Egypt: And this one goes to Djamila Bouhired
Algeria's 75-year-old activist and revolutionist Djamila Bouhired, is ill and is beseeching her country and countrymen to finance her medical treatment. The news has infuriated many Egyptian bloggers who see her as an Arab icon and a hero.
Writing at Egyptian Chronicles, Zeinobia believes that we as Arabs are good at destroying national heros:
Djamila Bouhired has sent an open letter to the Algerian State and people to help her in her illness. The famous Arab nationalist heroine of 1960s who became a symbol of independence in the whole Arab world is begging from the Algerian government !! The woman is asking the government to help her especially as a woman of national pride and dignity she refused aids from the Gulf :(
Djamila's situation reminded Zeinobia of our own Egyptian war veterans:
she has brothers in Egypt from 1973 Suez resistance veterans whose pension is disgrace forcing them to work as drivers on micro-buses in Suez. Those veterans stood against Sharon for weeks defending our dignity !! In fact she has brothers and sisters across the Arab world , those who did not think too long when they gave their lives to the nation but the nation is thinking too long to give them back what they do deserve.
Instead of football wars, Zeinobia wished that:
our relations would have been in better condition , it would be great if we send to Djamila the best of our physicians or invite her to Cairo again as she has been always a welcomed guest.
Nawara Negm posted two videos on her blog; the first video is a message from the Algerian Kommondoss Team welcoming her among them and offering to pay her medical expenses. The second is a video of an Algerian explaining to the whole world who Djamila Bouhired is and how the Arab world has let her down!
Nawara commented saying:
Tarek Ez ElDen posted her letter to the Algerian President Bouteflika; Djamila's letter says:
She also urged the president to stop his continuous “insult” by revisiting the “humble pension given to the people who fought for their country – people who deserve to live the little that's left in their lives with dignity.”
7 comments
How we could help? I am missing this point. Thank you
For Algerians Djamila Bouhired is a national heroine. To all of us she, along with other woman of her generation, will forever be a symbol of courage, determination and patriotism. She and her ‘sisters’ at arms fought-alongside the men- for the independence of all Algerians. Djamila Bouhired is the lynchpin of all of these women who suffered countless atrocities so that the rest of us could have our liberty and so that Algeria could have her self-autonomy.
These women and their male conterparts were promised just recompense for their sacrifices for the cause of independence. Now, almost 50 years after her heroism, she suffers ill health-as do others who fought in the war against the French colonists. By mandate and constitution, health care is supposedly available to all Algerians; by mandate, the soldiers of the war were to receive adequate pensions. But as with all promises and legislation born of men with their self-ascribed power, the promises are broken and the mandates are ignored, not only for Djamila Bouhired and her compatriotes, but for the rest of Algerians.
At 75 years of age, Djamila Bouhired demands that those mandates and promises be fulfilled by the government which made them. So, at an advanced age, she strikes out once more on the path of independence, and like Kahena, becomes again a warrior princess in the cause which is Algeria and her people. In so doing, she reminds the rest of us that we who are Algerian, have the obligation to join in her struggle, another battle of Algiers; another fight to retain and maintain our own independence and to hold the governament to account for doing what is right and just.
Djamila Bouhired demands that she, her compatriotes, and the rest of us be given what was promised: our liberte, protection and dignity and the means to maintain these rights. That is her clarion call. She asks that we Algerians join her in this effort, in effect reminding us that Allah helps those who help themselves.
c est un message codè SOUS FORME DE BOMBE COMME A LL HABITUDE TRES BIEN REGLEE/: L ALGERIE EST MALADE UNE AFFECTION MALIGNE LA RONGE DEPUIS 62 LE SEUL TRAITEMENT EST COUTEUX IL EST CHIRURGICAL LES GRANDNE TENDENT JAMAIS LA MAIN TES FRERES/ TES SOEURS , LEURS DECENDANCE ONT RECU TON MESSAGE VIVE DJAMILA NOTRE ALGERIE
– quoi c’est l’hysterie egyptienne qui s’en prend a nos symboles, honte a ceux qui detiennent les clefs du mystère et laissent la dignite historique mendier l’assistance pour une prise en charge, or des debiles consommes des sommes atroces pour rassasier leur soif su monsonge.
im a radio presenter my name Sammi Ibrahemit will be very very importent to intereviw djamila bouhired in order to resarve our history. Please help me to get her contact if you can.
ibrahemsammi@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.fightbak.org.uk
Sorry for Djamita’s illness… I would like to ask her
In 1954 or later.. did she know Marcel Leopold. He
was assasinated by the French for working with the
FLN..
How can I help this wonderful woman?