Tunisian tattoo artist revives Berber designs - in pictures

Body art is gaining popularity among young people who want to connect to their roots

Manel Mahdouani, a Tunisian tattoo artist who is reviving traditional Berber designs, attends to a customer, in Tunis, Tunisia September 2, 2022. REUTERS / Jihed Abidellaoui

As tattoos took off around the world, some younger Tunisians took up the trend, but without looking back at their own tradition of body art.

Among Tunisians, Berber cultural identity is seen as symbol of an impoverished past but some younger people are now becoming interested in their Berber roots and turn to Ms Mahdouani to connect them to it with tattoos.

Ms Mahdouani has researched the traditional "tekaz" tradition of Berber tattoos, collecting designs and learning about the custom of using body art to ward off disease or bad luck through particular symbols.

In a village outside the central city of Kairouan, Ms Mahdouani quizzed Seiada Issaoui, an elderly woman with ink marks on her forehead, cheeks, nose and chin, about the prevalence of tattoos when she was young.

According to Ms Issaoui, "a woman without tattoos was seen just like men, only men don't have tattoos. A woman has a tattoo on her face in order to be identified as a woman".

Ms Issaoui added: "Everyone was tattooed. On their legs, arms and chests as well."

Ms Mahdouani carefully copies down Ms Issaoui's designs.

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