The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies hosted a talk with Mme. Zohra Drif to discuss her newly published memoir Inside the Battle of Algiers: Memoir of a Woman Freedom Fighter. Ambassador Joan Polaschik also spoke at the event, on a panel with Professor Lahra Smith. Mme. Drif’s talk was followed by a brief reception and book signing.
Mme. Drif is a recently retired Vice-President of the Algerian Senate. In an earlier era, she was a key activist in her people’s struggle for liberation from the grip of French colonialism. Indeed, she played a key role in the historic Battle of Algiers (1956-7), a battle that was a tactical victory for the French but that contributed to the victory of the Algerian freedom struggle just five years later.
We were excited that, 60 years after 1957, Mme. Drif could join us here at Georgetown to explore themes of anti-colonial resistance, women’s involvement in liberation movements, and more.