ABSTRACT
The spectacular survival of Berber (as a language and culture) is mainly due to women who have, like Berber itself, been marginalized for long centuries and are now slowly feminizing the public spheres in North Africa. Of these women, Kahina looms big as a genuine symbol of resistance. This symbol is part of the historical trajectories of Berber and women, and has been the intrinsic link between the two in the construction of North Africa. Berber women have indeed been instrumental in this construction, not only as part of the folklore but also as icon warriors, fine politicians, artists, and knowledge producers. While unacknowledged in the official historical narratives of the region, women's role in the construction of North Africa is inscribed in the linguistic, social, cultural, literary, and artistic makeup of the region. Three aspects of Berber (Amazigh) women's role in constructing North African identity are highlighted in this chapter: military and political leadership, visual art, and oral knowledge production. Within the overall patriarchal system of North Africa, these aspects have escaped the radar of colonization, state-building, and post-colonization and are emerging today as the major differentiating elements between North Africa and the Middle East and the engine of a genuine social movement and social change in the region.
