Life and Childhood of Monique Hervaux
Monique Hervaux was born in Paris on January 5, 1929, and died in Nanterre on March 20, 2023, at the age of 94. Her life changed dramatically when she joined the International Civil Service (SCI), an organization promoting peace and cooperation, in 1956.
In 1959, Monique chose to live among Algerian immigrants in the slum of "La Folie," in the Parisian suburb of Nanterre, where she witnessed firsthand the suffering of the Algerian people under the yoke of colonialism and discrimination. She sought to share their lives and provide them with help and support, affirming her solidarity with their just cause.
✍️ Her work and her testimony on the Algerian Revolution
Monique Hervaux was a witness to her time and a documentary filmmaker. Among her most important works and contributions are:
"Bidonvilles: L’enlissement" (1971), co-written with Marie-Ange Charras, which documents the difficult living conditions and suffering of Algerians in the slums of France.
"Nanterre in the Algerian War: Chronicles of the Slum, 1959-1962" (published in 2001), a meticulous historical document chronicling life and struggles in the slums during the War of Independence.
🗣️ Her position on the Revolution and the massacre of October 17, 1961
Support for the Algerian Revolution
Monique Hervaux devoted herself to supporting the Algerian Revolution. A lawyer at the Paris Bar, she defended members of the National Liberation Front (FLN) in France and Algerians living in slums. Her choice to live among the Algerians reflected her conviction in the cause of liberation.
She expressed her principle in these terms:
"To stand alongside the Algerians through a common life. To serve the struggle of a colonized people without carrying my Western "baggage." To stand in solidarity with them. Such is my choice."
Witness to the Massacres of October 17, 1961 (Seine Massacre)
Monique Hervaux was an eyewitness to the peaceful demonstrations of Algerians in Paris on October 17, 1961, brutally repressed by the French police, including the throwing of Algerians into the Seine.
Monique courageously and honestly documented the repression and murders suffered by Algerians during these demonstrations, and counted the missing persons from the Junun slum in the days following the massacre.
She testified against the then Paris police prefect, Maurice Papon, in his 1999 trial, refusing to remain silent about colonial crimes.
⚖️ Social Justice and Human Dignity
Monique Hervaux's struggle was not purely political; it was a profound fight for social justice and human dignity for Algerians in France, who lived in dire conditions.
She called the Algerians among whom she lived her "friends" and considered them "voiceless."
She helped establish schools to improve their living conditions and expressed solidarity with them, even while living in these slums.
Regarding the concept of dignity, she said:
"In Algeria, I learned the meaning of dignity and what it means to be a true human being, not because you are French or Algerian, but because you defend justice."
🇩🇿 Honors and Last Wish
In recognition of her struggle, the Algerian president granted her Algerian nationality by presidential decree in 2018.
Conversion to Islam: After obtaining Algerian nationality, Monique converted to Islam.
Her Last Wish: She wished to be buried in Algeria after her death. Her body was interred in the Alia Cemetery in Algiers, alongside those for whom she fought.
Nicknamed "Friend of the Algerian Revolution," Monique Herveaux became the symbol of a free conscience that believed in humanity before the nation and justice before identity.