Algiers, March 8, 1990

Catherine Tessier

Courtesy Caroline Brac de la Perrière. Editing Amine Kouti (2022). Subtitles Amine Bendjoudi. On March 8, 1990, Algiers was the stage of an imposing march of women organized at the call of feminist associations, most of which were created in 1989. Algeria was beset by a political turmoil after the adoption of a new pluralist Constitution in February 1989, which put an end to the era of the single party National Liberation Front (FLN). Among the groups that formed these associations, some had been active clandestinely since the 1970s and 1980s in the form of collectives, university committees or film clubs. After 1989, associations have been able to carry out their actions publically and legally, during the so-called democratic " breach " (from 1989 to 1992). The demonstration of March 8, 1990 in Algiers was one of the most important demonstrations of that time. It brought together women’s organizations from all over the country to march in the city center of the capital and claim the right to full citizenship without discrimination. A citizenship that the Family Code denied to women, even though the Constitution guarantees this right. The film is a 15' edit made in 2022, from images shot by Catherine Teissier during the gala and the march of March 8, 1990. Teissier has given a tape of his images to an activist, Caroline Brac de la Perrière, who gave us access to a digitized version of the 2 hours rushes.
Country: ALlgeria
Time: 15'
Year: 1990