• Tunisian Dalila Labidi, 73, makes puppets in her workshop in Ben Arous, Tunis. All photos EPA
    Tunisian Dalila Labidi, 73, makes puppets in her workshop in Ben Arous, Tunis. All photos EPA
  • Assistant Laila shows one of the puppets Dalila has made.
    Assistant Laila shows one of the puppets Dalila has made.
  • Tunisian Dalila Labidi, 73, makes puppets in her workshop in Ben Arous, in Tunis, Tunisa, 26 January 2022. Labidi is one of the rare woman who makes this job in Tunisia. She has been creating puppets for over 40 years. 'I have made more than 15,000 puppets since I started', she said. Labidi regularly exhibits her puppets at the Craftsmanship Fair in Tunis. She also shows her work at international fairs in France and Spain, in the United States thanks to CEPEX or in Italy, and Germany. In Tunisia, people can buy directly in her workshop. The theatrical genre of puppets in Tunisia dates back to the 14th century with the shadow theater born with 'Karakouz' and the Sicilian puppets with Ismail Pasha under the Ottoman Empire. EPA / MOHAMED MESSARA
    Tunisian Dalila Labidi, 73, makes puppets in her workshop in Ben Arous, in Tunis, Tunisa, 26 January 2022. Labidi is one of the rare woman who makes this job in Tunisia. She has been creating puppets for over 40 years. 'I have made more than 15,000 puppets since I started', she said. Labidi regularly exhibits her puppets at the Craftsmanship Fair in Tunis. She also shows her work at international fairs in France and Spain, in the United States thanks to CEPEX or in Italy, and Germany. In Tunisia, people can buy directly in her workshop. The theatrical genre of puppets in Tunisia dates back to the 14th century with the shadow theater born with 'Karakouz' and the Sicilian puppets with Ismail Pasha under the Ottoman Empire. EPA / MOHAMED MESSARA
  • Dalila regularly exhibits her puppets at the Craftsmanship Fair in Tunis.
    Dalila regularly exhibits her puppets at the Craftsmanship Fair in Tunis.
  • She also shows her work at international fairs in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the US.
    She also shows her work at international fairs in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and the US.
  • In Tunisia, people can buy directly from her workshop.
    In Tunisia, people can buy directly from her workshop.
  • The theatrical genre of puppets in Tunisia dates back to the 14th century, a tradition Dalila hopes will continue.
    The theatrical genre of puppets in Tunisia dates back to the 14th century, a tradition Dalila hopes will continue.

MENA

Meet 73-year-old Tunisian puppet maker Dalila Labidi – in pictures

15,000 puppets in 40 year career

The National

January 27, 2022

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Updated: January 27, 2022, 8:33 AM
TunisiaPhotography