Habiba

Habiba, the daughter of Harkis, who was destined to be stuck in the nostalgia of a war-torn country, reveals the signs of a transformation. Working in a weaving workshop, she becomes an artist.

Since her arrival in the Rivesaltes transit camp in 1964, Habiba has never ceased to push herself. She joined the Lodève carpet workshop in 1975, where most workers were wives and daughters of Harkis. There, where exceptional carpets are woven, she quickly became head of the workshop. She fought long and hard for better working conditions and resisted the post-colonial attitude of her superiors. The administration, worried about losing a submissive, illiterate and cheap workforce, demoted her. Habiba stayed for thirty-three years, during which she took hundreds of photos of the women who worked there, revealing the daily lives of the Harkis' wives and the communal isolation imposed on them. With these photos, Habiba tells the story of this discrimination, while at the same time freeing herself from it.

Today, Habiba is an artist and shares her story with us, supported by the poignant testimonies of her family and friends, the photos she took during her years in the workshop and her artwork.