Zohra Drif - Knowledge (XXG)

387:, was directed to carry out a bombing. Each of the women chose their own location for the bomb. While Samia Lakhdari selected Rue Michelet and Djamila Boupacha chose the Air France Office, Drif selected the popular Milk Bar Café to plant her bomb. In her memoir she recalls visiting the site prior to the attack and practicing her exact movements under timed conditions to perfect her act. Furthermore, on the day of the bombing she remembers dressing in a European style summer dress and getting a European haircut to ensure she would blend in at the café. While the bomb planted in the Air France Office did not explode, the one on Rue Michelet as well as Drif's at the Milk Bar Café did. Drif's attack killed three young women and injured others. 513:

priority employment, credit, taxi licenses and debit cards) granted by the Algerian state. The resistors, in part because of their place and influence, were assimilated into a space of privilege that can still cause problems. Drif was appointed to the Senate of Algeria and in her position, like others of the older moudjahidines, was targeted with much animosity. She was a victim of many accusation, all difficult to verify, but all very critical in the Algerian public. Most notably, in January 2014, her old companion in the resistance, Yacef Saâdi, accused her of selling out Ali La Pointe.

422:, Drif was responsible for monitoring the impact of the strike on citizens, especially women and children. She avoided the streets by climbing across the rooftops and spoke to women and children from their homes. Drif reflects on the strike and assesses that, in spite of the huge amount of violence and repression it triggered, it was an immense success and she suggests proved to the Colonial Authorities and France that Algeria would be successful in its struggle for independence. 33: 284:

struggle and suffered with mental health difficulties as a result. Also her relationship with Samia Lakhdari's family with whom she had philosophical debates which proved fundamental in founding her beliefs. Furthermore, Drif cites the influence of French Revolutionary and Enlightenment Philosophers as a key influence in her upbringings, in particular looking to the 1793 “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen,” as well as other key thinkers such as

348:

became especially important when Drif was involved in the bombing campaign and was able to disguise herself in European clothing to discreetly access parts of the city she would have otherwise not be allowed to go. She used such a disguise in the 1956 Milk Bar Café Bombing. Furthermore, the use of violence against women, especially young female students, was seen as especially damaging to the Colonial image and therefore employed by the

305: 493:

Ultimately she became the Vice President. During her time on the council, she presided over the "le Groupe d’amitié Algérie-France" (Algerian-French Goodwill group), where her role was to "promote relations of friendship between the French people," "relations of confidence" "between the Algerian and

347:

Drif has frequently explained her role in the revolution as well as the importance of women in the revolution. In her memoir, Drif supports the belief that women brought a unique asset to the movement and were able to complete tasks and operate under less suspicion than their male colleagues. This

512:

Although she was considered a heroine in the War of Algerian Independence by her generation, her place in political life has become criticised by younger generations. The moudjahidines that fought for the Algerian independence have been accused of taking privileges after the liberation (pensions,

425:

Immediately before her arrest, Drif was particularly passionate about bringing more women into the movement, seeing them as vital assets to its success. In particular her efforts were directed towards the establishment of the distinct women's branch of the FLN which would campaign against arrest,

417:

Furthermore, her involvement in the eight day strike, a movement to demonstrate the entire Algerian populations' dedication to the Freedom Movement was particularly significant and further brought the issue of independence to the international stage. In particular Drif was pivotal in coordinating

390:

In the aftermath of the attack, Drif recalls in her memoir feeling not guilt or shame but rather pride at her success. In particular she recalls feeling justified in her actions through the belief she was merely responding to years of colonial repression and violence. Furthermore, she reflects on

283:

affected her grades and she was forced to put her studies on hold. Drif developed ideals that were both feminist and anti-colonial. In her memoir, Drif cites her family and friends as a key influence on her ideals, in particular her mother but also her brother who was also involved in the freedom

528:

Drif also remained politically active after the war. For example, she was involved in demonstrations against the Family Code in the 1980s. Since her retirement from the Algerian government, she has gone on to publish her memoirs and participate in many speaking engagements around the world.

494:

French parliaments,"..." to discuss the problems that interest our two populations to be frank". In the same speech, she indicated that "since the Declaration of the 1 November 1954, the FLN said, and remained constant, that they fought against colonial forces and not the French people."

