Nassima Hablal

Nassima Hablal (September 15, 1928 – May 14, 2013) was an Algerian independence activist. She was one of the 10,949 women who fought in the Algerian revolution.[1] Hablal was active in the Algerian People's Party (APP) and was the secretary of Abane Ramdane at the CCE, the Coordinating and Execution Committee for one of the branches of the FLN.[2] She received the position secretary of the Committee for Coordination and Implementation [CEC] at the beginning of the movement.[3] Hablal strived to see her country free from French colonization.[4]

Independence work

Nassima was involved with the resistance efforts from 1945 to 1962 (starting when she was 17 years old).[5] She provided false identity cards to members of the FLN and frequently typed and distributed leaflets for the resistance.[1][6] Hablal became the secretary of Abane in 1955.[7] She took part in organizing the eight-day strike alongside other officials after becoming the first woman to join the General Union of Algerian Workers.

Eight-day strike

Hablal was part of the committee that organized the eight-day strike from January 28 – February 4, 1957. The strike appeared to be a success with most Muslim shops remaining shuttered; workers failed to turn up and children did not attend school. The French used armored cars and troops to round up workers and schoolchildren and force them to attend their work/studies. Thus, within a few days the strike had been broken.[8][9]

Arrest

Villa Susini

Hablal was arrested on 21 February 1957. She was sentenced to five years in prison and was brutally tortured in Villa Susini. It has been reported that she was hung upside-down from the ceiling and electrocuted.[10] She was later transferred to a prison in France.

Film 10949 women

Director Nassima Ghessoum created the film 10949 Women to commemorate the documented number of women who were involved in the Algerian independence movement from French colonization. The number was located in the officially listed in the file of the ministry of the veterans. Hablal's story is featured in the documentary.[2][4] 10949 Women was in competition at the 25th edition of FESPACO 2015 as part of the official selection.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b "Décès de Nassima Hablal, ancienne secrétaire de Abane Ramdane". Djazairess. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  2. ^ a b "Nassima Hablal: cette héroïne de l'indépendance algérienne a été oubliée, le film "10949 femmes" lui rend hommage". Le Huffington Post (in French). 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  3. ^ a b Ellerson, Beti (2015-02-16). "AFRICAN WOMEN IN CINEMA BLOG: Nassima Guessoum talks about her film "10949 femmes" (10949 women) of the Algerian revolution". AFRICAN WOMEN IN CINEMA BLOG. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  4. ^ a b "Dans les yeux de l'une des 10949 moudjahidates". L'Humanité (in French). 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  5. ^ "Nassima Hablal, la liberté en héritage | L'Humanité". 2017-10-09. Archived from the original on 2017-10-09. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  6. ^ "Nassima Hablal, l'héroïne de l'ombre..." Djazairess. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  7. ^ "Décès de Nassima Hablal, elle était la secrétaire d'Abane Ramdane". Le Matin d'Algérie (in French). Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  8. ^ Horne, Alistair (1977), A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962, New York Review (published 2006), pp. 190–2, ISBN 978-1-59017-218-6
  9. ^ Evans, Martin Algeria: France's Undeclared War, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012 page 207.
  10. ^ "Biographie de la défunte Nassima Hablal, secrétaire du CCE". 2016-07-03. Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 2018-08-19.