More than two years after the self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi inspired a wave of demonstrations and popular uprisings against despotic regimes across the Middle East, the successes and failures of the optimistically named Arab Spring remain matters of debate. But there’s no question about one thing: all the protests have left their mark on cities and towns across the region…literally.
Tyrants like to keep the streets clean of any reminder that something might be creeping out of control. But over the past two years buildings and barricades from Tunis to Manama have been defiantly daubed with graffiti. Reluctant to read the literal or figurative writing on the wall, authorities have been quick to whitewash or black out critical slogans and images. But in a graphic counterpart to the often violent confrontations playing out in the streets and squares, the protesters have painted more, and more quickly, than the authorities can efface or erase.