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Culture Henda Chennaoui02 June 2017

« In the era of 230 » : Artists denounce the State’s homophobia

The collective exhibition « Au temps du 230 » [In the era of 230] took place between May 17-21 in the Medina of Tunis. Organized by the feminist association Chouf which advocates for the rights of sexual minorities, the exhibition is the first of its kind in Tunisia. « Au temps du 230 » featured the work of 12 artists—painters, photographers and caricaturists—who denounce Law 230 of the penal code which criminalizes homosexuality. On the occasion of UN’s 2016 Periodic Review, Tunisia admitted the unconstitutionality of Law 230 but has made no move to abrogate it.

Culture Vanessa Szakal12 January 2017

Reviving the Beys

Broad-faced, imposing Qsar Essaïd in Tunis was the palace Sadok Bey, one of Tunisia’s many rulers under the Ottoman Empire. It was here where Sadok Bey adopted Qanoun Eddawla, the country’s first constitution. Two decades later, he signed the Treaty of Bardo, marking the beginning of the French protectorate. Today, sixty years after independence and six years after the revolution, Qsar Essaïd has been opened to the public with “The Awakening of a Nation,” an exhibition on a period of Tunisia’s history (1837-1881) that modern regimes preferred to forget.