The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting
“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.
- Writer
- Assia Djebar
- Director
- Assia Djebar
- Writer
- Malek Alloula
Questions
- Is The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting free to watch?
- Not on Filmghar: we only play films and episodes that are in the public domain or that the owner has made free. We'll show it here as soon as it is free.
- Where can I watch The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting in Pakistan?
- We couldn't find a streaming service carrying The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting in Pakistan right now.
- What kind of film is The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting?
- The Zerda or the Songs of Forgetting (1983) is a drama, documentary film.
