Tunisia Rural Libraries: Inspiring Learning
- Despite national reforms aimed at resource equality, disparities persist between Tunisia's rural and urban areas.
- To combat this, Judge Weslati's Zira’at al-Maktabat ("planting libraries") is one of several grassroots initiatives seeking to bridge Tunisia's educational gap.
- "I grew up in a rural school without a library, without light, without transportation, and without heating," Weslati said.
In tunisia, where rural communities face significant educational disparities, a grassroots movement is planting seeds of literacy. Judge Weslati’s ”planting libraries” initiative is bridging the gap by establishing libraries in underserved areas, providing vital educational resources. These libraries serve as beacons of hope, offering access to books and fostering a love of reading, combating the lack of resources and challenging the extremist narratives. The efforts extend beyond books; the initiative inspires young readers and offers teens a platform to express themselves through writing. This critical work is supported by driven individuals, writing clubs, and community engagement that fights the high dropout rates plaguing rural areas. Read how schools, youth centers, and public spaces are becoming literacy hubs, revitalizing a culture of reading. News Directory 3 recognizes these inspiring efforts. Discover what’s next for these impactful programs!
Planting Libraries: Bridging Tunisia’s Rural Education Gap
Despite national reforms aimed at resource equality, disparities persist between Tunisia’s rural and urban areas. In the northwest, communities like Bir El Euch face unemployment rates near 26%, far exceeding the 15% national average. Economic setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic and grain import costs have further stalled development.
To combat this, Judge Weslati’s Zira’at al-Maktabat (“planting libraries”) is one of several grassroots initiatives seeking to bridge Tunisia’s educational gap.
“I grew up in a rural school without a library, without light, without transportation, and without heating,” Weslati said. “As a bookworm, I needed to walk long distances to reach the nearest public library.”
Launched in 2016, the initiative is driven by professionals from rural communities. Journalists,writers,judges,and teachers contribute funds to establish a new library annually,each serving hundreds of students at a cost of thousands of dollars.
The project emerged following the violent extremism of the Arab Spring. Tunisia became a significant source of foreign fighters joining extremist groups in Syria, Libya, Iraq, and elsewhere.
“Where the book doesn’t reach, the extremist arrives first,” Weslati said, explaining the initiative’s urgency.
Finding suitable locations for these libraries isn’t always easy. A similar initiative, named after activist Lina Ben Mhenni, had a library burned down, attributed to a “culture of violence and extremism.”
Beyond providing books, Weslati’s team visits remote schools, sharing personal stories. “We wanted to show kids that peopel from their own soil onc dreamed, created, and contributed,” he said.
“We never saw this as charity; it’s about cultivation,” he added. “Planting stories where they hadn’t taken root before.”
The initiative has also fostered a writing club for rural youths, where teenagers collaborate on short stories and publish their work. Molka Hammami, a participant, credits her former teacher, Jamila Sherif, for inspiring her.
“Reading changed my life,” Hammami said. “It pushed me to do more. I was published in the [club’s] collective storybook last year.” She now helps run a radio show for the club.
sherif, now a school inspector, emphasized the importance of these efforts. “Many kids drop out after primary school,” she said. “They don’t have the basic tools they need. We’re trying to change that – one library, one book at a time.”
Reports indicate that school dropout rates,while declining nationally,remain high in rural areas. donia Smaali Bouhlila, an expert on educational inequality at the university of Tunis El Manar, cites inadequate schools and infrastructure as primary factors.
“When learning spaces lack comfort, resources, or consistency, they stop being places of growth and become sources of alienation,” she said. “Every small success – helping a child learn to read, keeping a teenager engaged – represents a meaningful step forward.”
Books without walls
Safahat, meaning “pages” in Arabic, was founded in 2020 to serve schools. After establishing three rural school libraries, logistical and financial challenges led to a shift toward a mobile model: public bookcases.
Through its Maktabtena (“our library”) initiative, the group places red-and-white boxes of books in hospitals, youth centers, schools, and on street corners. “This is our way of reviving a culture of reading,” said Khawla Mondhri, a university professor and volunteer leading the initiative.
Readers are encouraged to take books, read freely, and donate their own. “We want to make reading a habit, not a luxury,” Mondhri said. “if someone takes a book and doesn’t return it, that just means it’s being read somewhere else. And that’s enough for us.”
the team has installed 35 bookcases in accessible locations, partnering with municipalities, associations, and individuals to keep them stocked.
“We send books as often as needed. We plant small oaks,” Mondhri said. “But we dream of forests.”