Africa Is a Country

Remembering Tunisia

Remembering Tunisia

By
Tom Devriendt

A series of public portraits by the young French-Algerian artist Bilel Kaltoun honors the martyrs of Tunisia's revolution against authoritarianism.

Passersby taking in Bilel Kaltoun's work in Tunis, Tunisia (Via the artist).

January 14th, 2012 marks one year since the Tunisian people pushed the country’s despot Ben Ali out of his palace and witnessed him fleeing the country into exile in Saudi Arabia. Today saw thousands of Tunisians come out to the street again, demanding jobs, dignity and recognition of the martyrs slain during the weeks of unrest before Ben Ali’s escape. One of the many moving works remembering those Tunisian citizens that were killed, are the portraits by the young French-Algerian artist Bilel Kaltoun. Three months after the January revolution, he drew some 40 life-sized figures from the victims’ photographs and placed them in and around the streets of Tunis. More pictures of his ‘Zoo Project’ below and on his website (click on the arrows in the right side of the screen to browse).

 

Further Reading

The politics of elegance

German historian Daniel Tödt wrote a history of the Congolese évolués. In this interview, he talks about the historiographical interventions of his book and the role of Patrice Lumumba in the history of évolués.

Bring Patrice Lumumba home

The return of Patrice Lumumba’s remains must not be an occasion for Belgium to congratulate itself, but for a full accounting of the colonial violence that led to the assassination and coverup.

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