Majida Boulila (12 November 1931 – 4 September 1952) was a

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Latin " ...

. Boulila, born Majida Baklouti, was a figure in the

Tunisian national movement The Tunisian national movement was a sociopolitical movement, born at the beginning of the 20th century, which led to the fight against the French protectorate of Tunisia and gained Tunisian independence in 1956. Inspired by the ideology of the Y ...

and a symbol of the liberation of Tunisian women. Boulila was arrested by French colonial authorities for her political activities within the

Neo Destour The New Constitutional Liberal Party ( ar, الحزب الحر الدستوري الجديد, '; French: ''Nouveau Parti libéral constitutionnel''), most commonly known as Neo Destour, was a Tunisian political party founded in 1934 by a group o ...

party. She was detained in the

Téboursouk Téboursouk ( aeb, تبرسق ') is a town and commune in the Béja Governorate, Tunisia. It is located at 36° 27′ 26″N, 009° 14′ 54″E. Population In 2004 it had a total population of 10,987,Sfax Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean ...

, where she died 4 September 1952 of

postpartum bleeding Postpartum bleeding or postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is often defined as the loss of more than 500 ml or 1,000 ml of blood following childbirth. Some have added the requirement that there also be signs or symptoms of low blood volume for ...

. Today, the largest avenue of Sfax and a mixed school (formerly a girls' high school) on the street are dedicated to her. A club attached to the Regional Cultural Committee of the city of Sfax that bears her name works towards Tunisian women's advancement.

Early life

Majida grew up in a patriotic family, known for her affiliation with the Constitutional Free Party, her attachment to the struggle, and her opposition to French colonialism. Majida practiced her primary education at the Sidi Saadeh School, then at the Al Hilal “Arabic French” School in the old city of Sfax, which earned her an educational level that surpassed many of the girls of her generation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulila, Majida Tunisian feminists 1931 births 1952 deaths Deaths_in_childbirth Prisoners who died in French detention