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Ines Zaidi, Professor of Immunology at the Higher Institute of Medical Technologies at the University of Tunis El Manar, received the science and technology award of the Francophone University Agency during her participation in the ninth edition of the Francophone Award for Young Researchers.
Dr. Inas, a specialist in blood cell biology, excelled in the competition which included 113 candidates from different continents, such as America, Asia and Africa.
Thanks to her immensely advanced research, which demonstrates intelligence, scientific and cognitive abilities. The scholar’s work has also been published in more than 40 international medical articles, which have provided many additions to humanity, health and medicine in general. Zaidi has been awarded the Sadiq Bessour scientific prize for research excellence in 2017, supported by the Sadiq Foundation in collaboration with the University of Montreal and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research in Tunisia.
Regarding the nature and importance of Ines Zaidi’s research, the piece of work highlights the inclusion and regulation of HASH-1 molecules in public health diseases, as an added value in the follow-up of pathological conditions, as well as in proposing new therapeutic strategies.
Only three other researchers in the world received the Francophone award from universities in Canada and Morocco, making them 4 international researchers with scientific recognition and utterly significant achievements.
During the Nazi occupation of Tunisia, numerous Jewish families were saved in the town of Mahdia by Khaled Abdul Wahab, nicknamed the Tunisian Schindler.
tTunisian man Khaled Abdul Wahab has received a historic nomination as the first Arab to be considered for the title of “Righteous Among the Nations.” This accolade is traditionally reserved for non-Jewish individuals who displayed valor in their efforts to rescue Jews from the persecution imposed by the Nazi regime.
The impetus for this nomination comes from Robert Satloff, the Director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, an American think tank. Satloff’s quest led him to the story of Khaled Abdul Wahab, scion of an aristocratic lineage. At the age of 32, he witnessed the arrival of German troops in Tunisia in November 1942. At that time, Tunisia was home to a Jewish population numbering around 100,000.
Before World War II, Tunisia was a French protectorate. As Nazi Germany expanded and occupied France, the country fell under German sway. Consequently, the Jewish community of Tunisia became threatened due to Nazi Germany’s antisemitic policies. Some Tunisians took it upon themselves to protect their Jewish neighbors, and Khaled Abdul Wahab was one of them.
“Some people find it difficult to accept the idea that Arabs may have assisted Jews,” said Satloff. “It would demonstrate to some Arabs that they were willing to help their Jewish neighbors.”
An intermediary and protector
Due to his German speaking skills, he played a pivotal role as an intermediary between the residents of the coastal town of Mahdia and the occupying German forces, facilitating communication and acting as a protector.
One particularly noteworthy episode revolves around his timely intervention upon learning of the sinister intentions of German officers towards Odette Boukhris, a local Jewish woman. Abdul Wahab promptly gathered her family and several other Jewish families from Mahdia, totaling approximately two dozen individuals, and relocated them to the safety of his rural estate outside the town. He provided them sanctuary for an unbroken duration of four months.
He has been likened to a Tunisian Schindler for imperiling his own life to provide sanctuary to Jews amidst the Nazi stranglehold on Tunisia. Satloff believes the Tunisian man represents “a very powerful symbol from a historical point of view.”
Despite these commendable actions, the formal recognition of the man as “Righteous Among the Nations” hinges on approval by the Yad Vashem commission responsible for bestowing this distinction. It’s worth noting that Yad Vashem has bestowed this status upon approximately 21,700 individuals since the conclusion of World War II, with around 60 Muslims from the Balkans among the recipients as well as the German-Egyptian doctor Mohammed Helmy.
By calling for women’s education and freedom, Saida Manoubia was truly a feminist ahead of her time.
Her shrine, located in the governorate of Manouba, west of Tunis, is a historical and cultural landmark of the city. It’s a gathering spot for locals and a venue for musical events. Visitors partake in the eating, conversing, and singing of folk songs praising and singing the saint’s virtues.
When I got inside, I was advised to talk to Aunt Zaziya, an elderly woman who resides in one of the building’s rooms. A long line of people had formed outside her door. I stepped in and sat down while she was having lunch in a small room surrounded by a few bags of gifts from the visitors a short time later.
