Tunisian collective promotes gender neutral sports in popular neighborhoods

The Warcha association organized a cultural event called Les Faiseuses in the Kram neighborhood of Tunis, Tunisia, to introduce women to sports traditionally labeled as masculine.

The project aims to challenge local social norms and provide women with more access to public spaces and physical activities. The initiative involves a group of about 50 women from Kram and La Goulette.

These women participate in artistic residencies that blend sports like bodybuilding, boxing, and football with performance arts such as dance, theater, and circus. Wissal Bettaibi, a project manager, stated that the group spent one and a half years developing the project through artistic residencies where each session lasted three months and hosted 15 participants. Local residents and activists describe the Kram neighborhood as a space where young men traditionally dominate the public sphere.

Baratou Jarri, a volunteer with Warcha, noted that the project seeks to show that women have a right to these spaces. Participants like Cyrine Bouajaja shared how social media has increased the visibility of women training in bodybuilding, helping them realize that these sports are accessible to everyone. These efforts occur alongside other initiatives like the Twiza festival in Raoued.

These community projects provide a way for youth to create cultural life in their neighborhoods as political space for civic expression narrows.