Tick, Tack, BOOM!
Tunisian visual artist Oumaima Bouzaiene unpacks how Tunisians can take action against climate change, one drawing at a time
By African Leadership Academy
Curated by: Rayhana Mouaouia
Meet Oumaima Bouzaiene!
Oumaima is a Tunisian cartoonist and animation student. She is driven by a commitment to helping solve environmental issues and social injustices. Her work is colorful and stimulating and she uses these techniques to prompt viewers to take action.
Oumaima’s aim is to spark pragmatic and real conversation about the climate crisis so that the government has clear attainable mitigation and adaptation strategies.
silence is treacherous by Oumaima BouzaieneAfrican Leadership Academy
Until when will we stay silent about the climate issue?
Tunisia has been facing severe drought and water cuts ever since Oumaima can remember. In a conversation with curator Rayhana, she underscores the apparent disconnect between the government-led initiatives and their presumably positive impact on the citizens.
As of the summer of 2022, Tunisia's poorest districts faced decades of water cuts. The lack of access to drinking water for long periods of time seems to be trivialized by the Tunisian government, which deemed it a normal challenge Tunisians will have to adapt to. Oumaima expresses her frustration at the number of bills passed to ensure hotels and big corporations - which were prioritized above citizens - benefit from water resources at the expense of the marginalized communities in Tunisia.
Climate change is making the situation acute with drought and extreme weather events becoming more and more frequent. With her artwork, Oumaima hopes to raise more awareness within her local communities about the importance of good water management.
Water cuts are becoming increasingly common in the country, forcing the most vulnerable to lose access to drinking water. In the illustration, Oumaima's use of a contrast of dark and flamboyant colors highlights the urgency of the climate crisis in Tunisia.
tick tack boom! by Oumaima BouzaieneAfrican Leadership Academy
Oumaima drew this illustration for a webinar with Youth For Climate about water scarcity in Tunisia. Water scarcity is a significant issue Tunisia faces. Due to the frequent water cuts low income citizens find themselves walking kilometers to get drinking water.
plant seeds on a dead planet by Oumaima BouzaieneAfrican Leadership Academy
The power of Climate Education in creating better futures.
After years of failed promises by the government, the Tunisian youth are mobilizing to raise more awareness around the climate crisis. In 2019, Oumaima joined Youth for Climate Tunisia - a youth-led movement that strives for climate and social justice in Tunisia.
Oumaima’s climate advocacy journey started in high school when she heard about her school’s climate strikes. At that time, she knew very little about the impact of the climate crisis on her community. She worked towards educating herself and realized the urgency of the matter.
I did a strike at high school, I was alone and people were pretty confused — that's when I knew how much it was an overlooked issue. The next generations need to be aware of how acute the situation is. They need to keep pushing for change.
Having realized how the climate crisis is disregarded, Oumaima sees a solution in education and youth action. The artist fervently advocates for implementing climate education in the Tunisian curriculum, as she believes it is the only way proactive long-term change can happen.
the forever martyrs by Oumaima BouzaieneAfrican Leadership Academy
No climate justice without social justice
Oumaima stresses the need to acknowledge the intersectionality of the climate crisis in policy-making. Intersectionality is the understanding that a person's social, racial, cultural, economic, and geopolitical background inform their experience with discrimination and privilege
the forever martyrs (extended) by Oumaima BouzaieneAfrican Leadership Academy
Her piece, Forever Martyrs, aims to raise more awareness around vulnerable groups, which are often excluded from the climate conversation. It displays the reality that the climate crisis is underscoring the already-existing forms of marginalization within our societies.
Forever Martyrs is made up of multiple posts combined into one. It tackles the disproportionate effect climate change has on marginalized communities: how the Global South suffers from the Global North's resources abuse and alarming contribution to carbon emissions.
How lower income social classes are the first ones to lose access to necessities. Droughts and floods make it more challenging to grow crops. As a result, access to food is increasingly restricted and priced higher, exacerbating food insecurity for lower-income people.
How the climate crisis widens the gender gap, making women and gender minorities more vulnerable. The UNFCC report highlights the correlation between records of extreme weather conditions and the rise in numbers of Gender-based Violence recorded, especially in zones of conflict.
How BIPOC are experiencing more discrimination. Indigenous lands, especially in the Global South, were historically exploited to locate toxic waste, landfills, and polluting industries from the Global North - creating what late Archbishop Desmond Tutu called "climate appartheid."
Amidst all these anxieties, there is still hope for Oumaima and the Tunisian youth. Youth for Climate Tunisia empowers young Tunisians to speak up against climate injustice and educate their surroundings about environmental protection. You can learn more about their work here.
