Tunisia: Ramadan series increasingly engaged
Tunisian actors (from left) Rim Riahi, Fethi Haddaoui, and Ahlam Fekih look at the camera during the filming of the Tunisian television series "Baraa" (innocence) in the capital Tunis, on December 28, 2021. AFP - ACHRAF OUERGHEMMI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
All generations combined, Tunisians crowd in front of the small screen at the same time as the breaking of the fast.
Once again this year, Ramadan series that tackle themes such as immigration, sexuality or poverty fascinate millions of viewers.
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With our correspondent in Tunis,
Amira Souilem
“
As long as I am alive, I will continue to search for my son
”.
In a country where
thousands of young people have disappeared at sea
or in Europe, these words, those of Majid, one of the main characters in the
Harga
series , resonate in many Tunisian homes.
“
Beyond ratings considerations, what I want is to make a soap opera that has an impact on society, that touches it, that creates debate
,”
explains the director of
Harga
,
Lassâad Oueslati, who is starting the second season of the series.
“
The subtitle of season 2 is 'The other shore'.
It tells what happens to migrants after the crossing, what Tunisians experience once they arrive in Europe
,” he continues.
Uprooting, misery, smugglers, human trafficking, illegal immigration is shown in all its facets.
A fiction that Lassâad Oueslati wanted as documented as possible.
“
Before even starting to write the screenplay, I went to Italy where I met many Tunisian exiles.
I went to detention centres, I also met people who never set foot in Tunisia again for twenty years there.
This soap opera that looks like a cry from the heart, under the guise of fiction, shatters both the immobility of the Tunisian authorities as well as European migration policy.
Soap operas that address controversial issues
In addition to immigration, some series deal with sexuality,
domestic violence
, poverty and even polygamy.
This is the case of
Hab el-Mlouk
, (“
Cherries
” in French), a Tunisian-Algerian production, censored by Algeria after the broadcast of a few episodes deemed immoral.
These themes have only been addressed by Tunisian soap operas for a few years.
Lamia Guiga, director of the Higher School of Audiovisual and Cinema in Tunisia, explains to
Nadia Ben Mahfoudh
of the Africa editorial staff the reasons for this evolution in the themes covered by these Ramadan television series.
The Tunisian wants to see everyday problems.
Before, there was only one television which was the national state channel.
But here, there are more and more private channels that have started to address taboo themes, something that did not previously exist on public channels.
Lamia Guiga, Director of the School of Audiovisual and Cinema
Nadia Ben Mahfoudh
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