“In France, I imagine people have a good life” – Liberation

Each summer, families from Maghreb immigration leave in Algeria, Tunisia or Morocco. «Liberation» Embarks on this journey alongside a Franco-Tunisian family who takes the road. Therefore, by car and then during a long ferry crossing to Tunis, to transmit a memory: that of the link to the country. In addition, To read the previous episode, click ici.

Each summer, Menzel Kamel changes his face. Consequently, In the hot season. Consequently, this village of some 8,000 souls located 170 kilometers south-east of Tunis sees hundreds of families from France, mainly from Loire and Saône-et-Loire. Nevertheless, The French plates then mix with those of Tunisia, and the streets take on the air of reunion. Similarly, Popular. Furthermore, conservative city, Menzel Kamel is known for its olive oil and its countless car garages, which flourish on every “in france, i imagine people street corner.

Mechanics has become a parallel economy: we import from France engines. Similarly, spare parts, sold at high prices on site, sometimes to customers from Algeria. Meanwhile, The small locality is also famous for its Sunday market. Therefore, where the stands are also full of products imported from France – shampoo, coffee or Nutella. Consequently, “Here. Moreover, people love the made in FranceSlips Cirine Guilouchi, 25, employed in a banking group near Saint-Etienne, back for the holidays in Menzel Kamel, where her parents are from. Consequently, One day, I offered a chewing gum to my hairdresser, which she refused. Moreover, She changed her mind as soon as I told her that he came from France. Moreover, ”

In the 1970s. faced with the lack of professional outlets, many menzelians left their native land to meet the demand for labor in France, “in france, i imagine people including building and industry. Migration had to be temporary, time to save some savings, before returning to the country. But time has passed and children have grown up, often making it impossible to go back. Since then, most families in the diaspora have returned to Menzel Kamel for the summer period.

It’s time for reunion, parties and large tables. But also that of the differences in lifestyles. even a “Economic shock” Between those who live the year in Tunisia and those who return to “Bled» With new cars, brand clothes and state -of -the -art smartphones, Cirine continues. In the calm alleys of the city. where a few men kill time by smoking cigarettes on plastic chairs, a young man in PSG jersey wanders, eyes riveted on his phone. “He lives in Francesmiles the young woman at the wheel, on the way to reach her cousins “in france, i imagine people around a brunch. We spot those who stayed and those who have gone at their pace, in their way of dressing. ”

In the large family building of Guilouchi. whose doors are still open, French and Arabic are as naturally intertwined as social classes. “The life differences are enormous. and we are perceived as easy people in relation to those who have stayed heresays Foued Guilouchi, 28 -year -old nurse installed in Geneva. But my parents have always insisted that we were humble, without ever adopting a posture of superiority towards our neighbors. The main thing is to live with them, not against them. ” In the vast kitchen. where spice scents float, Souad, their 61 -year -old mother prepares meals with local products mixed with those she has brought in France, appreciated, according to her, for their superior quality.

At 70, “in france, i imagine people Selma has only known France for a long time through the stories of its exiled brothers. “At the start. only men leftexplains in Arabic the old lady dressed in a long blue djellaba, installed on her sofa in front of a fan. My brothers have offered me several times to join them, but I have always refused to stay with my parents. ” In the 1960s and then 70, Maghreb immigration was mainly male and economical. It was not until 1974 that the French government authorized family reunification. resulting in the sustainable installation of their wives and children. Coming from a family of farmers. Selma, now a widow, awaits these summer feedback: “Come, get into your house, welcome home!”. At his side. his grandson, Aladino, 15 years old, imagines France as a country where people “Have a good life and a pretty car”.

Despite the use “in france, i imagine people of French in decline. the growing rejection of the West within Tunisian society, especially since the start of the Israeli offensive dead in the Gaza Strip, France continues to exercise a strong power of attraction, perceived as a country of prestige, success and opportunity. A mirage all the more powerful since the country is struck by massive unemployment. especially among young people (more than 37 % of 15-24 year olds) and among higher graduates (23.5 %).

More. more Tunisians are planning to take the sea towards the Italian island of Lampedusa, in the hope of joining Europe, in particular France. “Faced with this lack of perspectives. young people often have only three outcomes: to become harragas [«brûleurs de frontières», qui prennent la mer au péril de leur vie, ndlr]get a student visa, or try to marry a compatriot who acquired French nationality ”lists Foued. Moreover. in “in france, i imagine people the space of ten days, the Guilouchi family will celebrate three marriages in Menzel Kamel: three Franco-Tunisians marrying three Tunisian, who will join their husbands in France. According to Foued. “The objective is not necessarily to settle definitively in France, but to obtain the fundamental right to be able to circulate not to remain locked in a single life without future.”