Education Kristen Canavan 19 September 2016

Education Reform 2016-2020: Building a better future for students in Tunisia?

As students headed back to school on Thursday the 15th, a looming question hung over the heads of many: what will become of the proposed education reforms this academic year? So far one major project, “The School Regains Her Children,” appears to be making progress. On September 8th, an initiative subsidized by UNICEF Tunisia and The Italian cooperation was signed by Minister of Education, Néji Jaloul. The donation of six million Tunisian dinars is designed to “strengthen the national campaign aimed at combatting school drop-out rates.” However, re-cooperating lost students is only one of the several, major issues that the Tunisian education system faces today.

Culture Kristen Canavan 09 August 2016

Carthage Festival’s Urban Session : One swallow doesn’t make a summer

For its 52nd annual production, the Carthage International Festival diverged from its regular programming and held an “Urban Session” at L’Agora in La Marsa. In a country where the freedom of speech and self-expression was suppressed for so long, Urban Session’s performances were not lacking subversive undertones. However, the social acceptability of hip hop and urban art by the general public is far from being considered “mainstream”. One swallow doesn’t make a summer.

Themes Translation : Kristen Canavan 12 July 2016

Are Arabs “Behind”?

“We Arabs, we are behind” we have sighed to ourselves for more than a century. Streams of powerless tears flood our newspaper columns. A veritable fountain of tears spewing from our tear ducts. And we ask Europe, who quietly laughs at us, to give us a hand. “We Arabs, we are behind. Let’s be modern!” We’re spending our time running to catch a train that is behind us. Europe is not our future; it is our past.

Environment Translation : Kristen Canavan 01 July 2016

Oil contracts disclosure: red lines limiting transparency

Since June 14th, the portal “Open Data” offers to the public contracts that link ETAP and the State to Tunisian and foreign hydrocarbon operators. Other equally vital actors in the energy and mining sector however are absent or nearly so.

Culture Kristen Canavan 28 June 2016

Youth Culture: War Zone Brings Tunisian Hip Hop Artists Together for Friendly Fire

On June 18^th nearly 50 Tunisian hip hop artists came together for the country’s first multi-talent event, “War Zone”.

Rights Kristen Canavan 25 June 2016

Tunisian Gender Law Reform: Optimism in Spite of the Long Road Ahead

On June 3rd, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (Euro-Med) hosted a conference entitled “Forms of Violence Against Women and Girls” to discuss the Tunisian Personal Status Code and Penal Code – both of which are long overdue for reform. Critical yet optimistic, the proposed goals for legal reform are found in a study entitled “Violences à L’égard des femmes: Les lois du genre” written by Sana Ben Achour, a law professor and former president of ATFD.

Politics Kristen Canavan 07 June 2016

Ennahda’s 10th Congress: Contextualizing the “Separation” of Mosque and State

Ennahda’s 10th Congress took place between May 20th and May 25th, bringing reforms which sparked conversations about where the party is headed next. Media coverage highlighted Ennahda’s separation of “mosque and state” as a step towards better governance in Tunisia. The portrayals of what this “separation” truly means varies in Western and Tunisian news coverage, with some reports being more skeptical than others.

Civil Society Translation : Kristen Canavan 25 May 2016

6th Youth Forum in Gafsa: France-Tunisia Cooperation and its Discontents

Chartered buses from l’Institut Français headed towards Gafsa to assemble at the 6th Youth Forum, which each year, celebrates decentralized cooperation between France and Tunisia. Behind the “support” of civil society appears to be the dissemination of a doctrine; one which claims that what will help boost start-ups is a solution for mass unemployment and marginalization. In light of some “success stories”, how many are left behind?

Politics Kristen Canavan 24 May 2016

Quantifying the unquantifiable: religion and politics in North Africa

On May 10, Tunisian polling institution SIGMA Conseil and German foundation Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) presented the results of their survey “Religion and Politics in North Africa.” How accurately do study findings reflect society’s views on issues as elusive and multifaceted as religious and national identity?