By 1925, almost 80,000 of about 130,000 Italians in Tunisia were Sicilians, coming mainly from the western provinces of Trapani and Palermo. The French occupation became a symbol of Italians’ colonial inferiority and brought Sicilians closer to the Tunisians, as victims of the same higher power. For three years, Tranchida collected oral histories from Sicilians of Tunisia who had returned to Marsala, like Pugliese. It has now morphed into an annual gathering that brings together Sicilians of Tunisia scattered around Europe. Much of her healing came through writing a series of partly autobiographical novels about the Sicilians of Tunisia.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 02, 2026 11:23 UTC