Thousands of Tunisians gather on Avenue Bourguiba for the one year anniversary of the fall of Ben Ali
Photo: Jessica Kulig
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Reflecting Back from the US
Yesterday, our group arrived back in Boston after 12 days in Tunisia. While we once again failed as a group to post enough content on our blog that is because we were incredibly busy throughout our entire trip. These NIMEP trips are always fast-paced, non-stop experiences, and this trip was no exception. Compared to past NIMEP trips, we moved around more frequently. Our four-day trip outside of Tunis to Sousse, Kairouan, Sfax, and El Djem was exhausting as we were leaving our comfort zone by heading out of the Tunisian capital. We had some experiences with food poisoning and other illnesses that were partially the result of traveling to places without a well-developed tourist industry. However, our experiences outside of Tunis were overwhelmingly positive as a result of the students that we met in Sfax. This group, led by Oussama El Echi, was incredibly kind in taking three days of their time during finals to show us around their hometown and nearby El Djem. Without their hospitality, our trip would not have been the same. They arranged everything for us from lodging to meetings to food, so we owe them a ton of thanks.
This part of the trip took us to areas of Tunisia that are less developed than Tunis, but they are not part of the nation's interior where the worst protests are occurring. We did not visit Sidi Bouzid, Kasserine, Gafsa, and other parts of the country that are having the greatest economic difficulties. However, in just seeing the differences between coastal Tunisia and Tunis, it is clear that the large differences between these areas are nothing compared to the larger differences between Tunisia coastal and interior regions. For the revolution to truly be successful, the relatively strong economy in Tunis is going to first have to reach the other coastal cities and most importantly, the interior cities where people continue to set themselves on fire. I wish we could have traveled to these cities, but it simply was not possible with the nature of our trip.
The lasting image that I am going to have from this trip is the sight of the Avenue Bourguiba on January 14th 2012. While our photographer will add more pictures of the scene in the coming days, I was struck by the protests. Around noon, myself and two other trip members sat down with a dozen bloggers at a cafe outside the El Hana International Hotel. These bloggers were nervous about the day as they thought their revolution had been taken over, which is somewhat true. Our table was directly across the street from the National Theater, which was the epicenter of the En-Nahda victory celebrations. Therefore, we could hear the En-Nahda chants most easily. They talked about everything from celebrating the departure of Ben-Ali to solidarity with Palestine, the Syrian National Congress, and the rebels in Libya. While En-Nahda was the largest group taking to the Avenue Bourguiba that day, many other group marched as well in very close proximity. There was the CPR, Ettakatol, the Salafists (banned from the elections), the socialists (the Etajeeds), PDP, the Communists, and many other group/individuals expressing their hopes for the future of Tunisia and their complaints about the current state of Tunisia. Many people (including these bloggers) were protesting the visit of the Emir of Qatar as many secular Tunisians are afraid that the Qatari-supported En-Nahda will turn Tunisia into a country with Islamic values similar to the Gulf states.
While many of the messages being expressed on the Avenue Bourguiba were not optimistic, I found the scene to be overwhelming hopeful. Just over a year ago it would have been impossible for Tunisians to express themselves freely in the streets. While Tunisians are no longer united, they were only truly united behind one message in wanting Ben-Ali to leave. Now that Tunisia is an emerging democracy, people are expressing their democratic rights. It is only natural for the messages to conflict. As long as these protests and manifestations continue to occur peacefully and do not hamper the country's economic recovery (i.e. strikes), then I am fully supportive of these protests. Days like January 14th show that Tunisians are making the most of their fledging democracy. Tunisia still has a way to go in securing its democracy, but the overall message is guardedly optimistic as the basic freedoms of democracy seem secure. Sure, people express scary messages, but as long as they adhere to democracy, the future seems brighter for Tunisia.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Official January 14th Anniversary Ceremony in Tunis
Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar speaks at the Congress Building in Tunis on the one year anniversary of the fall of Ben Ali. Other guests of President Marzouki include Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the head of Libya's NTC Moustapha Abdeljalil, and Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani.
Ennahda founder Rached Ghannouchi speaks to the press at the end of the ceremony.
Photos: Jessica Kulig
Photos: Jessica Kulig
Friday, January 13, 2012
Tunisian Honesty
One of the most refreshing aspects of doing research here in Tunisia is the clear and honest feedback we receive from our Tunisian hosts. Whether it’s an en-Nahda representative (veering off party line?) discussing homosexuality and pre-marital sex or a former Ben Ali minister theorizing that the U.S. government wants Islamists to control the Middle East, it is clear that we are not simply being spoon-fed rehashed statements. Though it is up to us (the researchers) to place these honest responses within a proper context and bias, honesty makes our time and research here so much more valuable and interesting.
