The small village of Erriadh, located on the Tunisian island of Djerba, was just a quiet place far off the beaten track until a street art event called Djerbahood took place in June of 2014 and transformed it into a big outdoor gallery.
The name Djerbahood comes from the fact that the village, also known as El Hara Sghira, means “small neighborhood” in Arabic. The project was established by the Itinerrance de Paris gallery, and the founder, Mehdi Ben Cheikh, got permission from the government and local authorities before organizing this event and turning it into reality.
150 street artists of 30 different nationalities from all over the world were gathered here to participate in the event, and create 250 individual and collective pieces of art. Over 4500 painting sprays were used up during the event. All the citizens and merchants of the quarter provided the materials and supplies needed for the art installations.
As the murals began to appear and decorate the facades of buildings, a lot of meetings between artists and locals occurred. Some of the residents were reluctant at first, but after seeing the village come to life, they ended up asking the artists to paint their walls as well. The interactions changed the atmosphere of the village, connecting the residents and making the whole community come together.
The village of Erriadh was chosen specifically for its traditional architecture, and thanks to this event, it soon became an attractive destination for tourists. This affected the entire island as well, bringing it some much needed positive attention and economical growth.
The Tunisian phone operator Ooredoo Tunisia provides a virtual tour of the village streets, which is available on the official website of the project for anyone interested to see.