Biography
Lalla Fatma N’Soumer, heroine of the Djurdjura, was born in a village near Ain El Hammam in 1830, the year when the French occupied Algeria. Her real name was Fadhma Nat Si Hmed. The nickname, N’Soumer, was given to her because of her piety and strength and because she lived in the village of Soumer.
Fatma's father was the head of the Qur'anic School, which was linked with the Zawyia Rahmaniya of Sidi Mohamed Ibn Abderrahmane Abu Qabrein. At a young age, Fatma memorized the Qur'an, simply by listening to her father’s disciples when they chanted the various surats (chapters). Those close to her described her as having a stupendous memory and being greatly gifted.
After her father’s death, Fatma directed the Qur'anic school with her brother, Si Mohand Tayeb. She took special care of the children and the poor. In addition to her great piety, her notable wisdom, and piercing intelligence, she had an excellent reputation throughout the region of Kabylie. Fatma N’Soumer was only sixteen years old when French soldiers occupied Kabylie.
The region was taken like the country's other regions, not without violent fighting. But the insurrection led by Lalla Fatma N’Soumer remains one of the most important because of this lady fighter’s bravery and nobility. The enemy referred to her as the Joan of Ark of the Djurdjura, a comparison that the religious Fatma N’Soumer did not accept. Armed with an unshakable faith, she threw herself in bloody battles to push back the enemy.
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