People bring Aunt Zaziya treats to give away to visitors, as well as meat to cook and eat there, and she sends them away with Lella Saida’s blessings. She told me stories about couples who were able to conceive after years of unsuccessful attempts and women who married at a very advanced age thanks to the saint’s blessings. Aunt Zaziya, on the other hand, refused to continue the conversation when I told her I wanted to learn more about this renowned and revered woman.
I had the opportunity to speak with some of the women present and hear their stories. Amira, 25, described her visits to the shrine as providing her with “interior comfort.” But she didn’t know anything about Lella Saida’s background, her life story, or Sufism in general. Saida Manoubiya was described as a “smart and nice woman who assisted the underprivileged” by other regular visitors. However, the specifics of what made her such a wonderful woman were not widely known.
This lack of understanding runs against to Saida Manoubiya’s own beliefs, as well as how she lived her life and why she is regarded as one of Tunisia’s greatest women.
Education in a Patriarchal Society
Aicha, who grew up in Tunis during the Hafsid reign in the 13th century, possessed outstanding intelligence and intuition. Her father was a religious figure, an Imam or a Quran instructor. In his relationship with Aicha, it’s worth noting that he encouraged her education by teaching her Arabic (her native tongue is Amazigh) and the Quran.
It was evident that Aicha was different; she was a free spirit who refused to conform to the limits put on women at the period, something the villagers did not appreciate. Her behavior was viewed as unconventional or liberal, to the extent where her father was frequently chastised for her conduct.
When Aicha was told she would be married to a relative, she refused and decided to leave, an option that is still frowned upon now in Tunisia, let alone in the 1200s. Aicha was seeking freedom, financial independence, and education when she left Manouba for Tunis and sacrificed her family life. She was leaving behind the confines of a loveless marriage and traditional social constraints, as well as the confines of a loveless marriage and traditional social constraints.
According to historian Abdel Jalil Bouguerra, education was only available to specific women during that time: foreigners from the Mashreq, Al-Andalus, or the ruling family’s elite women. Aicha, on the other hand, was neither of these things.
She began knitting and spinning wool to support herself after settling in Montfleury, and she quickly became a disciple of Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili, one of the most renowned religious personalities of his time, who was immersed in the Sufi school of Ibn Arabi al-Andalusi. Women and men are equal, according to Ibn Arabi, a controversial yet prominent person in Islamic history. It’s no wonder that Aicha picked this Sufi order as her educational path because he wrote extensively about the different female teachers who molded his spiritual knowledge.
Aicha continued to break social conventions at the time. She studied the Quran and attempted to analyze it attentively in order to comprehend its contents, opting for inquiry as a way to religion. She would leave her house without a male companion and go out to preach and debate with men. Some Sheikhs are said to have called for her stoning as a result of this.
She, on the other hand, worked hard in class, passed multiple exams, and swiftly advanced from student to teacher. Sufi intellectuals and kings were drawn to her arguments with her mentor, al-Shadhili. Continuing her schooling at that time is a remarkable achievement in and of itself. But pursuing and teaching Islamic studies and religion, a field dominated largely by men, is even more impressive.
Prominence & Influence
Aicha rose to prominence as a significant religious person in Tunisia, with connections to the most powerful religious groups. In Sufi societies, accompanying her master to various prayer spots on top of mountains and hills is considered a luxury. She then got close to prince Abou Mouhamad Abdel Wahed and Sultan Abou Zakariyah, and she received access to prayer sites formerly only open to men, such as Mousalla Al-Idayn, erected by Abi Zakariya in 1229.
Aicha’s fluent style and advanced language skills, which were once exclusively expected of prominent male intellectuals, as she preached at the Mosque of Safsafa (the area is now the shrine of Abdallah Chrif), astounded and amazed people.
Aicha was a philanthropist who lived off her earnings and gave the remainder to the underprivileged, especially women, in addition to her scholastic and religious qualities. There is also evidence that she purchased some Tunisian slaves who were being shipped to Italy only to free them six centuries before slavery was abolished in Tunisia in 1846.
In an official ceremony, Al-Shadhili gave Aicha his cloak, ring, and the title of Qutb, and referred to her as a “Imam of men” as he was leaving Tunisia. In Sufism, the highest spiritual position is Qutb (literally “pole”), and Aicha was a pole of knowledge and religion during her lifetime and beyond.
