Painting the town: How Kais Saied inspires change on Tunisian streets
A wave of citizen-led civic campaigns is transforming the Tunisian landscape as youths inspired by the recent election of Kais Saied to be president take on some of the country’s urban woes.
In the Hafsia neighborhood in the Medina quarter of Tunis, rubbish piles up and spreads in front of the blue door of a crumbling building, the result of a lack of trash bins and timely garbage collection. Instead of continuing to contribute to the growth of the makeshift dump, residents took matters into their own hands on Oct. 20. Rahma Ameri, a graphic designer wearing disposable gloves donated by a local hairdresser, led a group of volunteer litter-pickers and street-sweepers to clear away the heap.
“It is up to us,” Ameri told Al-Monitor. “The municipality takes care to clean up the tourist areas, but we don't have historic places here. It’s just a working-class neighborhood, so we don’t get the same attention.”
