Mdhilla, population 15,000, in the southwest of Tunisia, is an industrial center in the mining basin with two clusters: a division of the Gafsa Phosphate Company (in the photo) and a regional division of the Tunisian Chemical Group. And yet, Mdhilla is one of the poorest towns in the country. An impromptu meeting with the residents of the “Sariaa” (Rapid) neighborhood. The neighborhood is mostly made up of semi-nomad families who never stayed in one place for a long time. These days, the inhabitants no longer really leave, since poverty and rough conditions force them to stay put. The whole neighborhood is built on the bed of a wadi that has been progressively filled in as new buildings go up.