North-African Zapatistas
In Tunisia, a group of football ultras has adopted the name "Zapatista Esperanza," drawing inspiration from Mexican revolutionary icons Emiliano Zapata and Subcomandante Marcos, known for their roles in peasant struggles and indigenous rights movements. This unexpected cultural fusion represents one of the most striking examples of how Mexican Zapatista ideology has transcended borders to influence social movements across North Africa and the Mediterranean.
The imagery of Zapata and Marcos has become prevalent among these Tunisian ultras, reflecting a deep resonance with themes of resistance, anti-authoritarianism, and social justice that connect the struggles of Mexican indigenous communities with Tunisian youth activism. This documentary photography project captures how global symbols of resistance travel and adapt to local contexts, creating new forms of transnational solidarity and political expression.
This phenomenon underscores the enduring legacy of Zapata's revolutionary spirit and the Zapatista movement's international influence, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries to inspire movements far beyond Mexico's Chiapas highlands. The adoption of Zapatista symbols by Tunisian football supporters demonstrates how revolutionary iconography becomes a universal language of resistance against oppression and inequality.
The Zapatista Esperanza ultras, situated in Ben Arous, a working-class suburb of Tunis, represent a broader trend of youth activism and post-Arab Spring discontent in Tunisia. These young supporters have found in Mexican revolutionary history a powerful framework for expressing their own frustrations with economic inequality, police repression, and limited political opportunities in contemporary Tunisia.
Despite facing challenges such as police crackdowns, social stigma, and criminalization of football supporter culture, these ultras continue to express their defiance and solidarity through football fandom, street art, graffiti, and public demonstrations. They channel the spirit of Zapata's agrarian rebellion and the Zapatista movement's autonomous organizing into their own struggle for dignity, justice, and empowerment in post-revolution Tunisia.
Through photojournalism, this project documents how global resistance movements create unexpected cultural bridges, connecting Mexican indigenous struggles with North African youth movements. The work explores themes of cultural appropriation versus solidarity, examining how symbols of resistance travel and transform across continents while maintaining their core message of social justice.
From stadium chants invoking "¡Zapata Vive!" to street murals depicting Subcomandante Marcos alongside Tunisian revolutionary symbols, this documentation reveals how transnational movements for social change adapt to local realities while maintaining universal aspirations for equality and freedom.
Tunisia. 2019.
