Mvslim
“My Tunisia is the free woman,” Wajiha Jendoubi says. Her passion for comedy and theatre has made her rise from the post-revolutionary extremism of Tunisia. The popular comedian is on a mission to make Tunisians laugh about the tough things in life.
“Theatre is My Weapon”
Wajiha Jendoubi is an actress, acting in Tunisian television dramas, while also being an active personality on the radio. As one of Tunisia’s best-known comedians, she has performed her comedy show 276 times in five years selling over 400,000 tickets. “My artistic choices are always about painful subjects. I like to talk about what people are afraid to confront or even don’t know how to express. But I always like to say it in a comic manner because humour reaches the heart of the audience.”
In her comedy show, she deals with the rise of post-revolutionary extremism. She rejects what extremism has taught the Tunisian people and believes theatre is her weapon to counteract. “Through comedy, I try to pique people’s curiosity and leave them with introspection. I won’t be interested in someone coming to see me on stage and leave without contemplating the situation we are in and the environment.”
“My Tunisia is the free woman. My Tunisia is the woman who speaks out. My Tunisia is the woman who is active; the militant one, the hardworking one. My Tunisia is my world.”
Her Limelight Succes Comes from Challenges at Home
In her personal life, Jendoubi balances marriage and motherhood. These challenges at home, spending time with her husband and two children, make her successful in the limelight. “I have two lives and both of them require my body and mind to be present at the moment. My artistic field is my choice and at the same time my home needs me as a whole.”
Her husband, Mehdi, is very supportive of her career. When her days are long, and she has to be out for shooting from 8 am until midnight without coming home, he takes their son to her. “We are used to it,” says Mehdi, who is also the sound and lighting designer on her shows.
Wajiha’s spirit in a country that’s still trying to rebuild itself shows how passion can become a powerful weapon to voice discussion and contemplation.
