In the exhibition « Gaza: A population on the edge, » photographers from the Arab world exhibited their images of the strikers who participate in the Great March of Return. How are women represented? And what roles are they assigned to? The organisers addressed these questions.
Mathilde Rouquet, archivist at the Caen Memorial Museum, welcomed us on Monday, October 7 in this place filled with history. She explains the functioning of this place, like the choice of sources and the different modes of fact checking. These archives keeps track of the past and helps researchers in their work thanks to various media supports such as photographs but also old newspapers from 1940 until today. A way to understand the vision that journalists shared during the Second World War.
Elizabeth Olive welcomed us at the Calvados’ archives. As she’s the associate director of the archives, she guided a visit of their premises. She also presented a few portraits of Resistance fighters of the region. Among them, Gaëtanne Bouffay, native from Lisieux, an activist woman who led a resistance network between 1942 and october 1943.
In 2004, the question of women’ role in the war appeared as a topic for study. Women’s role in the war was brought to the front line in Caen’s Memorial museum. But why did the question emerge in that of a belated stage ? Why is the museum interested in renewing the subject matter ? Christophe Prime, historian at the Caen Memorial museum, pointed out these evolutions.
Archivist at Caen memorial museum, Mathilde Rouquet received us on October 7th. She presented archives of the museum. Three editions of the American photo magazine, Life, attracted our attention. After Pearl Harbor’ attack, the magazine’ headline evolve. The housewife’ figure gives way to the image of nurse and soldier. The goal is to give other perspectives of the domestic roles assigned to women, and let them be part of the war.
Mathilde Rouquet, responsable of archives of the Caen Memorial Museum, talks about backstage of archives. Which archives are collected and how ? How archives are preserved ? Who can consult them ?
He considered himself the voice of Afghanistan, and responsible for exposing it to the world. Jean-Pierre Perrin , a French writer and journalist organized a photo exhibition that tries to explain why the war took place in Afghanistan. Accordingly, the following questions were asked in order to understand the exhibition more:
Q: What was the criteria of choosing the photos displayed in this exhibition?
A: There were two criteria: one is the quality of the picture and the photographers who are mostly well-known in the exhibition. Two, the photos should express feelings and emotions, they should explain part of the story of Afghanistan.
Q: What is the purpose of showing the war wounds in photos?
A: Because many women here are burning themselves alive because they couldn’t handle the oppression from their husbands and government anymore. That’s very interesting because the women accepted to show their burns nakedly so it`s a sign of liberation.
Q: Why is the focus on the women’s lifestyle rather than the political integration or participation in war?
A: Simply because we don’t have good photos for that. If we had, we would’ve definitely put them.
Q: How does the process of consent work especially with women?
A: I don`t know. The photos were already existing and there is no direct relationship between me and the photographers but all of them gave us the permission to publish.
Q: Do you think that this exhibition would help with the exposure of the afghani war?
A: Well, I hope. In all the meetings of the most powerful countries such as the G7 summit Afghanistan was never discussed, as if it didn’t exist. So, the goal is to show the world as much as we can what is going on there. It is our duty to talk about the war this is forgotten by the « big » countries.
Yasmeen Sakka and Jana Barakat
Marjorie Delabarre is heading of hosting researchers and the library at IMEC. The Institut for contemporary publishing archives collects, preservers and showcases archival collections and studies devoted to the major publishing houses, journals and individuals. Marjorie studied history in Belgium : she works here since 13 years. She explains that the Institut receive a lot of private donation, in particular women donation like Françoise Giroud or Marguerite Duras. These archives allows researchers to understand journalism evolution through the eyes of women journalists.