Between 'porte-parole' and 'porte-mémoire': Assia Djebar's cinematic voice in the Maghreb

This article studies the roles of women as guardians of cultural heritage and national identity, which they preserve and transmit to the younger generations. While their role as 'porte-mmoire' has been recognized as key to preserving national identity, their story as warriors is sacrificed...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of Francophone studies 2012-08, Vol.15 (1), p.53-77
Main Author: Salhi, Zahia Smail
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:This article studies the roles of women as guardians of cultural heritage and national identity, which they preserve and transmit to the younger generations. While their role as 'porte-mmoire' has been recognized as key to preserving national identity, their story as warriors is sacrificed. This study argues that this sacrifice was made in order to uphold male honour as the guardians and defenders of the nation, and to hide the story of rape in colonial prisons, which signifies a direct assault on male honour. Assia Djebar's novels and films position her as the woman who can now write about those who could not, as the 'porte-parole' who worked to eternalize the story that orality failed to transmit. The analysis of La Nouba des femmes du mont Chenoua (1978) shows how Djebar creates a space for voices to be heard, as she defeats the eternal silence which threatens the existence of her women compatriots.
ISSN:1368-2679
1758-9142
DOI:10.1386/ijfs.15.1.53_1