Her spirituality and deeds influenced people’s lives in such a way that she was elevated to the status of a Saint, and her life was surrounded by supernatural and divine legends known in Sunni Islam as “Karamat.” Her father once gave her a bull for agricultural purposes, but she instead gave it all to the impoverished, requesting them to return the bones. The bull came back to life once the bones were retrieved.
What is certain about her life is that she was a strong, independent woman who was able to break free from social constraints and establish herself as an equal and intellectual superior to males of her time. Saida Manoubiya was a feminist ahead of her time, advocating for women’s education and freedom.
This is a new consecration for Tunisia on an international scale. This is the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2023, one of the largest events dedicated to invention organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Swiss government. Two gold medals were awarded to Erij Messadi, researcher, and Mounir Bezzarga, professor, for their inventions.
Tunisia causes a stir with two revolutionary inventions
The two Tunisian winners were distinguished among a total of 1,000 other inventions from 50 different countries, thanks to the gigantic potential of their projects.
Dr. Erij Messadi, representative of the Institut de Pasteur, presented a one-of-a-kind project at this prestigious event. Baptized “Lebecetine, Lectin type C, as an inhibitor of neovascularization”, it was able to capture the attention of the public and was able to win the gold medal with congratulations from the jury. His innovative invention aims to demonstrate the crucial role of Lebecetine in blocking the formation of new blood vessels, which could slow the progression of several diseases such as cancer.
The ImmunoDefender project won in the Q category. Designed and produced by Dr. Mounir Bezzarga to fight against COVID-19, this winning invention continues to receive awards and shine on an international scale. After winning a prize at TICAD and another at the Euro-Mediterranean Intellectual Property Conference, this plant-based project was on the way to winning the gold medal with congratulations from the jury at the Geneva fair.
Beyond the obstacles, Tunisia continues to shine
Despite the turbulent political scene and the difficult economic situation, Tunisia continues to shine thanks to the exploits of its talents. Indeed, the country is always represented on the podium of international events, especially those dedicated to technologies and inventions. Tunisian inventors like Erij Messadi and Mounir Bezzarga are often awarded for their inventions covering several fields. All this bears witness to remarkable innovation and dynamism on the Tunisian scene.
This immense potential can only be an incomparable asset for our Tunisia. The future therefore looks promising in this area.
Kassem Istanbouli, Lebanese actor-director, and Hajer Ben Boubaker, French researcher and sound director, were awarded the 19th UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture at an award ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 26th June 2023.
The event, organised by the Sharjah Department of Culture in collaboration with UNESCO, celebrated the achievements of two winners.
The ceremony was attended by Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Culture; Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO; Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qasir, Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs in Sharjah; Ahmed Al Mulla, Deputy Ambassador of the UAE to France, and Aisha Al Kamali, Representative of the Cultural Attaché at the Embassy of the UAE in France, along with dignitaries, writers, intellectuals and accredited diplomats to the United Nations (UN).
Al Owais and Ramirez presented the 19th edition of the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to Istanbouli, winner of the Arab Personality Award, and Ben Boubaker, winner of the Non-Arab Personality Award.
The UNESCO-Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture recognizes recipients’ outstanding artistic achievements celebrating Arab art and culture globally. Core to UNESCO’s anti-racism and anti-discrimination agenda, the Prize promotes peace and dialogue to foster intercultural understanding and celebrate diversity.
For this 19th edition of the Prize, the international jury recognized Mr Istanbouli and Ms Ben Boubaker’s extraordinary contributions to promoting the arts and Arab culture and supporting their local communities.
Kassem Istanbouli is a Lebanese actor and director. Since 2014, he has led the rehabilitation of historical cinemas in Lebanon, including Stars Cinema in Nabatieh, and Al-Hamra and Rivoli in Tyre, abandoned or destroyed during civil war.
Mr Istanbouli is involved with several international projects focused on skills enhancement, youth empowerment and collaborative partnerships. In 2020 he co-founded the Arab Culture and Arts Network (ACAN) to design and implement online cultural activities across the Arab region. The Network includes over 700 organizational and individual members from across the world.
Mr Istanbouli is also director and founder of the Lebanese National Theater in Tyre and the Lebanese National Theater in Tripoli and has been a project manager at the Tiro Association for Arts in Lebanon since 2014.
Hajer Ben Boubaker is a French-Tunisian independent researcher and sound director. Her research focuses on a socio-historical analysis of Arab music and the cultural history of the Maghreb community in France and around the world.
