Moustached, tatoo-clad characters, toothy creatures with large heads and tiny wings, speech bubbles containing gangly Arabic script invade whatever empty space Jawher Soudani gets his hands on. Vacant walls and buildings in Sfax, Kef, Sousse, Hammamet, Beja, Djerba and Gabes—the artist’s birthplace—have provided an outdoor canvas for Soudani, more commonly known by passers-by as Va-Jo. This September marks a first: a solo exposition at Atelier Y in La Marsa, Tunis.
September 7-10, the International Feminist Art Festival of Tunis, Chouftouhonna, took place at the National Theater in the capital’s old neighborhood of Halfaouine. The former palace of Grand Vizier Khaznadar, rarely open to the public, was transformed for the event into a living museum: for four full days, every corner of the palace, its renovated theater, gallery rooms, courtyard, dim hallways and bright stairwells were occupied by art installations, performances, workshops and debates animated by women. Since the first edition in 2015, the festival has grown three-fold, drawing not only new participants, but artists and activists from near and far who affirm that they are in it for the long-run.
A year has now passed since Youssef Chahed’s government received a majority of parliamentary votes: 167 for, 22 against and 5 abstained. In his inauguration speech on 16 August 2016, Chahed announced that his government «places the fight against corruption as second priority after the war on terrorism, and is committed to supporting government control mechanisms and organisms specialized in the domain ». The Prime Minister also pledged to undertake the preparation of texts relating to fighting corruption. But in the year following these declarations, the Assembly’s performance has not been up to par with political propaganda for the fight against corruption.
Researcher at Harvard University and third in the order of succession to the Moroccan throne, Hicham Alaoui was expelled from Tunisia on 8 September 2017, few hours after landing in Tunis. The Boston resident, nicknamed the « red prince », was to speak in an academic symposium on Sunday organized by Stanford University. In spite of our numerous requests, Tunisian authorities have refused to reveal the motives behind their decision. Moulay Hicham, who is known for his critical views on authoritarianism in the Arab world and Morocco in particular, responded to Nawaat’s questions. Interview.
Après quatre ans de lutte, la mutuelle tunisienne des artistes, des créateurs et des techniciens du milieu culturel est devenue une réalité. L’arrêté du 8 août 2017 paru dans le Journal Officiel de la République Tunisienne (JORT) du 25 août 2017, consacre sa structure, ainsi que son statut légal et indépendant. A travers cette « structure de solidarité » impliquant tous les intervenants du secteur culturel, les fondateurs de la mutuelle, un groupe d’artistes et de syndicalistes persévérants, pourront mieux défendre les réformes qu’ils proposent pour une couverture sociale décente et inclusive. Au premier rang, Mounir Baaziz, un infatigable cinéaste déterminé.
Voter registration for municipal elections closed on 10 August 2017, and Tunisia’s Independent Elections Authority, the ISIE, announced its decision not to extend the process, in spite of relatively low turnout. On August 11, the ISIE released the results of the two-month registration period: 535,784 new voters and 92,201 updated registrations for a total of 5,373,845 voters who will participate in local elections on December 17.
Towards the beginning of the summer months, Tunisia’s Ministry of Tourism and sector operators announced their expectations for an improved tourist season. At the start of June, the National Tourism Office (ONTT) calculated the number of tourist arrivals for January through May 2017 to be nearly double (46.2%) that of the same period last year. Media reports on the ONTT’s numbers displayed a range of enthusiasm « It’s going much better! »—to reserved optimism—« Tourism is going (a little bit) better ». On the ground, Tunisia’s seaside hotels are mostly full, its beaches packed with locals and visitors from near and far. Air-conditioned restaurants and cafés are bustling. The shaded, winding passageways of Tunis’ Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are also teeming with people. Does this mean that business is in full swing for the souk’s craftsmen and vendors?
Voter registration for Tunisia’s municipal elections closed on August 10, bringing the total number of citizens registered to over 5.7 million. Of the 1.3 million Tunisians living abroad, 8,838 registered to vote in the elections scheduled for December 17th. As the country prepares for its first district-level elections since the revolution, the Fédération des Tunisiens pour une Citoyenneté des deux Rives (FTCR) and partnering organizations are leading a discussion on the role of Tunisian immigrants in local governance in their towns and cities of origin.
While media outlets and Tunisia’s Ministry of Tourism are understandably eager to paint a convincing portrait of the country’s tourism come-back, not everyone sees growth from the same perspective. On the ground, Tunisia’s seaside hotels are mostly full, its beaches packed with locals and visitors from near and far. The shaded, winding passageways of Tunis’ Medina, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are also teeming with people. Does this mean that business is in full swing for the souk’s craftsmen and vendors? Nawaat took a walk up and down the Medina’s main tourist circuit to find out.
