The girl keeping Tunisia’s cultural heritage

Tunis, Tunisia – Leila Ben-Gacem vividly remembers the first time she found out this succesful centuries-frail dwelling in the heart of Tunisia’s capital a lot of years ago.

« The foremost time I walked here, » she recalls, « it felt just like the constructing changed into once talking to me ».

Hooked in to preservation, Ben-Gacem changed into once already timid that no longer enough changed into once being done to present protection to Tunisia’s cultural heritage. Or no longer it’s why she supplied the property, which changed into once built in the seventeenth century, and decided to turn it into a hotel.

« Every corner has the account of an artisan, » says Ben-Gacem. « The gypsum carving, the wooden carving, the ceramics, every thing is handmade. Giving it a brand new cause and opening [as a hotel], it honours … all these ingenious those that made this dwelling what it’s as of late. »

The Dar Ben-Gacem is located in the Medina of Tunis, a UNESCO world heritage space. While the Medina’s slender streets mute dangle a neatly off sampling of Tunisian artistry and craftsmanship, many Tunisians exertion the set up is falling into disrepair.

Ben-Gacem, who calls herself a social entrepreneur, is inserting a repayment into her neighborhood, in order that other spaces is also restored and more jobs is also created.

« The (Tunisian) Dinar has been tremendously devaluated since the [2011] revolution and the labour ticket didn’t plod up loads. So the artisans are struggling to salvage their products sellable, specifically with the Tunisian buying energy reducing and tourism industry reducing loads. »

Leila Ben-Gacem turned the seventeenth-century constructing into a hotel [Mohammed Jamjoom/Al Jazeera]

Down indubitably some of the Medina’s alleys, Ateel al-Jawi plies a alternate he inherited from his father and grandfather: making aged Tunisian shashiya hats. His family has owned this industry for shut to 100 years.

« As soon as you spy a shashiya somewhere in the realm, » says al-Jawi, « it’s like it’s most likely you’ll well per chance most likely very neatly be seeing the Tunisian flag, because it exists only in Tunisia ».

Love many other retailers here, al-Jawi struggles to web by. He also worries a a must-enjoy allotment of Tunisia’s cultural previous will most likely be slipping away.

« There historical to be hundreds other shops around here, » he explains. « Now no longer that many folks are active anymore on this field. »

Nonetheless no longer all hope is lost. In a single other part of the Medina, generations of Tunisians enjoy come collectively for a colourful celebration on the National Day of Old vogue Costume.

Marching throughout the frail city’s alleyways and wearing their nation’s aged attire, they hope to build a better future on the foundations of their shared heritage.