NAZIHA BOUSSIDI

Tunisia- Women living in mountainous areas of Tunisia’s Gafsa Governorate are determined to preserve their cultural heritage and traditions despite all the challenges.

Amidst the increasing rate of migration from mountainous areas to urban areas in search of a better, women of the Oum El Alak region, Gafsa Governorate, organize “women’s gatherings” to preserve their cultural heritage and traditions, including food, clothing, songs and handicrafts.

During the gatherings organized by women’s initiatives without receiving any support from governmental or non-governmental organizations, the cultural heritage of the region is introduced to mark the World Heritage Day, annually observed on April 18.

At the gathering, women wearing their traditional clothing and jewelry play the tambourine and darbuka and sing songs sung by their grandmothers.

“I remember all the songs sung by our grandmothers,” Saliha Bin Amer Radawi told NuJINHA. She sings old songs on special days. “As women, we do our best to pass down these songs to our daughters. However, today’s girls are more interested in modern songs.”

Women preserve their culture

Women in the region are involved in husbandry, raising sheep and goats. They also earn a living by making sun hats (umbrellas), clay pots and cooking traditional dishes. “Women of the region preserve their customs and traditions, as well as everything about their tangible and intangible cultural heritage. These gatherings offer women to display their handicrafts and sell them but rural women need support from local and regional authorities.”

One of the traditional foods in the region is “Bsisa”, based on flour of roasted barley, Khadija Bint Ramadan told NuJINHA. “We cook this food for people, who shear their sheep in the morning. In the morning, women milk the goats and bake Kesra bread. For dinner, we usually cook couscous.”