In fact, this stimulating openness is not limited to our interviews with politicians and civil society leaders. After decades of stifled expression, Tunisians are actively experimenting with their new freedom to talk, talk, talk about politics. A common joke here is that politics has pushed out football (aka soccer) as the main topic of conversation in local cafes, and it is hard for me to imagine that one year ago I could have been sitting with the same students at the same cafés and not hear a word about en-Nahda, the Niqab, or Ben-Ali’s repressions.
Of course, some Tunisians are asking whether there is such a thing as too much expression, especially as the country tries to unite around a new constitution and solve the economic and social problems that sparked the revolution in the first place. While not an unreasonable question, I don’t think that expression should be discouraged at the moment. In my opinion, it is better to learn what is best left unsaid by making mistakes, rather than by someone mandating the exact boundaries of freedom of speech. We often hear that Tunisians need to slowly learn to critically think and debate, and this crucial educational process won’t happened if expression is orchestrated by an external body. Moreover, the breath of opinions and issues articulated in Tunisian society inform us about the most pressing problems of the society. For example, while the thought that the U.S. is actively supporting an Islamist takeover may seem to many like a baseless conspiracy theory, it clues us into the worries people have about en-Nahda and the ever-present view that the U.S. is trying to manipulate domestic affairs in the region.
Therefore, I believe that people should freely and completely express themselves (non-violently, of course), and I hope that the collective outpour of opinions will bring Tunisians together rather than drive them apart.
Tomorrow, January 14, 2012, is the one year anniversary of the fall of President Ben Ali. Celebrations have already begun in the capital city of Tunis in anticipation of this momentous day. Although tomorrow's events remain to be seen, there are talks of large demonstrations and marches along Avenue Habib Bourguiba in the center of Tunis.
Photos: Jessica Kulig
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Mediterranean Optimism
It’s not hard to come by optimism in Tunisia these days. In our meetings with the National Democratic Institute and the Tunisian American Chamber of Commerce, our interviewees expressed great optimism for the future of Tunisia. One interviewee attributed such optimism to her Mediterranean roots. Having Mediterranean roots myself, I suppose I fall into this trap as well. The more of Tunisia we see, the more optimistic I become, but the more skeptical I become as well. I really believe things have the potential to go extraordinarily well, but the challenges become increasingly clear.
We spent our past two days in Sfax, where we were hosted by a group of students from the University of Sfax. They came from two clubs: the Tunisian Culture Club and the English Fan Club. Since my research topic is the role of education in democratization, meeting these students was a very rich learning experience. We discussed various topics with them, from Islamism to trade unions to the constitution. What impressed me most, however, was not the content necessarily, but the practice of discussion. They discussed rationally and critically and with great interest. They claimed that these skills were not acquired in the classroom; rather, they took the initiative to seek out these clubs that connected them with other students and allowed them to interact on a more meaningful level. These skills are absolutely critical to a democracy, and it was encouraging to see them in practice.
Besides this, there are many things that keep me optimistic about Tunisia. It has a functioning infrastructure, economic potential, and a viable political system. Occasionally, however, I’m reminded that our view is a somewhat glossed-over view. For example, while a handful of Sfaxian students were discussing the rhetoric of trade unions, a side conversation informed me “We are not interested in politics.” While our group is exposed to the hustle-bustle of Tunis and surrounding tourist sites, we haven’t seen how the interior is coping. Even the decision to travel to Tunisia (instead of Egypt, as originally planned) reflects the fact that Tunisia is probably the most stable post- Arab Spring nation.
In this sense, then, we are seeing a tiny slice of a a larger country which is yet another slice of a larger region. That tiny slice, however, has potential, and the optimistic Mediterranean in me hopes it will spark greater change throughout the country and throughout the greater region.
We spent our past two days in Sfax, where we were hosted by a group of students from the University of Sfax. They came from two clubs: the Tunisian Culture Club and the English Fan Club. Since my research topic is the role of education in democratization, meeting these students was a very rich learning experience. We discussed various topics with them, from Islamism to trade unions to the constitution. What impressed me most, however, was not the content necessarily, but the practice of discussion. They discussed rationally and critically and with great interest. They claimed that these skills were not acquired in the classroom; rather, they took the initiative to seek out these clubs that connected them with other students and allowed them to interact on a more meaningful level. These skills are absolutely critical to a democracy, and it was encouraging to see them in practice.
Besides this, there are many things that keep me optimistic about Tunisia. It has a functioning infrastructure, economic potential, and a viable political system. Occasionally, however, I’m reminded that our view is a somewhat glossed-over view. For example, while a handful of Sfaxian students were discussing the rhetoric of trade unions, a side conversation informed me “We are not interested in politics.” While our group is exposed to the hustle-bustle of Tunis and surrounding tourist sites, we haven’t seen how the interior is coping. Even the decision to travel to Tunisia (instead of Egypt, as originally planned) reflects the fact that Tunisia is probably the most stable post- Arab Spring nation.
