Decolonizing Rap: Tunisia’s Muslim Feminist Rappers

My speech delves into Tunisian women rappers. It shows how these artists have carved a space for themselves in Tunisia’s masculine rap scene. My presentation emphasizes the complexity of the intersectional issues depicted in female rappers’ songs. I argue that Tunisia’s feminist rappers defend women’s rights while also stressing the multilayeredness of Tunisian women’s lives and struggles. My speech shows that feminist rappers’ songs target multiple forms of subordination caused by poverty, classism, sexism, corruption, bad governance and lack of security and opportunities. Despite their opposition to male dominance, Tunisian feminist rappers do not reduce the challenge, which Tunisian women face in the post-revolutionary period, to patriarchy. Rather, they stress interlaced forms of marginalization and intertwined elements of oppression.