Childhood in Tunis, by Balkis, Tunisia – photo essay –

These pictures were taken on a Sunday morning in a public open space in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, where kids can play and enjoy nature freely. Now these might seem like pictures of ordinary kids, but they’re not! If you live in Tunisia, you will notice the stressful situation they live in. First, these kids are all living in a very ambiguous and strained political situation. They live in a country where economic growth is nonexistent. This affects their parent’s wages, thus their parent’s mental state as well. Consequently, because of stress and fear, these parents won’t be as kind and gentle towards their kids as the way they should be. These little innocent faces are also studying under a very oppressed educational system. They study for so many hours during the day, sometimes even up to 8 hours, and that kills their desire to play, or simply to act childish! It somewhat takes away from their childhood. It might look like they’re playing in these photos, but that is actually the only time of the day they enjoy, and believe me as a huge part of their childhood is taken away.

These children grow up to an even more unworthy world, where they become much more misunderstood. I will need pages to talk about the future of youth or even children, so I will stop here. But I must say one last thing, the childhood in MENA region needs urgent improvement!