The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting (1983)
“La Zerda and the songs of oblivion” (1982) is one of only two films made by the Algerian novelist Assia Djebar, with “La Nouba des femmes du mont Chenoua” (1977). Powerful poetic essay based on archives, in which Assia Djebar – in collaboration with the poet Malek Alloula and the composer Ahmed Essyad – deconstructs the French colonial propaganda of the Pathé-Gaumont newsreels from 1912 to 1942, to reveal the signs of revolt among the subjugated North African population. Through the reassembly of these propaganda images, Djebar recovers the history of the Zerda ceremonies, suggesting that the power and mysticism of this tradition were obliterated and erased by the predatory voyeurism of the colonial gaze. This very gaze is thus subverted and a hidden tradition of resistance and struggle is revealed, against any exoticizing and orientalist temptation.
Screenplay
Keywords
algeria, woman director, french colonialism, anti-colonialism, maghreb, panafricanism
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting about?
- “La Zerda and the songs of oblivion” (1982) is one of only two films made by the Algerian novelist Assia Djebar, with “La Nouba des femmes du mont Chenoua” (1977). Powerful poetic essay based on archives, in which Assia Djebar – in collaboration with the poet Malek Alloula and the composer Ahmed Essyad – deconstructs the French colonial propaganda of the Pathé-Gaumont newsreels from 1912 to 1942, to reveal the signs of revolt among the subjugated North African population. Through the reassembly of these propaganda images, Djebar recovers the history of the Zerda ceremonies, suggesting that the power and mysticism of this tradition were obliterated and erased by the predatory voyeurism of the colonial gaze. This very gaze is thus subverted and a hidden tradition of resistance and struggle is revealed, against any exoticizing and orientalist temptation.
- Who directed The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting?
- The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting was directed by Assia Djebar.
- How long is The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting?
- The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting has a runtime of 57m (57 minutes).
- What genre is The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting?
- The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting is a Drama, Documentary film.
- Where was The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting produced?
- The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting was produced in Algeria.