Omayma Affes: green fingers, velvet glove
Omayma Affes, 26, from Tunisia, has been committed to protecting the environment and combating prejudice against women for a number of years, doing so with sincerity, sensitivity and discretion.
Profile by Emmanuel de Solère Stintzy.
From one nurturing mother to another... The sea is my whole life! exclaims Serrah Suissi, who is busy preparing a meal for her children. Following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, the fisherwoman sees her life reflected in these revealing and sometimes hostile waters... Serrah tells us about the sarcastic jibes about women supposedly being unable to fish and about the fearsome claws of the giant crabs that are destroying her nets and eating her fish. Back on dry land, she shows her son how to repair the nets using non-polluting and biodegradable materials: We must protect our bountiful sea. If we don't, we will lose our only source of life!
This video entitled "Al Hora" ("Free and reliable person") takes us on a voyage to the Kerkennah Islands, a Tunisian archipelago around 20 km off the coast of Sfax.
A short journey, but a deep one, thanks to Omayma Affes: I fell completely in love with these extraordinary landscapes. I want my videos to draw the attention of the inhabitants of these islands and other Tunisians to the current ecological disaster that is being caused by climate change. We need to work together to save this magnificent archipelago!
Under threat of being submerged by rising sea levels, suffering from overfishing and becoming polluted by plastics that are hazardous to endangered turtles...
Raise awareness among all
There are many risks, but neither Omayma nor Serrah is the type to give up. I wanted to highlight the courage of this fighter! To show that women are also capable of doing very demanding jobs, explains Omayma, who wants to raise awareness among boys and girls of all ages. Her coach for this project, for which she is receiving support from Intajat Jadida, Malek Khadhraoui, Executive Director of Al Khatt, is impressed: In the field, Omayma manages to foster intimacy with people while avoiding clichés. The profile that she has created runs counter to the roles assigned to women in society, but she is very discrete about it.
A velvet glove, but no iron fist. Green fingered tendencies, working alongside Mother Nature since childhood: My father owned a farm. I have always loved the environment. When he passed away in late 2023, I wanted to keep making my videos and continue making him proud! An obvious commitment for this woman who is an active member of a local environmental association in the Kerkennah Islands. Omayma Affes is now hoping to enhance her professional master's degree in audiovisual advertising from the Higher Institute of Arts and Crafts of Sfax by filming "another 13 or 14 stories" with her agency, AO Production. Something that Malek is encouraging: The test audience was moved by the sincerity of the first video! Profoundly deep images and stories destined to be shared on social networks (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook etc.).