Photography happens in Tunisia

Source [TED]

A valuable collection of photos found in the US embassy site split into three galleries: Habib Bourguiba, Mohamed Gammoudi ,Tunisian and American VIPs Exchange visits all in black and white dating since the late sixties for events relating both countries, the photos were given a full brief description but there were no credits about the photographers, the photos are available in large format enough to get prints and there were no copyrights warning or any other license thus the photos can be used for personal use.

I really like that gallery, certainly a time machine back in time where Tunisian-American relationship have started, Bourguiba was quite influenced by the way US forged its success.

Some Beizig Sami had the great idea of launching a photo contest on the theme Facebook Tunisia, in black and white.

The winning photo will be collected to be the most votes, evidenced by the following comment "Vote Tunisia."

55 participants and particpations are already closed.
Not bad for interest on the part of "facebookeurs." The theme is not original but is the approach is!

For once you invited me on Facebook event really interesting I could not pass up the opportunity to talk about it.

Via [Pink Lemon]

I don't really like Facebook that much but I really like the idea of challenges about photography.

It is November 29, 1879 at Charly-sur-Marne (Aisne), was born Ernest Gustave Gobert.
In 1906, he obtained a PhD in Medicine and off for Tunisia. He exercises first in the south of Tunisia before being appointed in 1920, the director of hygiene and public health in Tunisia. Meanwhile, he developed a passion for prehistory and ethnography that give rise to many publications, books and scientific articles and literary works.

Back in France in 1958, he moved to Aix-en-Provence and bequeaths to the Natural History Museum of Aix-en-Provence a collection of artifacts from prehistoric times and a large collection of photography.

In the last two centuries, Tunisian visual archives were done by french and some Germans, at that time when Tunisia was under the French occupation, photography was about showing how France was doing good in a disordered country.

All the photos in [Photos-tunisie-gobert]

By an unknown French Photographer .

Bechi Manoubi was born in November 24,1930 in Tunis he started his career as boxer -He was even Tunisian Boxing champion in 1958- before becoming a sport photographer by 1960, he has been in the major world events as 10 world cups and 12 summer Olympic games and three Mohamed Ali boxing matches, he is believed to the be the most known photographer of Africa.

He used to wear a special clothing making him easily remarkable everywhere he went: the Mexican hat with a several Tunisian flogs and tens of cards covering both his jacket and hat he have been collecting. The whole thing wights 50 Kg that he owe him to get mentioned in the Guinness book. Unfortunately although his great works all along the 60 years of sport photojournalism, he was never rewarded nor locally nor outside the country.

In his testament, Bechir Manoubi asked that:
- Save his archives.
- His costume to be used.
- Keep on his mission thus Hosni ,his son, has taken the flame.


[Bechi Manoubi Official Webiste]
[Bechi Manoubi Official Galleries]

Avenue de la Marine, future avenue Jules Ferry then avenue Habib Bourguiba and now Avenue 7 Nocembre, shot in 1885 by the French Bertrand Bouret.

The Arab Images Foundation® is a not for profit organization dedicated to the safeguarding of modern and contemporary visual arts in the Arab world, and has done important work in the field of civil society development by highlighting the daily life of local populations in the Middle East and North Africa. Using photography, it aims to show what usually stays out of the mainstream media's focus.

This is one of the few places where you can count Arabic made by Arab(almost) photography, because in the Arab world, photography is that about stock, it's still a hobby leading to mockery. I didn't find any Tunisian photographer nor any Tunisian photos down and thus I'm going to populate the site with my modest works and hoping you would follow too.

The site is almost about photography stock featuring half Arabs half western(French) photographers which is the right dose to get insider and outsider angle of view and the only present purpose now is watching non downloadable low resolution photos.

[Arab Images Foundation]

Since the end of the 19th century, Tunisia was drawn under the French protectorate a masked occupation that led the country under the foreign dictatorship, the resistance of the tribes and local population haven't stopped since especially in the country side never less in the cities, the national movement have been the guiding to the independence (1965) thanks to decades of struggle with the the French authorities for decades.

The armed resistance was rarely taken in pictures, few portraits of jailed or wanted rebels were kept in the archives, people hiding in top of the mountains and in the bushes keeping eyes open even in sleep were less concerned about archiving their activity through writings or photos than having munitions, food and some intelligence to avoid or attack the enemy platoons nor did the media (a couple of national newspapers) who were over controlled by the French local government, and the French press was spreading other propaganda.



The national movement led by Farhat Hachad, Abdel Azia thaalbi, taher ben Youssef and Bourguiba was a gathering of smart thinkers who thought differently from the rebels, they chosen to peacefully to negotiate with the French occupier small peaces of freedom than the complete independence, the National party have used the most sophisticated tools in time to show their attention: meeting, strikes, newspapers, ... without ignoring to take all that in shots thus their actions were shoes around in the local media and the Arab national press.



Bourguiba was on the heart of all that fighting for the independence: local meeting in the party and many visits to Egypt and USA or even as detainee in Isle of Groix was all graved into memorable and precious photos.



Bourguiba knew always how to interact with the camera as his only way of visible communication for the farther people at the time, the national TV started in 1966, the newspapers and the radio were the major mass media. The photos -even in the most worst times- showed a wise smiling leader with enlighten mind and a brighter future.



As part of his show, he was an element man but he also showed him self wearing labor clothes, working as a farmer and taking pictures with political mates and ordinary people, in one word he knew the real value of photography as much as a political speech as a matter for leadership.

Photography has been a main too on the most big struggles for freedom all over the world as much for Tunisia as for Algeria or India, it didn't just store all those events into memory, it did change history, believes and led whole countries to change.

You can find a valuable collection of Bouguiba's photo in a dedicated site, and other photos of the national party under the French protector in the independence site establish in the 50th independence celebration.

Prisoner-of-war compound in Tunisia where more than a quarter million German and Italian soldiers were held following the Allied victory in North Africa. Many of these prisoners were sent to the United States. (Courtesy U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pa.)