Our Women on the Ground by Zahra Hankir
Author:Zahra Hankir [Hankir, Zahra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780143133414
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-08-06T00:00:00+00:00
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On the same evening that Leila was gunned down in front of a café as she stepped out of a car to buy a salad in Ouagadougou, another story made the headlines in France. Newscasts that night showed a shattered Amal emerging from the Bobigny courthouse in the suburbs of Paris. Damien Saboundjian, the police officer whoâd killed her brother, had just been acquitted of all charges. âThey took away his right to live,â she told journalists who were present at the verdict. The setback didnât stop Amal from continuing her fight. She filed for an appeal. A year later, Saboundjian was found guilty of murder without the intention to kill.
In the months leading up to the appeal trial, I chronicled Amalâs struggle for justice and we grew closer. Amalâs personal life had been plagued by tragedy and hardship. Sheâd never received a college education (though sheâs now pursuing a law degree). Sheâd fought to marry a Portuguese man sheâd met when she was just thirteen. Sheâd lost her brother. And yet she managed, in the span of a few years, to become the face of the fight against police brutality. She alone can gather crowds of thousands in the French capital to protest against institutional racismâa concept that remains absent from the mainstream conversation in France.
I tried hard while working with Amal to not let my strong admiration for her cloud my judgment as a reporter. Instead, I found strength in her hope and determination. I channel that strength into Franceâs Children, a documentary feature Iâm currently working on about Muslim empowerment and activism in the country. As part of my work, Iâm closely following the lives of Arab and Muslim millennial immigrants who are mobilizing, inspired by the fascinating example set by the American Black Power movement. Amal is the filmâs main protagonist. I spent weeks with her and other inspiring activists, building their trust as I filmed them.
Working on Franceâs Children, difficult as it has been, has finally brought me some peace. I know Iâm doing something meaningful. And I know Leila would be proud.
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