Femmes algériennes pour un changement vers l'égalité (''Algerian women for a change towards equality'') or FACE is a women's organisation created during the
2019 Algerian "Hirak" protests and credited with the invention of the "feminist square",
a part of the Friday Hirak protests held in front of
Algiers 1 University.
Creation
A declaration establishing the ''Femmes algériennes pour un changement vers l'égalité'' was signed on 16 March 2019 by Saadia Gacem and Faïka Medjahed, members of the , ,
Habiba Djahnine
Habiba Djahnine is an Algerian film producer of particularly documentary films, curator of international film festivals, writer, essayist and feminist.
Life
Djahnine was born in 1968 in Tizi Ouzou. In the nineties she was one of the prominent ...
and sixteen other women. The declaration called for full equality between female and male citizens, announced "the creation of a feminist square which will take place every Friday in front of the main entrance of
Algiers 1 University () starting from 13:00" and called for equal representation of women in any citizens' projects aimed to resolve the aims of the Hirak protests.
Actions
Feminist square
FACE describes the ''feminist square'' as enabling women to group together in a way that overcomes ordinary practical difficulties in meeting up while remaining active in the Hirak protests. The feminist squares aim to be static for one hour and then to start moving with the main march.
The first feminist square () took place on Friday 22 March.
[This is the fifth Friday if 22 February is counted as the first Friday (popular usage) instead of 16 February (sources).]
The second took place on 29 March 2019, starting with the placing of banners. The female participants were verbally and physically assaulted
and their banners were torn by protestors who stated that "it's not the right time", that the women "were splitting the movement" and that equality is against Islam. Other protestors protected the feminist square women. Police asked the women to leave.
According to ''
Le Figaro
() is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...
'', the attack "damaged the image of a protest movement known for its pacifism and openness, especially for women".
, a member of FACE
responded to the demand to keep quiet by saying that "democracy will be made including women, with complete equality, or it won't be made".
The feminist square became a regular component of the Hirak demonstrations.
In the 1 November 2019 Hirak demonstration, one of the largest, feminist square protestors carried portraits of former female fighters.
Creation of MNFA
On 13 October in
Oran
Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...
, FACE and thirteen other feminist associations and coalitions, including the , established the ''Mouvement national des féministes algériennes'' (''National Movement of Algerian Feminists'', MNFA), rejecting the
Algerian Family Code "which enshrines permanent misogyny", opposing the
12 December third attempted presidential election "imposed by an antinational force detested by the people" and calling for the release of political prisoners.
Appeals
On 16 December 2019, following the election of
Abdelmadjid Tebboune
Abdelmadjid Tebboune (; born 17 November 1945) is an Algerian politician currently serving as the president of Algeria since December 2019 and as minister of defence.
Tebboune took over the power from former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika and f ...
in the
12 December third attempted presidential election, FACE and the ''feminist square'' declared that "Tebboune is not and never will be our president", denounced police repression, called for imprisoned protestors to be released and demanded that street protests, debates and political meetings of Hirak continue.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Femmes algériennes pour un changement vers l'égalité
Feminist organisations in Algeria
2019–2021 Algerian protests