Fadela

©  2007  Rose George

A while back I wrote this for G2 about Fadela Amara, a mouthy beurette (of Arab descent) who runs ni putes ni soumises, a French feminist movement which knocks traditional French feminism - too intellectual or too culturally relativist and not much inbetween - into a cocked hat. Last week, President Sarkozy nominated Fadela as Minister for towns and cities. She accepted after first refusing and she is getting predictably slagged off for it. I think she's right to accept. I think that waiting and seeing what transpires - with Fadela, and with the rest of Sarko's rainbow cabinet - will be quite interesting. And if only there were a Fadela Amara instead of Harriet Harman.