?How did colonialism tarnish the "reputation" of Algerian women
French colonialism was not satisfied with occupying the Algerian land, plundering its resources, and displacing the Algerian people, but its plans extended to attempting to dismantle society and strike at its essence and its most important component, i.e. women.
The stereotype that he wanted to attach to the women of the Awlad Nayel tribe, who are among the most important tributaries of the Algerian people and inhabit the Saharan Atlas and their numbers are estimated in the thousands, is that they are easy to reach, and it is the most prominent example of the distortions that were engineered by colonialism.
Under the bright sun of the northern Algerian desert, and in a harsh nature in which water is scarce and unfriendly to agriculture, the women of the Oulad Nayle, for centuries, constitute an amazing picture that combines contradictions. Their dances and melodies tell a story of a history full of challenge, steadfastness and struggle, and they have an important place in their society, while preserving its conservative traditions.
A "sexual fantasy" for the success of the military campaign to occupy Algeria
The paintings of the French painter "Eugène Delacroix" top the walls of the French Louvre Museum, but the most controversial and present is the painting "3 Algerian Women in Their Bed", which Delacroix painted at the beginning of the campaign of the French occupation of Algeria.
A French politician stated in 1837, saying: "It is difficult to imagine the fate of the campaign had it not been for Delacroix's paintings. It played a decisive role in luring Europeans to come to Africa and try to discover the magic of Algeria, fantasy, and the acquisition of land and women."
The use of pictures of naked women in postcards and plastic paintings was part of the French colonial strategy to recruit French citizens into the French army as part of the campaign to occupy Algeria in 1830, where French painters and artists promoted under the cover of the French colonial institution imaginary paintings and drawings of naked Algerian women with sexual overtones that depict Algerian women as She is imprisoned in her bed, knows only to give pleasure to men, is pathetic and desirous at the same time, suffers from oppression, and sometimes she is naked, seductive, and lying in relaxation and pampering.
All these drawings inflamed the imaginations of the French and prompted them to participate in the military campaign to occupy a land that was unknown to them, and they only knew about it with the illusions planted by the occupation’s propaganda before they fell into the mud of the Algerian resistance, and they really only saw steadfast grinning faces, and they only smelled the smell of gunpowder.
The Egyptian writer Mamdouh Al-Sheikh says, in his book "Sexual Orientalism", that France represents a model of what he calls "the sexual tendency of colonialism", and he goes on to say that "the West needed this glamorous image to justify its occupation of the East", and the author believes that the sexy female body was The most present and significant in the paintings of orientalists, especially those for whom novels such as "A Thousand and One Nights" constituted an emotional reference that ignited their imagination.
The writer pointed out that the French made huge efforts and entered into a massive battle during the campaign to occupy Algeria and mobilized for it the richest and most diverse resources, and drawing was one of them, through which they embodied the Algerian woman without the clothes of her decency and chastity, which she was guarding to appear with in that period of time. It goes by different names: "Al-Hayek, Al-Melhafa, and Al-Mala'a...".
Women for fun and dancing
The occupation of Algeria cost France great blood, lives and money, and decades of time to reach the outskirts of the desert after fierce wars and resistance, the most important of which was led by Prince Abdul Qadir al-Jazairi, but the new colonized lands were not suitable for cultivation and the nature in them tended to cruelty, and this led to the reluctance of French settlers to residing in it, so France practiced its previous methodology to lure settlers from countries such as Italy, Spain and Malta, and deluded them that the lands in which the Awlad Nayel tribes lived were full of pleasure and pleasures, especially the Nayla woman.
And based on a social study entitled “Dancers and Prostitution in the Awlad Nayel Areas between Reality and Myth,” by the Algerian historian specializing in anthropology, Dr. Barkahem Farhati, the city of Bou Saada, a land of the Awlad Nayel tribes in which the researcher conducted her study, was considered an area “unsuitable” for colonial settlement for a period long, and remained far from the influences that accompanied the colonial tide. Therefore, it was able to preserve its ancient social characteristics for a long time, until the colonizer decided for it a tourist future, which it wanted in the form that would entice European tourists thirsty for the sun as well as oriental women, and many cabarets were built similar to what spread in Egypt under another name “Morisque cafés”, or "Cafes of vanity", and inside it is a dance and singing arena, tables serving wine and food, and stairs leading to rooms of prostitution.
The author emphasized that the local community preserved its privacy and cultural heritage in the face of colonial influences, and struggled to protect its values and traditions. He managed to preserve his own cultural identity, including the conservative ones, and continued to practice his traditions.
And the French writer Ebertine Auckler, in her book published in 1901, titled “Arab Women in Algeria,” mentions that the notables of the city of Al-Manea, which is one of the cities of the Oulad Nile, wrote to the colonial authorities and threatened to burn the French barracks and revolution in the event of building nightclubs in their city.
