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| Tunisian B-Boys’ Biggest Battle: Keeping Youths From Extremism | Tunisian B-Boys’ Biggest Battle: Keeping Youths From Extremism |
| (7 months later) | |
| BEN AOUN, Tunisia — The youth center in this small provincial town is brimming with energy on a Saturday morning. Teenage girls in pink tracksuits compete in a fencing tournament in one room, and soccer teams play on a bright emerald green patch on the far side of the compound. But the most intense activity is inside a classroom where youths of all ages are crammed around a dance floor watching break dancers test their skills and wits against one another to a thumping music track. | |
| “We want to expand this phenomenon all over Tunisia,” said one of the top break dancers, Alla Bouzid. “We want to eradicate the old mentality of people. We want the cycle of Tunisia to change. All this is happening since the revolution. We want to live how we want.” | “We want to expand this phenomenon all over Tunisia,” said one of the top break dancers, Alla Bouzid. “We want to eradicate the old mentality of people. We want the cycle of Tunisia to change. All this is happening since the revolution. We want to live how we want.” |
| The B-boys have adopted the dress code that goes with the dance form, the baggy clothes, flashy footgear and American baseball caps — New York Yankees the preferred one. Their leaders describe themselves as artists, free performers of dance, graffiti and theater. | The B-boys have adopted the dress code that goes with the dance form, the baggy clothes, flashy footgear and American baseball caps — New York Yankees the preferred one. Their leaders describe themselves as artists, free performers of dance, graffiti and theater. |
| Far from the rich coastal towns and developed north of the country, Ben Aoun is a one-street agricultural settlement of 7,000 inhabitants, typical of the impoverished Tunisian south. Unemployment is high. The old market square stands almost deserted; a cafe and a motorbike repair shop are the only businesses open one afternoon. | Far from the rich coastal towns and developed north of the country, Ben Aoun is a one-street agricultural settlement of 7,000 inhabitants, typical of the impoverished Tunisian south. Unemployment is high. The old market square stands almost deserted; a cafe and a motorbike repair shop are the only businesses open one afternoon. |
| Yet in this small town, and across much of Tunisian society, there is an important battle going on for the minds of young people. | Yet in this small town, and across much of Tunisian society, there is an important battle going on for the minds of young people. |
| Ben Aoun lies just down the road from the town of Sidi Bouzid, where three years ago, the fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in a protest against poverty, government corruption and indifference. The riots that followed, led by the angry working-class youths of the area, brought down President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and incited the revolts of the Arab Spring. | Ben Aoun lies just down the road from the town of Sidi Bouzid, where three years ago, the fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in a protest against poverty, government corruption and indifference. The riots that followed, led by the angry working-class youths of the area, brought down President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and incited the revolts of the Arab Spring. |
| The B-boys were in the thick of the protests. “There was no political party involved, no adults; it was all kids,” their leader, Nidhal Bouallagui, 23, recalled. | The B-boys were in the thick of the protests. “There was no political party involved, no adults; it was all kids,” their leader, Nidhal Bouallagui, 23, recalled. |
| “We went out to set fire to things,” he said. “We were not burning public things but just tires in the street to say: ‘Do not come here, we are fed up, we don’t want you here.’ We wanted everything to stop. We were saying: ‘Don’t work, don’t study, the country should stop until they find a solution for us.’ ” | “We went out to set fire to things,” he said. “We were not burning public things but just tires in the street to say: ‘Do not come here, we are fed up, we don’t want you here.’ We wanted everything to stop. We were saying: ‘Don’t work, don’t study, the country should stop until they find a solution for us.’ ” |
| Three years on, they say life has changed little, except that the police do not break up their dancing anymore and that government youth centers sometimes lend them a room to practice. | Three years on, they say life has changed little, except that the police do not break up their dancing anymore and that government youth centers sometimes lend them a room to practice. |
| Young people still feel neglected and alienated, and many are drifting into drugs and smuggling, or extremist religion and even militancy, some of those interviewed said. | Young people still feel neglected and alienated, and many are drifting into drugs and smuggling, or extremist religion and even militancy, some of those interviewed said. |
| Mr. Bouallagui says he watched the aftermath of the Tunisian uprising turn violent and chaotic when thousands of inmates were released from prison. One of those, a drug dealer, rapidly drew a following among the youths in his neighborhood, he said. Then three Salafi leaders, fundamentalist Sunni preachers, were also released from prison and became another magnet for local aimless youths, luring dozens away to jihad in Syria, he said. | Mr. Bouallagui says he watched the aftermath of the Tunisian uprising turn violent and chaotic when thousands of inmates were released from prison. One of those, a drug dealer, rapidly drew a following among the youths in his neighborhood, he said. Then three Salafi leaders, fundamentalist Sunni preachers, were also released from prison and became another magnet for local aimless youths, luring dozens away to jihad in Syria, he said. |
| Among the clerics was Khatib al-Idrissi, a sheikh trained in Saudi Arabia who has emerged as one of the most influential leaders of the Salafi movement in Tunisia. He lives in Ben Aoun and runs a mosque in his family compound that is well attended by young Salafis. He declines interview requests. | Among the clerics was Khatib al-Idrissi, a sheikh trained in Saudi Arabia who has emerged as one of the most influential leaders of the Salafi movement in Tunisia. He lives in Ben Aoun and runs a mosque in his family compound that is well attended by young Salafis. He declines interview requests. |