414:. While her ambitious plans for a bombing to be staged at the Préfecture were suppressed by those more senior in the movement, Drif's contributions remained significant. In particular she became a key figure in concealing and supporting those who were wanted by colonial authorities. 434:

Prior to her arrest, Drif was aware of the fact she was increasingly pursued by colonial authorities and from April 1957 she had had close calls with capture. Furthermore, the capture of those close to Drif including her friend

447:. Saâdi and Drif was taken by Villa Nador In the centre of Algiers. She was interviewed by the Colonial Authorities and held in solitary confinement but never subjected to the brutal torture methods synonymous with the regime. 442:

Drif's final safe house was on 4 rue Canton which she moved to in April 1957 and stayed in until her eventual capture and arrest on 22 September 1957. Drif was arrested alongside her colleague and military chief of the ZAA's

1132: 1297: 336:, initially participating mainly through delivering packages and supporting the struggle in distant ways. It was later, in 1956 that Drif became more involved in the armed ranks of the 1322: 1272: 296:. For Drif, the overwhelming contradiction of individual rights and liberties professed in French philosophy was a direct contradiction to her experiences of French Colonialism. 951: 426:

torture and abuse by the hands of Colonial Authorities. She was working on staging a large sit-in of women in front of the Préfecture and mobilising women to join this protest.

1317: 505:

was subject to much criticism and many of the same female militants, including Drif, who participated in the war continued to march in the 1980s against the Family Code and

1282: 490:. She went on to be one of the first women elected to the Algerian Council of the Nations, where she continued to work for 15 years. She was a member until January 2016. 398:

as alarming. Drif suggests this further cemented her dedication to the movement as it confirmed that the French Authorities did not see their dedication to principles of

391:

this attack as a decisive turning point as it triggered an international interest into the ‘Algerian Situation’ and brought the issue of independence to the world stage.

771: 1267: 1262: 685: 1327: 637: 1287: 418:

unions and guilds prior to the strike as well as giving advice to the wider popular as to how they could support the strike. Furthermore, alongside

399: 1332: 1124: 1307: 612: 575: 411: 349: 341: 337: 333: 313: 280: 276: 228: 213: 125: 114: 1277: 1107: 935: 1163: 1082: 1057: 1032: 1007: 982: 945: 918: 893: 827: 802: 746: 606: 235:

against French colonisation. She was a part of the FLN's bomb network and during the Algerian War of Independence, she worked with

1257: 458:. After her initial imprisonment, she was transferred between various French prisons. She published a 20-page treatise, entitled 539:

Drif, Zohra (2017). Inside the Battle of Algiers : Memoir of a Woman Freedom Fighter. Just World Books. ISBN 9781682570753.

356: 1312: 763: 525:. Drif and Bitat went on to have three children, and now have five grandchildren. They were married until his death in 2000. 394:

Furthermore, Drif recalls the ease with which the Colonial Authorities accused the innocent Algerian Communist Party-member

1302: 859: 1292: 551: 217: 1198:

Bennoune, Karima (1995). "Between betrayal and betrayal: fundamentalism, family law and feminist struggle in Algeria".

570: 259:

Drif was born into an upper class, traditional Algerian family and was raised in the countryside. She grew up in

670: 482:

After her liberation from prison, Drif went on to create an organization for youth who were orphaned during the

383:

On 30 September 1956, Drif's unit, consisting of her and two other female revolutionaries, Samia Lakhdari and

212:

and her father served as a lawyer and judge in Tiaret. She is best known for her activities on behalf of the

645: 32: 1252: 506: 174: 329: 248: 471: 325: 272: 189: 92: 1247: 1228: 498: 764:"Reality and Representation of Algerian Women: The Complex Dynamic of Heroines and Repressed Women" 275:

from 1954. It was at Lycée Fromentin that she met her close friend, and later fellow member of the

260: 197: 193: 1232: 1207: 321: 293: 240: 1180: 1159: 1103: 1078: 1053: 1028: 1003: 978: 941: 914: 889: 823: 798: 742: 602: 596: 467: 395: 719: 436: 419: 384: 372: 317: 455: 450:

In August 1958, Drif was sentenced to 20 years of hard labour by the military tribunal of

251:. Her time in the war is most known in connection with the Milk Bar Café bombing in 1956. 231:

and president of the National Assembly. In Algeria, she is considered as a heroine in the

205: 165: 304: 710:

Reid, Donald (1 October 2007). "The Worlds of Frantz Fanon's 'L'Algerie se devoile'".

1241: 364: 236: 483: 360: 232: 671:"Colonial and Post-Colonial Identities: Women Veterans of the "Battle of Algiers"" 565: 474:

in 1962. During her time in prison however, Drif had continued her legal studies.

410:

Following the Milk Bar Café bombing, Drif became more devoted to the work of the

522: 444: 368: 289: 244: 224: 188:(a militant of the Algerian War of Independence), and the vice-president of the 137: 185: 63: 324:. She joined the revolutionary movement early on during her studies at the 1211: 723: 263:. Drif's father was a well-established lawyer and reached the status of 1128: 487: 451: 268: 201: 72: 67: 1156: