A visitor to Tunis is immediately taken in by the city's graffiti-covered walls, adorned with colourful sketches and slogans in French, English and Arabic.
The country's graffiti scene has evolved and flourished since the political uprising in 2011, which led to the fall of Tunisia's long-standing dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and brought in a new political and cultural era.
The political slogans on the walls became more outspoken, and artists took on new daring projects.
While there has always been graffiti in Tunisia, many of the bolder and bigger paintings emerged after 2011.
Despite graffiti being illegal under Tunisian law, it seems authorities have allowed various artworks to remain up across the country, with some becoming fixtures of Tunisia's urban landscape.
On Djerba island, authorities allowed a youth project to turn a part of the old neighbourhood of Houmt Souk into a walk-through gallery of graffiti by local artists.
The project, now called Djerba Hood, has become a popular tourist attraction.
Graffiti’s reputation as a simple act of vandalism started changing and people’s views shifted in support of the messages it carries and the colour and life it can bring to otherwise dull architecture.
Sociologist and street art specialist Eya Ben Mansour says Tunisians have always used the walls of the public space as a canvas for their thoughts.
“We find the first roots in the nineties with writings on prisons’ walls,” Ms Ben Mansour told The National.
She said the scene evolved further with the rise of football ultras and political groups who were opposed to Ben Ali, who was toppled after widespread protests in 2011.
Ultras and protesters found the walls of their home cities, often in marginalised neighbourhoods, as their only places to express their thoughts.
“There was no place for these young people to express themselves,” Ms Ben Mansour said.
“Whenever they find themselves cornered, graffiti on the wall has always been their way of expression."
Graffiti allows the artist to remain anonymous yet public, reducing the risk while maximising exposure.
The founder of the graffiti group Blech Esm (Without a Name, in Arabic) and entrepreneur, Khalil Lahbibi, told The National that the artists have higher aims than just leaving random sketches on walls.
"It is all about the education, graffiti possesses the capacity of changing a place and creating new things that could actually leave an impact," said Mr Lahbibi, 29.
He believes graffiti could be an alternative to the state’s traditional form of cultural and educational activities.
In recent years, government institutions that used to provide spaces for children to learn started losing and support as the country experienced socio-economic difficulties.
Tunisia has suffered from a worsening economic crisis, with high foreign debt and the devaluation of the dinar leading the government to slash public spending in sectors including education and culture.
Many Tunisians are also struggling with an increase in the cost of living, with some cutting back on cultural activities to save money.
Youth and culture clubs, where young people could create art or learn new skills, have been hit by a lack of funding due to the economic crisis.
Meanwhile, other forms of cultural output, such as music festivals, are not regarded as cutting edge, said Mr Lahbibi.
"In the past eight years, we have been trying to create something new that would leave a local impact and become the alternative to a mainstream culture that have neglected culture and art for too long," he said.
Aesthetics, resistance or both?
A newer generation of artists are also using graffiti to beautify public spaces and tell personal stories.
"It is, after all, an expression of a specific social experience of a specific individual ... without it necessarily having a political connotation," said Ms Ben Mansour.
Mr Lahbibi agreed that Tunisian graffiti should not be limited to just one idea.
"We can mix art, commitment, impact and aesthetics all together through graffiti," he said. "We no longer need to stick to one thing or the other."
Mr Lahbibi said that graffiti that is considered vandalism can also be positive if its used to make a statement, referring to the recent pro-Palestine writings on the walls of the French Institute in Tunis.
"Sometimes, it could only be vandalism, [but] it is a fight for territory and a cause," he said.
Today, graffiti artists in Tunis are using it to repaint cracked city buildings, bridges and alleyways that are otherwise grey, not necessarily to push for change, but for the act to become the change.
"We have seen other countries such as Scotland and Colombia use graffiti to counter organised crime in certain communities," Mr Lahbibi said.
"In Tunisia, the situation is far less worse than that, so why can't we do the same here? We want our Tunisia to become beautiful and colourful, and by 2023 we want it to become the capital of graffiti in North Africa."
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Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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South Korea
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The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
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*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis