned the powers of a Special Envoy to act as a Diplomat at Large.

Dr. Berrah was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. To say that he was spontaneously witty would be an understatement. He was notorious for using his allure, calming demeanor, and soothing sense of humor to make light of even the most complex situation. 

Perhaps, it was a bit of the good old-fashioned chivalrous piety in the man, which prompted most who encountered his infectious personality to walk away with a reassuring feeling and a deep sense that anything was possible. He embodied a level of intellectual prowess and a tempered personal demeanor that most certainly would become the catalyst to his diplomatic successes. 

His pithy mannerisms and prolific negotiation skills would sometimes inspire even the most bitter rivals with entrenched convictions to laugh at themselves and promise to unite their dissimilar objectives and embrace peaceful solutions. These very unique attributes, bolstered by his knack for finding resolutions when confronting adversities on a global scale, earned him the unequivocal trust of the President. A message to President Anwar Sadat of Egypt in 1977, will indeed affirm President Houphouët-Boigny’s sentiments – “Dr. Berrah is the one in whom I place all my trust”.