Search

Ongoing economic and social inequality, a legacy of the dictatorship, affects Tunisians across generations, but has particularly pronounced impacts on young people. ICTJ worked with four young photographers to confront the consequences of marginalization and explore its impacts on Tunisian youth. Their four photo galleries comprise the exhibition “Left Behind”: Young Photographers Capture Marginalization in Tunisia.” In this gallery, Ashraf Gharbi explores the challenges facing a couple who stood up to the state.   About the Gallery Born in 1959, Kamel Taghouti joined the army at the age of 16, eventually rising to the rank of battalion commander. During the first general strike since Tunisia’s independence on January 26th 1978, also known as “the Black Thursday”, his unit was deployed and ordered to open fire on civilians. Kamel refused this order and was dismissed for insubordination. Since then, he has struggled to find both a livelihood and a place to live, as the authorities harassed and pressured him, ensuring that  he would  continuously lose his job and be evicted from his home. He is currently unemployed.  Born in 1969, Kamel’s wife, Najet Baccouche, has also suffered because of her willingness to speak out. Najet has written books and articles about the injustice and tyranny of the former regime, which exposed her to numerous violations by the political police. She published her first book in 1996, الهاوية الى الصعود ( “The Rise of the Vacuum”); her second book was confiscated in her home by the political police and she was subjected to beatings.  Due to this violence, she still faces many difficulties today.  About the Photographer Ashraf Gharbi, 24, is an activist and business student based in Tunis. He’s had a camera in his hands for as long as he can remember. “My story with the camera started when my father was exiled because of his own photography,” Ashraf says. “I inherited his camera and his love for images, and ever since then I have wanted to cover events from all over the world for Tunisians.” Since those early explorations with photography, Ashraf has done just that, visiting many African and European countries, taking both photos and video back home with him. “The best feeling is when I see the reaction of the public, when people interact with my work.”   Explore the other three galleries that comprise "Marginalization in Tunisia: Images of an Invisible Repression" Nedra Jouini on the psychological effects of marginalization Ali Jabeur on the economic and ecological decline of the Gulf of Gabbes Emna Fetni on the social and spacial outskirts of Tunis

In October 2015, ICTJ asked Lebanese young people to use their cameras to explore their understanding of the Lebanese civil war as it shapes their country’s past and present. "The War as I See It" youth photo contest was organized to raise awareness about the importance of truth seeking and truth telling about people’s experiences of the war and post-war violence. The five winning photographs, selected by a jury of photographers, diplomats, and members of civil society, will travel the country with 21 other entries as part of a photo exhibit, sparking discussion among young people and the public. In this photo gallery you'll find the 26 entries, each accompanied by a short description from the photographer. The contest was organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon, the Embassy of France in Lebanon, the French Institute in Lebanon, the French Institute for the Near-East, and the Political Science Institute at Saint-Joseph University.

In January 2022, ICTJ launched the Wide Awake Art Contest, an open call event inviting Lebanese and Tunisian artists as well as artists living in Lebanon or Tunisia to explore the theme “the Sound of Dissent.” The contest spotlights the creative works by those who are documenting and memorializing their communities’ stories in times of instability, resistance, and change. More than 220 artists entered works in wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, short film, animation, graffiti, audio composition, and photography, among others. The six winning finalists and three special prize winners, selected by a jury of world-renowned experts, won cash prizes and were invited to Tunisia to attend the award ceremony event and side events that focused on the intersection of socially conscious art and grassroots projects and activism. This online exhibition showcases 36 notable entries, each accompanied by a short description from the artist.  You can watch Wide Awake's first-prize winner "Amal" and other audiovisual works below. 

On September 22, 2018, the International Center for Transitional Justice and the University of Birmingham launched Voices of Memory, an interactive exhibition inspired by a group of nine Tunisian women from across the country and from different generations. It is the first collective testimonial of Tunisian women who experienced the effects of repression under the Ben Ali regime.  In an effort to inspire visitors to envision a more just future for Tunisia, the women chose as the central motif for the exhibition the “Koffa,” the traditional Tunisian basket used to bring food to political prisoners. The Koffa, generally prepared with love and loaded with unwritten messages, was often arbitrarily denied to prisoners. It thus represents a loved one’s offering and a protest against forced separation.

The intimacy of violence has left deep scars in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Seemingly overnight, neighbors turned into perpetrators of incomprehensible violence. Today, twenty years since the end of the war, mothers of the disappeared often live next to those who disappeared their children. Silence and denial about the past continues to be imposed on both by the ongoing political conflict over the “prevailing truths” about what has taken place, with little space for an honest reckoning and forgiveness. With hopes dwindling that they will live to see the perpetrators face justice and refusal of the authorities to acknowledge and memorialize their loved ones, some families are breaking the silence by erecting their own memorials. Mina Delkic is one of them.

The Arabic word “Zyara” means “visit” in English. The Zyara documentary series takes an innovative, deeply personal approach to storytelling with a view to nurturing collective social and emotional healing. Through candid encounters, it paints poetic portraits of four Yemenis refugees living in Oman, including a human rights lawyer and activist, a restaurant worker, a martial arts champion, and a businessman. By telling their stories and celebrating the resilient spirit of the Yemeni people, the Zyara project seeks to raise awareness and preserve truth and memory.