This deliverable was achieved thanks to the combined efforts of SAHWA Filmmaker Marc Almodóvar, the University of Lleida – coordinating SAHWA Ethnographic fieldwork – CIDOB – ensuring the overall SAHWA coordination - and our SAHWA partners in these countries: HEM-CESEM (Morocco), CREAD (Algeria), CAWTAR (Tunisia) and the Lebanese American University (Lebanon). 

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What are the SAHWA Life Stories about? (by José Sánchez García)

This collection of Life stories is one of the many SAHWA Ouputs.

The idea was to film two conversations per country (a young man and a young woman, keeping in mind geographical and socioeconomic variables) in order to reflect the story/stories of a young generation from different countries.

To reflect the possible generational discourses in the region, the video interviews use the same semi-structured questionnaire, following eight main thematic areas:

1) The young people introduce themselves;

2) How they see their own generation;

3) How they see adults and generational relations;

4) Presentation of their village/neighbourhood/city and their main activities;

5) A dialogue about the current situation in the world;

6) Remembering childhood and adolescence;

7) A view of the current situation in their country;

8) A view of the future.

The aim is that every young person interviewed can share their worries, aspirations and opportunities.

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Download a document explaining the Life Stories making process.

Watch our SAHWA Life Stories !

TUNISIA

Tunisia - Video 1:

Wajdi is an unemployed young male. He is 23 years old and lives in the Ibn Khaldun neighbourhood of Tunis. His father is a home-based tailor. His mother has been working in a garment factory for many years. He is studying a vocational business training course after being expelled from high school. He usually attends the Ibn Khaldun youth centre. He raps, this is his only passion. The interview was conducted at CAWTAR’s Headquarters in Tunis in late July 2015.

Tunisia - Video -2:

Syrine lives on Djerba Island near the capital Houmt Souk (Tunisia). She is 19 years old. Her father migrated from Sousse and her mother is Djerbian. She is enrolled in the fourth year of an arts baccalaureate and is getting ready for her exams in June 2015. She loves to act. Syrine represented Djerba at the International Social Forum. The interview was conducted in Houmt Souk (Djerba, Tunisia) in late July 2015.

Tunisia - Video 3:

Fadma was born in Tunis and currently lives there. She is 27 years old and works as an officer in a commercial agency. After the events of 2011, she joined a trade union. She obtained bachelor’s degree some years before and she is now studying different vocational training courses. Her father is a barber and her mother works at home. The interview was conducted at CAWTAR’s Headquarters in Tunis in late July 2015.

MOROCCO

Morocco - Video 1:

Kaoutar is 22 years old and was born in Rabat. Now she lives in Agdal, a middle/upper-class suburb in Rabat, but she is moving to Casablanca to live alone. Her father is a professor of mathematics. She is studying engineering but, at same time, she runs a small company related to water purification filters. She is member of the Enactus, Youth and Younes and Entrepreneur Café associations. The interview was conducted at the HEM Center in Rabat in early September 2015.

Morocco - Video 2:

Ayoub is 22 years old and was born in Hay Mohammadi, a popular neighbourhood in Casablanca. He did not finish his bachelor’s degree. He is precariously employed in several informal jobs. He plays the darbuka, raps and he loves acting in the Touria et Abdelaziz Tazi Foundation Cultural Center in Ain Seeba neighbourhood in Casablanca. The interview was conducted in Mohammedia in early September 2015.

LEBANON

Lebanon - Video 1:

Mirna is 31 years old. She was born in Beirut’s Ain El Remmaneh neighbourhood and currently lives there. She is a Christian and unmarried. She holds a BA in education but she works as an office assistant in an electrical factory. She spends her leisure time going to the cinema or shopping malls. Mirna is from a middle-class family. The interview was conducted in Ain El Remmaneh neighbourhood by Hiba Hammoud in early September 2015.

Lebanon - Video 2:

Hekmet is 21 years old and was born in Joun, a rural area near Saïda in the Chouf district. He currently lives in Remeileh and studies sciences at the Lebanese University in Hadath near Beirut. He enjoys going to the cinema, listening to music and chatting with friends. The interview was conducted in Remeileh in early September 2015.

ALGERIA

Algeria Video-1:

The interviewee asked to remain anonymous. He is 22 years old and lives in a rural area of Algiers province. He belongs to a modest family. The interview was conducted in April 2015.