In 2018, she created and self-produced the Vintage Arab podcast, which explores Arabic musical heritage. At the intersection of research and art, the podcast allows her to keep a foot in each sphere.
Ms Ben Boubaker is a producer and documentary director for France Culture, where her work questions the sound and political memory of immigration. As a researcher, she is associated with the Arab and Oriental music collection at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and continues to write for scientific journals, including “Paris, capitale maghrébine: une histoire Populaire” in October 2023.
Created in 1998 and run by UNESCO at the initiative of the United Arab Emirates, the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize awards two laureates per year — individuals, groups or institutions — in recognition of their contribution to Arab art and culture, or for participating in the dissemination of the latter outside the Arab world.
The initiative contributes towards the Organization’s objective of fostering inclusive, resilient and peaceful societies. The Prize carries a monetary value of USD 60,000, which is equally divided between the two laureates.
Avionav managed to export the first Tunisian-made helicopter. The Tunisia-based aircraft manufacturer company is gearing up to deliver more helicopters as it has embarked on the manufacturing of light utility helicopters. The company has been exporting its aircrafts to countries throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
Avionav is a Tunisian aircraft manufacturer that produces light aircraft for recreational and training purposes. The company was founded in 2007 in Mateur, Bizerte, by two Italian manufacturers. Later, a group of Tunisian engineers acquired it and relocated its main production facility to Sousse, Tunisia.
Avionav currently produces two models of light aircraft: the AV3 and the AV4. The AV3 is a two-seat, low-wing monoplane designed for training and recreational flying. The AV4 is a four-seat, high-wing monoplane that can be used for a variety of purposes including transportation, agricultural, advertising banner transportation, and surveillance. The company does also offer maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for its own aircraft as well as for other aircraft types.
“Since then, we’ve been doing our utmost to provide total customer satisfaction by providing high-quality, top-of-the-line products at 30% lower prices than our competitors,” Kamel said.
More than 1,300 of its models are currently flying, and roughly 40 light aircrafts (two to four passengers) are produced annually.
The company’s market includes the United States, Europe (Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain), Latin America (Brazil and Argentina), Asia/the Middle East (Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran), and Africa (Tunisia, Algeria, Senegal). According to Kamel, new markets such as Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, and Qatar are being explored.
“Africa is an extremely lucrative market. We are presently in negotiations with Senegal and Mauritania,” he stated.
Any of the company’s aircraft can be delivered one month after being ordered. Which is “quite rare” in this industry, Kamel says with pride.
Due to its numerous advantages, the company chose carbon fiber for its Rally aircraft with large wings. It has certifications from ultralight aircraft manufacturers (ULM) and light sport aircraft (LSA).
During her lifetime, Fatima was called the “mother of boys”. According to historian Mohammed Yasser Hilali, “this nickname probably stems from her charity and the fact she took students under her wing”.
When thinking of the oldest universities in the world, probably the first ones that come to most people’s minds are Oxford and Bologna, but according to UNESCO and the Guinness World Records, Al-Qarawiyyin University (also written as Al-Karaouine) is the “oldest existing, and continually operating educational institution in the world.”
Founded in 859 A.D. by Tunisian-born Fatima al-Fihri in Morocco’s Fez, the university is not only the oldest higher education institution on Earth but also the first to be founded by a Muslim woman. Fatima used her inheritance from her merchant father’s wealth to found the university which started as an associated school – known as a madrasa – and a mosque that eventually grew into a place of higher education. It also introduced the system of awarding degrees according to different levels of study in a range of fields, such as religious studies, grammar and rhetoric. Though the university first focused on religious instruction, its fields of study quickly expanded to include logic, medicine, mathematics and astronomy, among many others.
The University of Al Quaraouiyine became a state university in 1963 and now awards degrees in Islamic, religious and legal sciences with an emphasis on classical Arabic grammar and linguistics and law.
Interestingly, teaching is still delivered in a very traditional manner, whereby students are seated in a semi-circle around a Sheikh (Islamic scholar), who prompts them to read sections of particular texts, asks them questions on aspects of grammar, law, or interpretation, and explains difficult points. Education at the University of al-Qarawiyyin concentrates on the Islamic religious and legal sciences with a heavy emphasis on, and particular strengths in, Classical Arabic grammar/linguistics and Maliki Sharia, though lessons on non-Islamic subjects are also offered to students. Teaching is still delivered in the traditional methods. The university is attended by students from all over Morocco and Muslim West Africa, with some also coming from further abroad. Women were first admitted to the institution in the 1940s
Fatima al-Fihri was born in 800 A.D. She was the daughter of Mohammed Bnou Abdullah al-Fihri – a rich merchant who settled in Fez with his family during the reign of Idris II.
Fatima’s family was part of a community called the “Qarawiyyin” (the ones from Qayrawan) whose two thousand families migrated from Qayrawan in Tunisia, to Fez in Morocco which was then under the rule of Idris II, a respected and devout ruler.
After the community was banned by the local ruler. The caravan included Fatima’s father Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Fihri, and sister Mariam. Fatima was well versed in classical Islamic learning such as fiqh (jurisprudence) and hadith (Islamic traditions based on Prophet’s life). She inherited a large fortune from her merchant father which she used to build the university. She personally supervised the entire gigantic enterprise, from putting up the foundation to the functionalizing of these institutions. When she embarked on her mission, she had lost her father, husband, and brother – all primary sources of support and protection for a woman. Any other woman would have retreated to the backwaters of domestic life. But Fatima appears to have been an extraordinarily inspired and determined woman with steely grooves. All her great achievements came during periods of loneliness and in circumstances when women normally shun the world and seek the company of the home.
During her lifetime, Fatima was called the “mother of boys”. According to historian Mohammed Yasser Hilali, “this nickname probably stems from her charity and the fact she took students under her wing.” Fatima al-Fihri herself is considered a saint and she is much respected among the believers especially in Fez. In 2017, a prize was created in Tunisia in her honor. It rewards initiatives which encourage access to training and professional responsibilities for women. Furthermore, an academic program and a scholarship given to students from Europe and North Africa pay tribute to Fatima al-Fihri.
The University of Al-Qarawiyyin (also Al-Karaouine), which was then just called a madrasa (an institute of religious learning), was 30 m long, with a courtyard, a large library, and several schoolrooms. Although initially only the Qur’an and related religious lessons were taught, many other courses of study, like mathematics, medicine, Arabic grammar, history, geography, astronomy, chemistry, music and logic were soon introduced. Fatima studied there herself, along with her students, and awarded them degrees once they completed the courses: a degree that was chiseled onto a wooden board, which is now displayed in the university’s library. She also conducted debates and symposiums periodically for her students, producing politically-aware individuals.
With these innovative ideas, Fatima al-Fihri had not merely founded the first university but had introduced the concept of awarding degrees that is now an essential part of modern higher education.
In fact, the university produced many celebrated intellectuals and historians who are still known to this day: the Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd, Andalusi diplomat and geographer, Hassan al-Wazzan and historian and thinker Ibn Khaldun, the famous Jewish philosopher, Moses Ben Maimon and Aka Maimonides.
The Christian scholar, Gerbert of Aurillac, who later became Pope Sylvester II, is believed to have visited the university several times. His visits helped him introduce Arabic numerals and the concept of zero to Europe. The University of Al Qarawiyyin is still considered a leading religious and education institution in the Muslim world. The university has moved away to another part of Fez, but the mosque and the library remain at the ancient complex. The University of Al-Qarawiyyin is the oldest existing, continually operating and the first degree awarding educational institution in the world according to UNESCO and Guinness World Records and is sometimes referred to as the oldest university.
(M Ahmad is a regular writer for this newspaper and can be reached at specialachivers78@gmail.com)
“Phoenix Mecano Elcom,” a Tunisian company specializing in the manufacture and assembly of electromechanical components has just won the Tunisian Kaizen Prize in the “large-Scale Business” category.
The Kaizen prize, awarded at a ceremony in Tunis on Wednesday, is an initiative organized by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Its aim is to reward Tunisian companies operating in the industrial or industry-related services sector that have distinguished themselves through exemplary implementation of the “Kaizen” approach, a concept that promotes a culture of continuous learning, integration and innovation.
“Phoenix Mecano Elcom had already won the African Kaizen Award last October in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
In the large-scale businesses category, international manufacturing company Asteel Flash and the Arab Society for Pharmaceutical Industries (SAIPH) also won awards.
