*Amendil Awray – Yellow Ribbon Campaign.
We are launchning the Yellow Ribbon campaign in Kabylie as part of the White Ribbon Campaign which is a world-wide movement currently functioning in 55 countries to combat violence against women. In Kabylie we have chosen to make the ribbon yellow, since yellow is a colour traditionally associated with the beauty and strength of women in Kabylie.
The founder and leader of the Amendil Awray campaign, M Lamara Agawa, has been proactive in bringing this movement to Kabylie to support and protect the dignity and safety of women and to support their demands for equality and justice. We are launching this campaign on the 13th August in memory of another assassinated woman, Lila Amara who was murdered on 13th August 1995 by radical islamists for the “crime” of being a woman and singing in public.
She was killed by the Algerian Islamist hordes because she stood up for the rights and freedoms of women both in Algeria and Kabylie and her name should never be forgotten.
We honour her memory. So What does the white Ribbon Campaign stand for, and why do we want it in Kabylie? It is a global movement of men and boys working to end male violence against women. It was started by a group of men in Ontario, Canada in November 1991 as a response to the Ecole Poytechnique massacre of 1989 when 16 female students were murdered by Marc Lepine, just because they were women.
His view was that women had no place in the college, and so he shot them dead in cold blood. We are asking everyone using this group to sign the pledge never to use violence against women nor to justify or remain silent about violence against women. We ask that you get your family, friends and neighbours to sign the pledge because you are committed to making Kabylie a safe and supportive place for girls and women. Working together to end violence against women.
*By Dr Mairead Tagg.