Since the days of the revolutionary women of Algeria, who declared just in 1958 at a national independence meeting in Casablanca that, “You are making a revolution against colonial oppression, but you continue to oppress women; Be careful, it is certain that there will be another revolution after the independence of Algeria: the women's revolution", Algeria has been the name of an unforgettable geography, which always crosses path of one, who aims to discover the historical links between anti-colonialism, freedom and women's struggle. And the young activist Nassiba Kebal, who was tortured after being arrested by the colonial powers, Amira Merabet burned alive because she refused a man in El Khroub, Katia Bengana, who was killed because she refused to enter hijab. Many women have also become the name of Algeria, as their names have been deeply memorized in the struggle of Arab women even though tried to erased from the pages of the history.

 

The fire, in which women's struggle, which has witnessed militant and anti-colonial actions has risen in Algeria, is still burning even though it has its ups and downs due to the waves of rebellion in the Arab geography. The Andalusian folk songs, which are mixed with the salt of the Mediterranean expanding from the deserts of Sahara with the mourning of their dead, who were shot from the forehead and came ashore to the beaches, tell a lot about the oral heritage of history. To learn this history more, we asked Dr. Fairouz Recham what the women, who were reborn from their ashes among the colonial fires that surrounded the North Africa each time, despite the subdue and persecution they suffered, would tell to their sisters among the oppressed people around the world, in the eve of March 8.

 

Dr. Fairouz Recham, a writer and an academic researcher, currently in Bouira University in Algeria, spoke to our agency about the history and the demands of Algerian women, who inspires both anti-colonial struggle and women's freedom struggle as she shared her evaluations regarding the women's movement in general in the light of March 8.

 

Dear Dr. Fairouz Recham, Algeria has a long history of struggle of national liberation, with anti-colonialist resistance and of course the Revolution. How is the role of women in this long culture of struggle?

 

The role of women in the Algerian revolution was important and essential, whether by carrying weapons in the field or with the help of the soldiers (Mujahdin) and supporting them with food, medicine, and the delivering messages, news, etc. The revolution is carried out by society as a one, and the women’s role cannot be separated from men at this point. The archive witnesses the role and importance of women.

 

What have been the political demands Algerian women in the recent years?

 

The feminist struggle in Algeria, as well as in all Arab countries, is still at the beginning of the road. However, what has been achieved so far is not little. After Algeria's independence, the women's struggle was focused on education and work, and later expanded to political and economic participation. However, Algeria's entering the black decade and drowning it in a violent wave of terrorism stopped everything. After the country emerged from that crisis, it was difficult for everyone to start a new life and continue the struggle, as the condition of women became more severe than at any time in the contemporary history of Algeria due to Islamic extremist thought, which worked mainly to restrict women and impose unjust and violent social laws.

 

What are the biggest obstacles standing in front of struggling Algerian women, all the struggling Arab women who rises against the regimes of their country throughout North Africa?

 

The problem of women in Algeria and in the Arabic and North African countries is a cultural and social problem rather than a political one, where extremist Islamic thought still controls and manages people's minds, in addition to the culture and traditions that have not changed despite the development of life, which control the fate of women and restrict their movement. In this respect, there is kind of hostility against women and fear of emancipation and progress in life. However, since the laws were not amended in favor of women, it can be said that there is no political will to change the situation.

 

We have just finished 2019, which has become the stage of massive and spreading women protests all around the world. How do you evaluate the woman struggle and feminist practice against patriarchal system in a global scale in general?

 

Because the patriarchy has dominated human societies for centuries, we find that women suffer everywhere in the world, but in different degrees and ways. Despite all the changes that the world has witnessed in favor of human rights, racism against women still persists. In my opinion, the feminist struggle will take an important turning point in the future and will force all policies and ideologies to integrate women into their plans and take into account their needs and aspirations.

 

In the constant protests against the regime in Algeria throughout the last year, we have seen that women raised their demands for equal rights and for freedom, portraying a certain political feminine stand against fundamentalist-Islamic pressures. How do you evaluate Algerian women’s struggle of freedom with its relation to religious/sectarian authoritarianism? 

 

In recent years, the feminist struggle has returned to activity in Algeria. With the beginning of the popular movement that characterized last year, women were strongly present in the scene, and they demonstrated great political awareness. At the same time, they raised again women's rights issues, focusing mainly on the need to amend civil laws in their favor, especially relating to marriage, divorce, custody, inheritance and other legal and religious issues that had not been reviewed for years, and which no longer responded to the requirements of reality. This is the new bet for all feminists in the world. In other words, creating laws that protect women, and raising generations that respect them spontaneously, not forcibly...

 

Arab women in North Africa and women in general in the Middle East seem to be more active in the massive people movements. Indeed, like in the case of Sudan, Iraq and Lebanon, women are directly on the frontline of the protests and women become the symbols of resistances. How do you evaluate increasing and leading role of the women in North Africa and Middle East protests?

 

Every popular revolution that does not include women in its project is a failed revolution from the beginning. It is the happy and balanced societies that have ended every ideological struggle between the sexes (men and women) for the benefit of humanity. The coming revolutions will be more feminine and women will have a loud voice because the barrier of fear has been broken, then the women of today are not like the women of yesterday, they are armed with knowledge and awareness, and they have understood very well that the patriarchal system will not give them anything, and that any desired change must be made by women by themselves.

 

Dr. Fairouz Recham before my last question could you tell about your writings and work about women today? 

 

I am interested in women's issues, society and culture, and I work to understand the phenomena with academic logic away from any ideological fanaticism. In my novel entitled "I was honored with your departure" published in 2017, I addressed the problem of violence against women in Algeria, and the danger of extremist religious thought to society. Soon I will publish a new book on the history of women in Arab culture, in which I researched the reasons for the absence of women from the written history of societies despite their active contribution to it and other issues related to writing and gender. 

 

Would you like to share a message of solidarity with our readers in the light of upcoming March 8?

 

The patriarchal system is not a final law for life but rather a temporary law despite its long existence. And it will be reversed with every progress that women in the world are making. Its existence depends on their reaction and respond. So every woman should never underestimate what she presents to feminism and humanity, no matter how little.