In this sense, then, we are seeing a tiny slice of a a larger country which is yet another slice of a larger region. That tiny slice, however, has potential, and the optimistic Mediterranean in me hopes it will spark greater change throughout the country and throughout the greater region.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Tunisian Cafes
Besides transportation, another one of my favorite subjects
is café culture. Here in Tunisia, the café culture is quite fascinating with a
big divide between two different styles of cafes that define the country.
The first
type of café is only for men. These cafes can be found in all Tunisian cities,
but are far more popular in the interior regions of the countries. From the
onset of the day until well into the night, these men of all ages sit and talk
about their lives. Many of these men are unemployed and disappointed by the
lack of economic progress in Tunisia after the revolution. Technically, these
cafes are all supposed to be non-smoking, but the men inside freely smoke away.
The café is typically quite run down with plastic chairs, a few tables, and
maybe a small television to watch football matches. Overall, these cafes are
numerous and honestly quite depressing places.
The second
type of café really surprised me here in Tunisia. In Tunis, Sousse, and Sfax, we
have visited numerous very swank cafes. Almost of these cafes have installed
Internet connections within the past year (many of the passwords end in 2011)
since people can now use their computers in public with no fear of Ben Ali’s
secret police. The crowd inside these cafes represents a wider array of
Tunisian society than I would have expected. You see men and women engaging
with each other quite naturally including women wearing the hijab. As a side note, I did not see any
women wearing a nikab in these cafes,
but I have seen a few of these women walking around in Tunis. The atmosphere
inside these cafes is quite lively, and we have had a number of meetings at
cafes like these. The furniture is mostly contemporary and many of these cafes
are nicer than their American and European counterparts. These cafes also tend
to enforce their smoking and non-smoking sections except for hookah, which
seems to be everywhere.
In both of
these types of cafes, there are crowds at many hours of the day. However, the difference
between these cafes shows the differences between the haves and the have-nots
of Tunisian society. The Revolution was a success for most of the people in the
swank cafes that can now live their lives more freely. But for the Revolution
in Tunisia to be truly successful, the government and private businesses must
satisfy some of the needs of men in the first type of café.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Transit in Tunisia:
While some of the other blog posts in the next few days will
focus on our fantastic meetings here in Tunisia, I wanted to write about one of
my favorite subjects, transportation. Coming to Tunisia, we could have booked a
private van with a driver at a very high cost to the group. Since I was told
that Tunis had cheap and effective transportation and that trains and louages
would take us to our other destinations outside of Tunis, I decided to choose
this option for our transportation. Needless to say it’s been an adventure.
When we landed at the airport, we were told to
catch a cab at the departure level to ensure that we were not ripped off.
However, the police decided to seal off the departure level to prevent people
from doing this trick. Therefore, we were attacked by twenty cab drivers
instantly upon walking out of the airport. Due to Sari’s strong negotiating
skills, we managed to get 3 cabs for 10 dinars apiece (about $6.50) when they
started the price at 25 dinars per cab. Once we made it into Tunis, we did not
leave the city center for the next 24 hours as we had 3 meetings all within
walking distance.
It turned out that all of our
meetings on Thursday and Friday were not on Metro lines, which led to the
following experiences. Yesterday afternoon, we took cabs at rush hour to meet a
prominent lawyer in the El Manar II suburb of Tunis. Finding open cabs in
downtown Tunis was a nightmare. It turns out that cabs with a red light are
free and those with a green light are occupied. We ended up needing a hotel
bellman to snatch us cabs since we had been waiting for 15 minutes. We were
told that the cab ride would take 15-20 minutes, but it ended up taking 45
minutes with the traffic. Luckily, the Arab World does not have as finite of a
sense of time as we had a successful meeting despite arriving over an hour
late. After the meeting, we had to walk a kilometer to a nearby mall to catch
cabs back to the city center. Despite the long walk, that ride was pretty
straightforward.
On Friday, we encountered the
biggest problem for taxis in Tunisia, a lack of specific addresses. While most
streets have names, in theory, many of these streets do not have signs.
Therefore, we had to be dropped off at nearby landmarks and then walk to our
destinations. This morning I had a very detailed map from the organization we
were meeting with, so their office was not too difficult to find. However, our
lunch meeting proved a bit harder to find. Despite giving us a quite detailed
description of their building, the organization did not provide us with
directions from the highway exit. Through a bit of luck, we found the building,
but it was quite stressful. Luckily, we had a great lunch and they arranged a
car service to take us to our next meeting, which was also in a location off
the beaten path. Since this meeting was in a difficult to reach location for
cabs, they drove us to our next meeting.