The impact of "Dini" drawings in promoting the misconception of the women of Awlad Nayel
Drawings and novels played a major role in shaping the stereotyped image of the women of the children of Nile, the most important of which is the paintings of the painter Etienne Denny, in the period before his conversion to Islam and the culture of the region.
Denny's paintings still top Google results when searching for the culture of the children of Nile, and have contributed negatively to the world's understanding of these women and their history.
The Niles used dance as a coded sign language that only the Niles could understand during the War of Independence
The novel "Khadra... The Dancer of Nael's Sons" is a literary work published a century ago. It is considered one of the first modern Algerian novels. It tells the story of Khadra, the peacock's daughter, who used to work as a dancer in cabarets with her mother in the cities of Bou Saada and Ghardaia in Algeria. Two names were printed on the cover, Etienne Digne and Suleiman Ben Ibrahim.
However, the critics wrote otherwise, led by the journalist and novelist Saeed Khatibi, who wrote an article entitled "Nael's Children... Exiting the Realm of Orientalism", in which he asserted that Etienne Denny at that stage was part of a commercial strategy to attract readers and promote this book, as it was A well-known French plastic artist and writer, but at that time he did not know the details of the areas mentioned in the novel because of his bourgeois life in cities far from the desert.
According to the writer, the novel is part of a series of works that promote stereotypes and "colonial clichés" about women in the Awlad Nael region, where they are portrayed as tender, impulsive women looking for men and pleasure.
The writer said that Etienne Denny, at a stage in his life, whether deliberately or influenced by the colonial curriculum, contributed to the efforts to consolidate these images in the minds of Europeans, "where the so-called 'cafes of vanity' spread, a chain of cafes that spread in the south of the country, which in the evening turns into amusement parks." Its customers are tourists and recruits in the army, or employees of the occupied interests. Cities in the north of the desert almost turned into European cities, and became a destination for them (and here it must be noted that it was the destination of men, not women, because the game was limited to seducing one sex without the other).
Etienne Dini succeeded in reinforcing this cliché and spreading it in the minds of Algerians, and they could not get rid of its influence after independence. Carnival in Dashra.
The women of Ouled Nayel and their dances
Away from the colonial clichés about the Nile woman, the researcher finds that women in this region are attached to their originality and are proud of their culture, especially dancing.
The Niley dance is a unique traditional dance in Algeria. Some historical sources narrate that Niley women used the dance as a coded sign language that only Nileis could understand during the war of independence to convey messages to the revolutionaries without being discovered by the colonizer.
There are two different stories for the "Nayli" dance, one for women is called "the pigeon dance", and the other for men is called "the fighter's dance" or "the knight".
The pigeon dance is a symbol of femininity and grace, and is characterized by smooth and light movements similar to the movements of a dove. The woman wears white dress and dances with soft and calm movements, keeping her head high and moving her shoulders quietly. This dance uses gentle gestures to communicate between a man and a woman, as it symbolizes that a woman is a real housewife and is good at household chores such as kneading, weaving and spinning.
As for the fighter's dance, it reflects the martial and equestrian aspect of the "Awlad Nayel" culture. Men dance with movements similar to dressage and horse training, and often carry a gun or gunpowder during the dance, reflecting their pride in their revolutionary history and fighting skills.
In addition to dancing, women's dress in Awlad Nayel is part of the local heritage. The women wear the nile, a beautiful piece of cloth used for dances and events. They also put a feather on their heads to increase their elegance and to express their belonging to the "Awlad Nile" region.
In this way, the "Nayli" dance reflects the cultural traditions and values of the "Awlad Nayel" population in Algeria, and carries symbols and connotations that express adoration, love, and pride in the history and cultural identity of the region.
Fashion that expresses authentic culture and traditions
As for the traditional Nayle dress for women, it consists of multiple pieces, including the jubbah, the cloak, the bowl, the khamari, the zamalah, the hawat, and the bithur.
The wrap is an important part of the outfit, and it is placed on the back of the woman and fastened on the shoulders in the front. The costume also includes the “Zamalah” headdress, and the “forelock” or “forehead” jewelry, which is a necklace of silver or gold that is worn on the woman’s forehead.
In addition, Nayle women use many other adornments, such as anklets, irons, belts, and sahabs. All these elements contribute to highlighting beauty, elegance, and women's expression of their cultural and heritage identity.
In conclusion, it can be said that the women of the Nile children are too big to be reduced to a mere stereotype drawn by colonialism and circulated in literature and novels. They are faces of struggle, strength and culture that deserve to be the focus of attention, as they left a mark in Algeria's history and form part of its culture.
Source : websites