The article is written by Youssra el-Sharkawy and Menna A. Farouk Founded as a place where women can rebuild their lives after losing a husband or getting divorced, el-Samaha village offers women and girls a chance to escape patriarchal prejudices and discover their independence. El-Samaha, Egypt – A two-hour drive from the center of the ancient tourist city of Aswan lies what residents call the Village of Women. Here, a group of single-story houses stands isolated in the desert – the next closest village is dozens of miles away. In these houses live families led by women who have lost their husbands, through death or divorce, and who are now rebuilding their lives together. It’s a scenario that evokes the Amazons, the warriors of Greek myth who lived in a country where men were banned. Just like in the myth, el-Samaha village is home to warriors, but of a modern kind. “Life is better when you live with people who care about you,” says Nazira Moustafa, one of the first women to move into el-Samaha, which gets its name from the Arabic word for tolerance. “I was happy from the first moment I arrived. I…
