Estelle Marois

The Same Moon Above Us. A Tunisian Tale

Collective publication
Sana Badri, Safouane Ben Slama, Oumayma B. Tanfous, Souheila Ghorbel, Salem Jabou, Kaïs Dhifi, Jawher Ouni, Nyzar Trabxlsi
2021

The Same Moon Above Us. A Tunisian Tale is a photography book gathering the work of eight artists from Tunisia and the diaspora: Sana Badri, Safouane Ben Slama, Oumayma B. Tanfous, Souheila Ghorbel, Salem Jabou, Kaïs Dhifi, Jawher Ouni, and Nyzar Trabxlsi. They all work with photography, but their regular practices span different ap- proches (from fashion show backstage pictures to portrait or outdoor photography), and can even include other media such as illustration.

When Tunisia was under French protectorate (1881-1956), photography was developing and made more accessible—and widely used by the French to stage their own perception of the colonies, strengthen orientalist stereotypes, and justify colonial expansion. The role fulfilled then by image, especially photography, is still playing out in touristic imagery today, the Tunisian economy being highly dependent on European tourism. In 2011, Tunisia became the birthplace of the Arab Springs. The event was closely followed also in the West, mainly due to the circulatory ability of photography, social media acting as a catalyst.

This is why it felt relevant to think about Tunisia today—inside and outside of its geographical borders—through its contemporary photographic and image production. The Same Moon Above Us. A Tunisian Tale does not pretend to impose a unified vision of Tunisia, but suggests multiple visual entry points, aiming to consolidate a moment in Tunisian creativity and to help forge and launch new moments in the future.