Flagranti - against the odds, a queer play premieres in Tunisia -

It’s being hailed as Tunisia’s first queer play – taboo-breaking in a socially conservative country where homosexuality remains illegal and homophobia is systemic.

The play is Flagranti, by Essia Jaibi – she’s a 32-year-old director from Tunisia.

With co-production support from a local LGBTQ support organisation, Jaibi has been developing the play for the past nine months. It’s being presented in a private venue in Tunis.

Flagranti is performed by six actors, aged 23 to 71, providing a multi-generational perspective on the fight for equality – portraying characters that have experienced discrimination, harassment, and violence from within their family, in the street, and in their work.

“Flagranti talks about a taboo subject, a reality that we continue in Tunisia to pretend not to see, and that we try, through this show, to reveal to the general public…” explains Essia Jaïbi, speaking about the play.

The staging of a play such as Flagranti is a significant milestone for the LGBTQ community of Tunisia.