A new friend of mine was invited to MC a conference “on the state of the Algerian woman” at the cultural house last week. Apparently each wilaya was to send a small delegation of women to attend the conference. She said that when she got on stage she saw a group of men staring back at her.
There are still more men who work in the theatre than women in Algeria--the opposite of the states where men have a much easier time getting cast than women. And LIKE in the US, women are less likely to be directors. But the administration of most theatres seems to be women. It’s the old thing of women running the show behind the scenes and the men the face of the space.
Bejaia is the only city in Algeria where I have ever sat at a café on my own. There is a café in the Place Gueydon where women go regularly. It’s a mixed, mutually respected space. Otherwise I do go into cafés that are typically part of a male space. But I go in a group or with another male. I always judge the atmosphere of the café by the amount of women seated. Hundreds of intellectuals have written about this clear division of space in this part of the world—and what it means when a woman or a man enter into a space not designated for them…in this country of contradictions those spaces are shifting…but at the speed of a snail.
This week I am staying with one of the women who will work on the KFP. She and her mom live alone. It is almost impossible to rent as a woman here according to the director a women’s organization here in Bejaia.
I should have 9 at the first KFP meeting on Tuesday. One young woman I talked to who had said she was interested in the project said “no problem, Taous, I’ll be there Tuesday, that’s not a problem.” As if she is doing me a favor. I guess maybe…I am the one who had the idea in the first place…
Another actor who is currently working on a show at the TRB came running up to me the other day and said “Taous I found you two actors on the bus.” On the bus? He picked up two women on the bus and promised them a part in my play…
Below are some recent comments that have come in my direction. The hard part to digest coming from the states is that these are the comments of my Grandmother’s generation. But I always feel so conflicted because Algeria is such a different context I hesitate to compare the two places so directly. At the same time when I share these comments with my new friends in the artistic community they roll their eyes and say “come on, it’s 2008.”
“A woman should have a job that allows her to keep house and take care of her children.”
“As soon as a woman has children she is condemned to the home.”
“The most important part of a Kabyle woman’s life is to satisfy her husband.”
“This is not the USA. This is Africa. Don’t forget you can’t behave like an American.”
“Men who travel have nothing to worry about. But for a woman it’s different. It’s harder for them to figure things out on their own.”
There are still more men who work in the theatre than women in Algeria--the opposite of the states where men have a much easier time getting cast than women. And LIKE in the US, women are less likely to be directors. But the administration of most theatres seems to be women. It’s the old thing of women running the show behind the scenes and the men the face of the space.
Bejaia is the only city in Algeria where I have ever sat at a café on my own. There is a café in the Place Gueydon where women go regularly. It’s a mixed, mutually respected space. Otherwise I do go into cafés that are typically part of a male space. But I go in a group or with another male. I always judge the atmosphere of the café by the amount of women seated. Hundreds of intellectuals have written about this clear division of space in this part of the world—and what it means when a woman or a man enter into a space not designated for them…in this country of contradictions those spaces are shifting…but at the speed of a snail.
This week I am staying with one of the women who will work on the KFP. She and her mom live alone. It is almost impossible to rent as a woman here according to the director a women’s organization here in Bejaia.
I should have 9 at the first KFP meeting on Tuesday. One young woman I talked to who had said she was interested in the project said “no problem, Taous, I’ll be there Tuesday, that’s not a problem.” As if she is doing me a favor. I guess maybe…I am the one who had the idea in the first place…
Another actor who is currently working on a show at the TRB came running up to me the other day and said “Taous I found you two actors on the bus.” On the bus? He picked up two women on the bus and promised them a part in my play…
Below are some recent comments that have come in my direction. The hard part to digest coming from the states is that these are the comments of my Grandmother’s generation. But I always feel so conflicted because Algeria is such a different context I hesitate to compare the two places so directly. At the same time when I share these comments with my new friends in the artistic community they roll their eyes and say “come on, it’s 2008.”
“A woman should have a job that allows her to keep house and take care of her children.”
“As soon as a woman has children she is condemned to the home.”
“The most important part of a Kabyle woman’s life is to satisfy her husband.”
“This is not the USA. This is Africa. Don’t forget you can’t behave like an American.”
“Men who travel have nothing to worry about. But for a woman it’s different. It’s harder for them to figure things out on their own.”
No comments:
Post a Comment