Caught in the act: Challenging Tunisian society’s homophobia through theatre

For the LGBTQI+ community in North Africa and the Middle East, Pride Month is bittersweet.

While celebrating their love and existence within safe and private spaces, members of the queer community in many North African and Middle Eastern countries are painfully reminded on an almost daily basis of the prevailing homophobia that exists within their societies.

"Tunisia is often hailed as a shining example when it comes to advancements in gender justice in the region in the wake of the Arab Spring; however, there is still a lot of work to do"

Confronting the challenges that continue to exist for the community in Tunisia is NGO Mawjoudin, which means We Exist. It is one of the first officially registered NGOs in the country that openly works on issues pertaining to the LGBTQI+ community, as well as providing them with a range of support services.

In addition to this, Mawjoudin keeps a tab on human rights violations of LGBTQI+ individuals and runs panels, workshops, and awareness campaigns to provide education, promote greater understanding, and tackle homophobia.

Mawjoudin was founded in 2015 by a small group of feminists and members of the LGBTQI+ community.

Karam, who joined in 2016, is their Communications and Artistic Project Officer. Speaking to The New Arab he explains how crucial it is to have an NGO that represents the queer community in Tunisia and North Africa. “It was difficult to have the whole community gathered in the same space at first but step by step we gained the confidence of the members of the [queer] community to come to our spaces and events and to feel safe, which is very important for the community.”

Most of the work Mawjoudin does is in Tunisia, helping members of the queer community by providing and connecting them with legal, psychological, digital security, and health services, including helping asylum seekers and immigrants from other Sub-Saharan and African countries.

"It was difficult to have the whole community gathered in the same space at first but step by step we gained the confidence of the members of the [queer] community to come to our spaces and events and to feel safe, which is very important for the community"

Karam explains that the demand for their support is great, and they are working hard on expanding and hopefully establishing branches in other countries in the future. But for now, they provide support and help to anyone who needs it in Tunisia.

“We also try to connect people from abroad asking for help, for example from Sudan, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey, and all these people from other countries are queer people who are finding themselves in very bad situations. We try to connect them to local networks of queer NGOs or even just human rights NGOs working in that country, to offer them the services they need.”

Tunisia is often hailed as a shining example when it comes to advancements in gender justice in the region in the wake of the Arab Spring; however, there is still a lot of work to do – for example, Article 230 still exists in their Penal Code, derived from French colonial law, which criminalises homosexuality, something Mawjoudin advocates for the abolishment of, and Tunisian President Kais Saied previously called gay people “deviants.” But nevertheless, the very fact that you can register yourself as an LGBTQI+ NGO is something.

“After the revolution, the thing we gained was this freedom to discuss these topics, and the freedom of expression and of association, and to be able to register clearly as an association working on LGBTQI+ issues and topics,” says Karam. “This window of freedom gave the community the chance, the opportunity, and the confidence to talk and to be more visible, and to become more active when it comes to defending their rights.”

Art is an outlet and creative form that can promote greater awareness and understanding of any topic, and it is something that Mawjoudin has used since its inception to bring members of the community together and unite with allies.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, they held an annual Queer Film Festival, the first of its kind in North Africa and the Middle East, which Karam says Mawjoudin will be bringing back this autumn. During the last two years of the pandemic, they have worked hard to raise awareness via digital campaigns on their social media channels.

Each year for Pride Month, Mawjoudin likes to put something on. In the past, it has been drag shows, dance performances, and lip-syncing contests.

This Pride Month they have premiered their very first Queer play, Flagranti, or Caught in the Act, directed by Essia Jaibi.

What is special about Flagranti is not only has it got an all-queer cast, but Mawjoudin has opened it to members of the general public, nevertheless in a private and safe space.

Flagranti is the tale of six members of Tunisia’s LGBTQI+ community of varying ages who face violence and abuse at home, in the workplace, and in public, peppered with dark humour.

The scenes in the play are based on real-life scenarios and emotions that the community experiences on a daily basis – the corruption in the police forces and judiciary, police brutality, anal tests, and the toll it has on their mental health. For them, leaving Tunisia seems to be their only option.

"Reactions were mostly being very shocked and moved by the play, about this real situation that people are not aware of, neglecting a part of society that is living this reality and this fear each day, and being able to see which kind of messages and support the community needs"

“We know that art is a soft way to raise awareness without being very confrontational or aggressive – although it can be sometimes – and this year with a play it is another level to confront the audience, with a direct speech to the audience [in order] to be aware of the queer situation, to feel empathy, and to be more aware of our community’s situation when it comes to the legal framework, social discrimination, and homophobia,” Karam tells The New Arab.

“It is also great to give the chance and space to young queer artists and to integrate allies of the community from the artistic field through these projects. The audience was mainly people from the queer community and our allies, but also people who are new to this world and to be in a totally immersive situation.

"Reactions were mostly being very shocked and moved by the play, about this real situation that people are not aware of, neglecting a part of society that is living this reality and this fear each day, and being able to see which kind of messages and support the community needs.”

Right now, Mawjoudin is busy at work organising their upcoming Queer Film Festival, a four-day event of film screenings, workshops, and dance performances that they are planning to run in September.

They have been trying to get popular Tunisian actors, actresses, and artists on board to collaborate, hoping that the presence of well-respected figures will aid them in connecting to a wider audience and result in even greater awareness and understanding.

“It is another opportunity for the queer community to gather, not only from Tunisia but from other countries and countries from the region, from Africa too, and for the diaspora. It is going to really be a chance for the queer community to meet up and celebrate. It is our own Pride in a way. It’s a way to celebrate it safely, and it is always a great moment to share.”

Find out more at www.mawjoudin.org and follow Mawjoudin on Instagram @mawjoudin_we_exist and Twitter @mawjoudin

Yousra Samir Imran is a British Egyptian writer and author who is based in Yorkshire. She is the author of Hijab and Red Lipstick, being published by Hashtag Press in the UK in October 2020

Follow her on Twitter: @UNDERYOURABAYA