El Moudjahidate, Invisible to Visible

'Nadja Makhlouf’s photographs are a testimony to what has been too long a predictable historical process; at pivotal moments in history women have been at the vanguard  but once the dust settles they are expunged from the mainstream narrative. Who were those women that were depicted so heroically in "The Battle of Algiers" but still appear without a name? As a teacher of music history to young producers one of the first points I make is the absurdity  that it took decades before the innovations of musicians like Delia Derbyshire and Sister Rosetta Tharp were finally lauded. The historical definition placed on women is that of the “unsung heroine” and that is a trope that these brilliant photo biographies do much to counter in the context of the Algerian Independence struggle. The exhibition shows the incredible determination and unspeakable hardship of these women's lives across a wide range of skillsets and backgrounds  that at last are given their pride of place in the anti-colonial lexicon.'

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