Picture by Nadir Bouhmouch. Some rights reserved. The development model imposed on Tunisians – as well as on others in North Africa – is an extractivist model, one which seeks to plunder as much natural resources as quickly as possible with little regard for the sustainability of these efforts. In a neocolonial fashion, these resources, from oil to minerals to fish and trees, are then exported to world markets, enriching companies and stockholders while local communities see neither profit, nor positive change.
In Oum Laarayes, people from the international caravan had the opportunity to talk with local community representatives, activists and organisations, including activists from the unemployed movement in the region.
It might sound odd that there are unemployed people in these resource-rich regions, but the truth is that the export-oriented extractive sector does not create much wealth for local markets and, contrary to popular belief, does not create enough jobs to employ people.