Plastic packaging company Azur Pack also received an award in the Small and Medium Businesses category.
During the ceremony, the Minister of Industry, Neila Gongi, said that there was potential for improvement through the spread of Kaizen in Tunisia.
For his part, the Resident Representative of the JICA Office in Tunisia, Shunei Ueno, stressed that, more than a year after the end of the “Quality and Productivity Improvement Project” in December 2002, this second edition of the Tunisian Kaizen Awards “testifies to the continuity of the momentum of the dissemination of the Kaizen concept in Tunisia, which was initiated within the framework of this project”.
The Kaizen concept offers a systematic approach to improvement that results in cost reduction, improved quality and productivity, and shorter delivery times, JICA said. In 2006, Tunisia became the first country in Africa where JICA introduced the Kaizen approach.
The seventh edition of Aswan International Women Film Festival ( AIWFF) will honor the great Tunisian director, producer and politician Selma Baccar for her tremendous influence in the cinematic field being the first female Tunisian director who directed a feature-length film.
Her works include Fatma 76 (1976), The Fire Dance (1995), Flower of Oblivion (2005), El Jaida (2017), among others.
The seventh edition of AIWFF will kick off from March 5-10, 2023.
Dr Azza Kamel, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Aswan International Women Film Festival said that Selma Baccar is a great filmmaker not only in Tunisian cinema, but also in Arab cinema, as her films conveyed the concerns of Tunisian women in different historical stages, in addition to her historical postion as the first Tunisian director to present a feature film.
Kamel stressed that the festival decided to honor Baccar as it seeks to honor creative women who have contributed to the portrayal of women’s issues from all over the world.
Kamel pointed out that Baccar’s struggle for women’s issues wasn’t limited to cinema screen, as a director or as a producer, but she was strongly present in the Tunisian political scene, as a member of the National Constituent Assembly to draft the constitution after the Tunisian Revolution, in addition to her work as a member in the Tunisian parliament defending rights and freedoms, stressing that honoring Baccar is a tribute to Tunisian cinema, which in recent years has achieved great successes at the international level by producing acclaimed films that support women.
The seventh edition of Aswan International Women Film Festival ( AIWFF) announced that it will honor veteran Egyptian actress dubbed Egypt’s first star Nabila Ebeid, acclaimed TV presenter Dorria Sharaf Eldin and the award-winning Dutch director, screenwriter and producer Mijke De Jong.
Tunisian artist Safia Farhat was not only a dynamic tapestry creator, but had an impressive resumé including ceramicist, educator, women’s rights activist, and publishing pioneer. She was a woman who accumulated a list of historic firsts in her lifetime.
She contributed to the growth of visual culture in independent Tunisia under the progressive leadership of President Habib Bourguiba. Farhat designed national stamps, had her fiber art displayed in the country’s banks, hotels, and schools, and worked with expert weavers and artisans in her studio.
Farhat was born in the harbor city of Rades in 1924 and raised in a well-to-do family. It was her maternal aunt, who was skilled in knitting and crochet, who cultivated Farhat’s love of art. She went on to study at the Tunis Institute of Fine Arts and was reportedly just the third Tunisian woman to enroll there.
She later became the institute’s first female director in 1966 — remaining in the role for more than a decade. She encouraged female students to take part in the institute’s programming. Farhat also founded Tunisia’s first magazine for women, “Faiza,” delving into feminism and decolonization, among other social issues.
Her colorful, thickly lined tapestries depict animals, plants, and men and women wearing traditional clothing. “When I saw her work, I was really fascinated by its sculptural elements, the color, the various techniques that were embedded in it — and by their stories,” Jessica Gerschultz, a professor of African studies at the University of Kansas, told Arab News.
“She seems to really play on self-referentiality,” she continued. “Her works are referring to her other works, so there are many symbols — lots of triangles and zigzags — integrated into her weavings and other works that she did in ceramics and iron.”
Farhat, who died in 2004, is a name still recognized by some older people in her homeland, but she has been generally overlooked, ironically, by young art students in Tunisia. “At the institute, maybe students know her name, but they’re not very familiar with her,” noted Gerschultz. “Maybe they don’t know her at all.”
International interest in Farhat, however, was boosted last year as a result of her works being showcased at the Venice Biennale. “It’s wonderful to see her contributions now being viewed more widely,” said Gerschultz.