Getting from our last meeting to
the train station to head to Sousse was the most stressful part of the day for
me. We had to catch a 645 PM train since I really did not want to take the 9 PM
train that would arrive after 11 PM. Our meeting that was supposed to wrap up
at 530 PM ended at 545 (a common theme), and we thought it would be easy to
catch a cab from the Sheraton hotel to downtown Tunis. The bellman there was
not helpful as it took us 15 minutes to get 3 cabs. By running back to our
hotel, packing up near the speed light, sprinting with luggage in hand to the
train station, we made it there six minutes before our train was supposed to
depart. We bought the tickets (only 7.6 dinars for the 2 hour ride to Sousse)
and then raced towards the train. We panicked as we thought we saw our train
pulling away from the station. Again, luck was on our side. That train was actually
a suburban train and our train pulled into the station right as we walked up.
The train was an old Italian train that was not great, but it was a decent deal
for the price. We got to Sousse a half hour late, but overall it was a
successful trip.
Today we had a minor nightmare with
the louage drivers from Sousse to Kairouan. Louages are shared taxis that can
handle eight passengers each. We had to split up into two louages since we were
just one person over. Honestly, we could have fit a ninth person in the van
(and we did on the way back), and we should have done it. One of the vans
managed to get dropped off directly at the Great Mosque in Kairouan and the
other group was dropped off at the louage station. Since the group at the
Mosque did not have a cell phone with them (stupid mistake on my part), the
group at the louage station waited for 40 minutes to walk to the Medina. On the
way to the Medina, we got lost (actually it was not my fault for once) and we
had to take a cab to the Medina. Over the course of the next hour, we managed
to run into people that had seen the mosque group. Eventually they found a
phone to call me, and we met up. The ride back was less eventful except for the
fact that the driver of one of the vans did not have the legal paperwork to
enter the station. Therefore, nine of us fit together into one van for the last 10 minutes of the ride.
As you can probably imagine this
trip has been exhausting. I am having a great time co-leading the group, but
almost everyone is tired and/or has some stomach problem. None of the problems
are too bad, but we need to slow down our hectic pace a little bit.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
First things first, I’d like to introduce myself (for I
expect that most of you, save my parents, don’t know me). My name is Quinn Rask
and I am a senior this year double majoring in International Relations and
Middle Eastern Studies with a minor in Arabic. I spent last spring studying at
the University of Jordan in Amman, living with a Jordanian family, and
travelling around the Middle East. Unfortunately (for my travel plans, not for
the Arabs) the Arab Spring put a hamper on my possible travel options (all of
the border crossings in Jordan were closed except the one with Israel),
although I was still able to go to Egypt right (well pretty close at least)
after Mubarak abdicated power to the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF).
This trip to Tunisia makes me 2/3 in visiting countries that toppled leaders in
the Arab Spring, well, so far at least.
While I am
here I will be studying the future of secularism and Islamism in Tunisian
politics. Yeah, yeah, big scary Islamist right? That’s what we hear about all
the time on the television. We equate Islamists with the Taliban, making it
basically synonymous with oppression. What I have seen so far is different.
Actually, completely different. Tunisia is not Afghanistan. Tunisia is not
Saudi Arabia. Tunisia is not even Egypt. We will see what the future of
Tunisian Islamism is, but for right now it seems to be more similar to the
Moral Majority of the United States (that is, socially conservative, but still
ready and willing to participate in the democratic political system) than the
Islamists in Iran (where they established an Islamic theocracy).
I don’t
want to say too much now (I want you all to keep coming back to read the blog after all), so I will leave the
discussion there for right now. But I will be writing, hopefully every day or
every other day (time permitting, in shah Allah) about things related to my
topic and my experiences in Tunisia, which so far have been incredible. If you
have any questions, want to talk to me about some that I write, or really about
anything please email me at Quinn.rask@tufts.edu
and I will try to get back to you as soon as I can.
-Quinn
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Welcome
I would like to thank you for checking out the NIMEP (New Initiative for Middle East Peace) Tunisia trip blog. My name is Seth Rau, and I am one of the trip’s co-leaders along with Stephanos Karavas. On Tuesday, our group of 9 Tufts University students (eight researchers and one photographer) will depart from the U.S. on our way to Tunisia. For the following 12 days, our group will meet with politicians, civil society leaders, international organization, university professors, and other influential leaders across Tunisia. Our group will mostly be based in the capital city of Tunis, but we are going to take a four-day trip out of Tunis to visit Sousse, Kairouan, Sfax, and possibly Sidi Bouzid.
Assuming we have consistent Internet access, this blog will contain daily highlights. Our photographer, Jessica Kulig, will post some of her best pictures here to give you a sense of our experiences in Tunisia. The other researchers will post their thoughts about the trip as we proceed on this exciting trip. As none of us have ever been to Tunisia before, we are quite excited about this trip to a nation that is experiencing a transformational moment in its history.
We hope that you will check back here on the blog frequently over the next two week to see our updates!
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