In Gabès, for years, associations have been raising awareness about the pollution problem linked to the Tunisian Chemical Group (GCT) located along the coast. This is the case for the Stop Pollution movement, made up of environmental activists, as well as the association Danseurs citoyens sud, which raises environmental awareness through dance. The chemical plant they are fighting against transforms phosphate into phosphoric acid and fertilizers for export, and has become a symbol of the city's ills. Respiratory problems, cancers, air and water pollution...: the residents describe this industrial complex as the plague of the city, responsible for 95% of urban air pollution.
But as a provider of jobs and the main economic resource, it seems unassailable. So, Mohamed Amine Hamouda has chosen to engage differently for the preservation of his city's environment.
This artist, born in Gabès, attended the local School of Arts and Crafts before becoming interested in the raw materials at his disposal: mainly the plants that grew in the palm grove. “I knew nothing about weaving, dyeing, or plants, but I knew it was part of our heritage. So I started to research and design how I could use it in my artistic production,” he explains.
