Music Beats the Blues in Tunisian Youth Project

Students attend a music class financed by the after-school club Tunisia 88, at the Haffouz secondary school in Tunisia's northern Kairouan region on February 2, 2024. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)

The Tunisian town of Haffouz lies in an impoverished region known for high rates of joblessness and suicide, but every Friday traditional music and techno beats lift spirits in a dilapidated classroom.

Local children and teenagers come together in the afternoon to compose and rehearse music for a creative break from their bleak surroundings in the dust bowl of central Tunisia, Agence France Presse reported.

"It's a place of escape and to free yourself from the stress of school, to compose songs, organize outings, take part in events," said the club's elected leader, Eya Makhloufi, 16, who plays the electric organ.

The after-school music club project is called Tunisia 88 -- a reference to the number of keys on a piano -- and aims to get youngsters to develop their creative and leadership skills, AFP said.

It has engaged 5,000 to 10,000 youths a year across Tunisia's almost 600 schools since it was founded in 2017 by US concert pianist Kimball Gallagher and Tunisian entrepreneur Radhi Meddeb.

Local clubs put on concerts and compete nationwide for the best song and best event, all entirely organized by the students.

"They do everything on their own," even looking for sponsors, said Rabaa Mwelhi, coordinator of Tunisia 88 clubs.

The goal, she said, "is not really music itself but that they work as a team, learn to manage everyday stress, and work within a limited deadline".

Gallagher, 43, said the clubs cater to young musicians but also those interested in graphic design, videography and public communication with venues and art centers.

Each club, he said, "is a protected space where young people can express themselves, make their voices heard and convey very interesting messages: extreme emotions, the fulfilment of women, the state of the country, their dreams, the environment".

"For us, a student is not an empty glass to be filled, but a seed that we plant and which will grow if we offer the right conditions," added Gallagher, whose project provides instruments, teachers and training in musical creativity and leadership skills.