Rhyme is no crime, photographer Emeric Fohlen’s exposition currently on view at the Institut Francais, offers the public a technicolor glimpse into “a censored culture,” Tunisia’s hip hop movement.
Entertainment television: talk show hosts narrate politics
Between a near blackout on social and economic realities, and a sensationalist, fear-mongering rhetoric concerning complex security and political issues, the country’s dominant media outlets continue to work against the diffusion of quality news and information through censorship, rumors, and stories.
Tunisia Explodes Again
When one remembers, that the 2011 uprising was primarily triggered by economic and social disparities and that now those disparities are not only growing, but that nothing has been done to narrow the gap, it suggests that social explosions will inevitably continue.
How open is Tunisia to Open Government reforms?
While it contains a breadth of information and recommendations, the OECD report’s evident eagerness to highlight progress tends to overlook important shortcomings, while the time lapse between data collection (in 2014) and publication of Open Government in Tunisia (8 February 2016) has rendered certain facts and observations outdated.
Tunisia’s smuggling dilemma
Informal trade has had a disastrous impact on the economy: inadequate production-consumption cycle, lack of goods such as foodstuffs and medicine, local farmers and traders threatened by parallel trade, sharp increase in prices, etc.
Women at the forefront of social movements in Jebiniana
For the past two weeks, some fifty women have assembled each day in front of the delegation of Jebiniana in hopes of a better life.
Food Sovereignty Forum: envisioning an alternative model of agriculture in Tunisia
“The most important thing is to remain loyal to the concept,” explains geographer Habib Ayeb who recently launched preparations for the Food Sovereignty Forum which will take place in 2017. “Without this loyalty, we cannot gain anything, we cannot make any progress. We cannot organize a forum on food sovereignty and demand financial support from Monsanto; Monsanto is a target for the Forum—Monsanto must be broken. Also we won’t work with USAID or AFD or GIZ—these are governmental organizations that try to impose their models on the Global South, and they are also targets of the Forum.”
Repression of social movements: on the streets, in the media
While citizens and local authorities in a few regions have undertaken negotiations for employment and development, the government has yet to respond to protesters’ demands with a comprehensive strategy or solution. Instead, a union of the National Guard is implicated in the diffusion of fabricated images portraying violent protests, and police forces have begun to arrest young activists accused of “disrupting public order.”
Tunisia: a booming civil society, a fragile democracy, and endless challenges ahead
For many, democracy is a “miracle” and one element to make this marvelous event achievable is the presence of an effective civil society. Of course, when we refer to “civil society organizations and movements,” the quality and quantity are equally important.
Cereals, seed-saving, and food security
Mahmoudi, Beskri, Bidi, Richi, Jneh Khottifa, Rommani, Ouard Bled, Ajlili, Arbi, Ardhaoui, Souhili…many would not recognize the importance of these names, representing but a fraction of the wheat and barley varieties once cultivated in Tunisia. Since the 1940s, the number of local cereal varieties has decreased by 90%, from fifty to five. Having recently examined some of the nutritional and economic implications of cereal production in Tunisia, Nawaat spoke with Amine Slim, researcher at the National Gene Bank, for a closer look at cereals, a glimpse into this vital food source from the inside-out.
Peaceful protests continue throughout the country
Today, Monday, January 25, a demonstration took place in Sidi Bouzid on the city’s main street. Organized by the Union of Unemployed Graduates (UDC), the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), and the Tunisian League of Human Rights (LTDH), marchers headed to governorate headquarters where they demanded the governor’s presence.
After Kasserine, protests break out in 16 governorates
Demonstrations have not ceased since Saturday, January 16 when Ridha Yahyaoui was electrocuted at the top of a utility pole in Kasserine. Yahyaoui’s death was the turning point in recent protests which have turned into clashes between protesters and security forces across the country. Less than a week later, the government has imposed a national curfew.
Should we even bother to vote?
Voting in a corrupt, fraudulent election is providing legitimacy to organized financial crime. Not until basic transparency criteria are met, could we have a fair election on a national level. Considering the rotten political reality, the only alternative available is the street, as populist as it may sound.
In Tunis, demonstrators are still chanting the slogans of the revolution
After five years of struggles to keep the country on track, civil society demands for “work, freedom, and dignity” have remained unchanged.
In 2015, citizen movements struggle to keep the gains of the revolution
If some will remember 2015 as the year Tunisia’s National Quartet was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, others will recall that it was citizens’ struggles online and on the ground which kept the country on track.
Tunisia’s State Security Apparatus: an unofficial narrative
The National Museum of the State Security System is one of several artistic works that Egyptian playwright-director Laila Soliman and Belgian actor-director Ruud Gielens have created together. The artists were approached by the organizers of Dream City to create a project for the fifth edition of the event (November 4-8). Soliman shared some time with Nawaat to talk about the creative process behind their creation, a glimpse into the unofficial narrative of the state security apparatus that operated under the Ben Ali regime.
Revolution, My Love
On 17 December 2010, a young Tunisian in Sidi Bouzid sets himself ablaze. One by one, the country’s regions rise up. On 14 January 2011, after 23 years of dictatorship, Ben Ali leaves the country. Like so many other Tunisians, Karim Rmadi, Olfa Lamloum, Ghassen Amami and Selim Kharrat decide to return home after many years abroad. Four stories that tell of revolutionary fervor, the challenges of transition, and an unshakable faith in the future.
Tunisia’s Parched North
The highlands of Tunisia’s north-west hold the national record for rainfall. And yet the region’s scarcity of potable water is a nightmare for inhabitants. In the governorate of Béja, the National Water Distribution Utility (SONEDE) system stops at the borders of M’chargua, Zaga, Toghzaz, Marja Zweraa and Oulèja. The idyllic scenery–abundant flora, lakes and rivers that stretch as far as the eye can see—is in sharp contrast with the emaciated faces of perpetually thirsty villagers. Nawaat visited the region to investigate one of the most absurd injustices of independent Tunisia.