| Mr. Bouallagui says he has nothing against the Salafis, but he saw that they were drawing in the most troubled youths, including some of his close friends, and were telling them to give up music, soccer and break dancing. As the Salafi influence grew, terrorist violence also emerged in Tunisia. | Mr. Bouallagui says he has nothing against the Salafis, but he saw that they were drawing in the most troubled youths, including some of his close friends, and were telling them to give up music, soccer and break dancing. As the Salafi influence grew, terrorist violence also emerged in Tunisia. |
| One of the most serious attacks occurred in Ben Aoun in October, when gunmen — some of them local men — ambushed the local National Guard. Six members of the National Guard were killed in the ensuing firefight along with two gunmen, the police said. | One of the most serious attacks occurred in Ben Aoun in October, when gunmen — some of them local men — ambushed the local National Guard. Six members of the National Guard were killed in the ensuing firefight along with two gunmen, the police said. |
| A natural organizer, Mr. Bouallagui decided to create an association to run workshops and events to offer teenagers an alternative. | A natural organizer, Mr. Bouallagui decided to create an association to run workshops and events to offer teenagers an alternative. |
| “We do dance, extreme sport, rap, graffiti, D.J.-ing, photography, short movies and theater,” he said. “We do it because we want to work with people. It is voluntary, there’s no financial benefit. We just have one principle that we have to make something new.” | “We do dance, extreme sport, rap, graffiti, D.J.-ing, photography, short movies and theater,” he said. “We do it because we want to work with people. It is voluntary, there’s no financial benefit. We just have one principle that we have to make something new.” |
| He added: “It’s not that I don’t want them to be Salafis, but there is this terrorist side.” | He added: “It’s not that I don’t want them to be Salafis, but there is this terrorist side.” |
| Mr. Bouallagui said he noticed the youths who had something else in their lives were able to resist overtures from the Salafis, or at least temper their involvement. “It is important the youth are acculturated, and then they can go towards the Salafis, and that is O.K. If you don’t have that, you become a kid with nothing, and alienated in society.” | Mr. Bouallagui said he noticed the youths who had something else in their lives were able to resist overtures from the Salafis, or at least temper their involvement. “It is important the youth are acculturated, and then they can go towards the Salafis, and that is O.K. If you don’t have that, you become a kid with nothing, and alienated in society.” |
| Mr. Bouallagui knows something of that. The son of a welder, he left school at 16. Break dancing was a form of rebellion. He and his friends taught themselves moves gleaned from the Internet. | Mr. Bouallagui knows something of that. The son of a welder, he left school at 16. Break dancing was a form of rebellion. He and his friends taught themselves moves gleaned from the Internet. |
| “We started to be conscious that we should be a group,” Mr. Bouallagui said. On Facebook, he learned of a competition in the town of Tozeur, close to the Sahara, and set off with a friend, Mr. Bouzid. “We had no money, so we hitchhiked from Ben Aoun,” Mr. Bouallagui said. “We did not get there till midnight. And we did not have the 90 cents entrance fee. But we got in. We were the last to dance, and we won.” | “We started to be conscious that we should be a group,” Mr. Bouallagui said. On Facebook, he learned of a competition in the town of Tozeur, close to the Sahara, and set off with a friend, Mr. Bouzid. “We had no money, so we hitchhiked from Ben Aoun,” Mr. Bouallagui said. “We did not get there till midnight. And we did not have the 90 cents entrance fee. But we got in. We were the last to dance, and we won.” |
| Last year, he reached his personal pinnacle, competing under the stage name Lil Devil among the top 16 Tunisian finalists in a regional competition for the Red Bull B-boy world championship. | Last year, he reached his personal pinnacle, competing under the stage name Lil Devil among the top 16 Tunisian finalists in a regional competition for the Red Bull B-boy world championship. |
| Yet back home in Sidi Bouzid, life barely changed. When he is out of money, he helps his father in his metal workshop. “People here do not realize what we did,” he said. “They say: ‘Who are those kids?’ ” | Yet back home in Sidi Bouzid, life barely changed. When he is out of money, he helps his father in his metal workshop. “People here do not realize what we did,” he said. “They say: ‘Who are those kids?’ ” |
| “We have lost our hope a little bit in general in Tunisia,” he said. | “We have lost our hope a little bit in general in Tunisia,” he said. |
| He put on a mini-festival this month in Ben Aoun, bringing a famous dancer from Tozeur to judge the competition and a D.J. from Kasserine. A centerpiece of the show was a skit on official corruption by a group of comedians from Ben Aoun. Unable to pay a bribe, the protagonist sets himself on fire, and the lead comedian dares to crack a joke over his corpse. | He put on a mini-festival this month in Ben Aoun, bringing a famous dancer from Tozeur to judge the competition and a D.J. from Kasserine. A centerpiece of the show was a skit on official corruption by a group of comedians from Ben Aoun. Unable to pay a bribe, the protagonist sets himself on fire, and the lead comedian dares to crack a joke over his corpse. |
| Like so many young men in North Africa, Mr. Bouallagui sees frustration building among his friends from a sense of rejection and lack of opportunities. “There is a real will to make things happen, but they do not know how,” he said. | Like so many young men in North Africa, Mr. Bouallagui sees frustration building among his friends from a sense of rejection and lack of opportunities. “There is a real will to make things happen, but they do not know how,” he said. |