Right after the news of the terrorist attack on the Bardo museum in Tunis, last Wednesday, some Tunisians (mainly on Facebook and Twitter) had the most disgusting reaction I have ever witnessed. Statuses like “Poor Tunisia! No tourism this year!”, “We’re doomed, nobody is coming this summer” invaded my feed and the first few were more than enough to make my blood boil (which wasn’t difficult in the first place, since I was already enraged by the news).
Tourism is a vital sector in Tunisia’s already fragile economy. There is no point denying it. Many families entirely depend on how well the season turns out this year, especially after the sector’s slow recovery since the revolution. So there is nothing wrong with sympathizing with those who will be affected by the events.
What I do have a problem with however is people who’s lack of values shines through in this sort of comment. They never mentioned the tourists and the citizens that were murdered. They didn’t reflect on the attack as a violation of our national treasures and our sovereignty. And they certainly did not pay attention to the symbolism of the date (right before independence day, as the parliament is debating a new terrorism legislation). Instead, their first and foremost concern was ”Shoot! The Dinar is gonna collapse!” … You can’t imagine my disappointment.
Just when I somehow managed to start forgetting about this atrocity, pages like this one started popping on my feed. It absolutely warmed my heart to see the global support Tunisia has received. I can go on all day describing how genuinely touched I felt. But in the same time, I can’t help but feel ashamed.
I was mortified that people from around the world showed their support, by protesting in the streets, by sharing supportive messages or changing their profile pictures… But all we seemed to focus on was their financial support…
This somehow made me reflect on the Charlie Hebdo attacks, in Paris, a few months ago. If you look closely at the French portrayal of the attack (in official media, social media, what have you), you’ll see that there was little focus on how dangerous the situation was. No one even mentioned the terror that reigned with just the thought that ISIS had successfully targeted a European city. The French people was united. They stood strong during the crisis because their values united them: “France is an icon of freedom of speech! You will not silence us!”
I am not saying that this just PR or some kind of masquerade. It’s quite the contrary; I am saying that the French’s values were a far more important priority than security, let alone economy.
In the Bardo attack however, all that was advertised is how we, as a fragile emerging economy will financially suffer because of this attack. There is something so rotten, and almost perverse about it. If anything, this reflects, how we as a nation, do not have clear values that transcend social classes and regional difference. We do not have values strong enough to bring all of us us together with the same voice: “We will remain the pioneers of democracy in the area, no matter what you do!”
This situation also made me reflect on our democratic transition and if that constitution of ours (that everyone is oh so proud of) didn’t fail at setting the values we still lack to this day.
Which brings me to the last point: People who posted pictures saying that they will come to Tunisia this summer do not plan on risking their lives to prove to us that they support us financially. They come willingly because their visit to Tunisia will stand for something more than just a cheap vacation in the Mediterranean. It will stand as proof of their support to an exception in the region. The contrast between this mindset on the one hand, and the cheap “darn-it-no-tourists-this-year” attitude on the other makes me even more embarrassed.
Hi Rahma
I think you have some excellent reflections on what values a nation should be built on.
I do have some considerations regarding the stupid posts on twitter and facebook, like the like “Poor Tunisia! No tourism this year!”. I can’t help feeling, they are a reaction to a general feeling of being left out or feeling worth less, that the people who run the tourism industry. Historically, tourism has been a cash cow for some very rich people in Tunisia, and that the people who actually work there, (serveurs, cleaners, staff) are merely holding on to whatever little income they can get. In all walks of Tunisian life, I see a very asymmetrical relationship between employers and employees. Thus, there’s an very visible disliking of tourists because they symbolize everything you can’t have, when you’re an ordinary Tunisian. They symbolize a life style you can only obtain, if you go to Europe, or USA. So, the owners and the industry are on the receiving end of a lot of spite.
Maybe it would be to our benefit if we could open a discussion on why people from Kesserine (and other parts of Tunisia) are so poor, that they want to commit acts of terror. Then we could better understand some of the fundamental causes of inequality in Tunisia, and start to give them an incentive to FEEL more part of the Tunisian society. We need to start asking ourselves, why the wealthy are unable to understand the needs of the poor. If we do that, then maybe, we can start understanding the root causes of terrorism.
Keep up the good work, and thank you for posting in English.
Hello Nabil,
Thanks for your incentive comments.
In the article, I implied that the people who made those silly comments were primarily concerned by the well being of Tunisians who will suffer from the economic consequences of the attack. As you pointed out, that is not entirely true.
I do agree with you 100% that those who made these comments take pride in how international Tunisia is. They like to believe that hey live in that Tunisia that the Tourists visit. They isolate themselves in Hammamet & Cie and surround themselves with tourists just to feel that they are abroad, “in the civilized world”, where they belong…
So as you mentioned, their comments show their distress for being left out, betrayed even. It’s almost like an old friend who promised to visit you the summer when you go see your grandparents in some small village where there is nothing to do. And then your friend had to cancel…
What you said on the link between the gap rich/poor and terrorism is also on point! As you mentioned, the workers who interact daily with the “gwir” are bitter. They certainly envy both the tourists and the rich who hang out with them. It is easy then to lump them together and justify any act of terror against either one. It makes it even easier to put labels on them as Koffar/capitalists/imperialist/traitors which will mask the fact that they are people of your own.
This conversation actually reminds me of a video of Cyril Grislain Karray where he mentions spot-on all these issues. https://youtu.be/-oVcrUp2708?t=2m16s