The Story of the Harki Weavers of Lodève Integrated into the Rivesaltes Memorial

On May 29, a new permanent exhibition at the former P.O. camp was unveiled, commemorating the passage of families in transit from Algeria during the 1960s. This exhibition focuses on the work of Harki women weavers who played a crucial role in the tapestry workshop of the Savonnerie. The project 'Les Courageuses' was initiated to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the workshop, bringing attention to these women's stories in Lodève and Paris in 2024 and 2025. The new exhibition at the Rivesaltes Memorial will tell their story, highlighting the experiences of Harki women who found themselves in a makeshift workshop upon their arrival in Lodève in 1964, while the men worked in forestry camps. This workshop was integrated into the prestigious Mobilier National two years later. These weavers arrived from Algeria, with families placed in military transit camps at Rivesaltes, Saint-Maurice-l'Ardoise, and Bias, with about sixty settling in the Hérault sub-prefecture after a long and painful exile. Fadelha Benammar-Koly, a Lodévoise and initiator of the Courageuses project, expressed her pride and emotion at seeing this history integrated into the permanent exhibition of the Rivesaltes Memorial. She emphasized the importance of ensuring that this narrative does not fall into oblivion, as it has only gained attention since the 2000s. The silence surrounding this painful and sensitive period for these generations is profound. The knowledge of their lives, their journeys, and their difficult working conditions has often been passed down through their daughters. It is essential to highlight these stories that have been too long invisible, as they reflect the broader context of the Algerian War and its aftermath. The exhibition aims to educate visitors, including many school groups who visit the Rivesaltes Memorial each year, about the contributions and struggles of these women. Céline Sala-Pons, the director of the Memorial, explained that the new exhibition aims to recount life stories, emphasizing the human aspect of the narratives of women, men, and children who passed through the camp. The exhibition will feature testimonies, archives, and objects, including a section dedicated to the Harki weavers of Lodève, showcasing their adaptation of ancestral skills to modern weaving techniques and their complex integration into French society. This initiative is part of a broader effort to acknowledge the experiences of over 20,000 individuals who were interned or assigned by the French state during this tumultuous period.