تذهب التصريحات الرسمية إلى أن القطاع السياحي يشهد انتعاشة لسنة 2017، إذ أشارت وزيرة السياحة أول شهر أفريل الفارط إلى أن عدد السياح الوافدين على البلاد تطور بنسبة 33,5 بالمائة مقارنة بسنة 2016. من جهته أشار تقرير المنظمة العالمية للسياحة إلى أن تونس تعد من بين الوجهات السياحية العالمية القابلة للتطور في المستقبل. الإقرار الرسمي بانتعاشة السياحة التونسية ينطلق من مقاربة كمية لعدد السياح الوافدين على البلاد. ولكن إلى أي مدى يساهم الارتفاع العددي في تحسين حياة الفاعلين في القطاع السياحي؟ في سياق البحث عن إجابات لهذا التساؤل، ذهب موقع نواة إلى المدينة العتيقة بتونس، التي تعد وجهة كلاسيكية للسياحة، هناك يتحدث التجار عن تصوراتهم للواقع السياحي لسنة 2017 من خلال تجاربهم الخاصة.
A pair of worn sneakers dangles from an electric wire stretching between telephone poles, of little consequence to the pigeons perched close by and pedestrians on the street below. How many of them look up and wonder about the shoe fixture slung overhead? This is just the sort of mundane urban detail that intrigues Mourad Ben Cheikh Ahmed, creator of the blog « Lost in Tunis ». In his most recent post, Mourad shared a series of photos accompanied by a brief explanation: « shoe tossing, or shoefiti (shoes + graffiti) is undeniably a form of street art ».
Sur la côte du nord-ouest tunisien, à 18 km de la frontière algérienne, s’étendent les plages rocheuses de Tabarka. Sur leurs nids perchés en haut des poteaux, les cigognes ressemblent à des statues. Des lauriers-roses bordent l’autoroute qui mène vers la ville. Un énorme saxophone de 6 mètres occupe le carrefour à l’entrée de la ville. Ici, et aussi sur la gigantesque contrebasse au centre-ville, des affiches bleu-ciel annoncent le Tabarka Jazz Festival, qui s’est tenu du 22 au 29 juillet 2017. Cette édition qui marque le comeback du festival, permettra-t-elle à la ville de redorer son image et accroitre sa compétitivité en tant que destination touristique ?
Eighteen miles from the Algerian border on Tunisia’s north-western coast are the rocky shores of Tabarka. Heading into town from the east, voluminous pink and white oleander border the highway. Storks stand statue-like atop their nests, perched at the top of electrical towers. A massive bronze saxophone occupies the turn-about just outside of town. Here, and pasted onto the big contrabass which sits at the harbor downtown, are sky-blue posters announcing Tabarka’s jazz festival, which takes place this year July 22 through 29. As historical as the festival is, will its come-back this year succeed in promoting Tabarka as an attractive and competitive tourist destination?
The Tunisian Court of Auditors knocked a government initiative to reboot the country’s tourism sector. In its 30th annual report released on June 30, the Court takes stock of the Ministry of Tourism’s Program for the Renovation of Hotel Establishments (PMNH) launched in 2005. More than ten years later, the time lapse, funds invested, and paperwork amassed are considerable, according to numbers crunched by the Court, whereas the program’s contribution to the quality and competitiveness of Tunisia’s hotels is less clear. What is evident is the initiative’s failure to ensure funding went where it was needed most.
Le Sénat américain « exhorte fortement le gouvernement de la République Tunisienne à cesser de soutenir toutes les résolutions et autres mesures discriminant ou ciblant Israël à l’Organisation des Nations unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture (UNESCO) et autres organisations des Nations Unis ». Il s’agit du dixième parmi onze points inscrits dans une motion de la Commission des affaires étrangères du Sénat américain publiée mardi, à l’occasion de la visite officielle de Youssef Chahed aux Etats-Unis du 10 au 12 juillet.
Thursday, June 15, 2017, protesters demanding employment during the Haremna (We’ve grown old) sit-in in Meknassi, governorate of Sidi Bouzid, blocked the road to trucks carrying phosphate from Gafsa. The trucks had been mobilized to replace two trains that have been held up for the past two months in Meknassi. Sit-inners aim to put pressure on the government which has yet to follow through on its agreements with the town’s unemployed. Following confrontations between police and protesters over acts of civil disobedience in January 2017, Meknassi today lives a precarious peace as citizens continue to protest.
« Keep quiet! » several men ordered a fellow sit-inner when she tried to speak up during a gathering. Such a scene is common in Menzel Bouzaiene, governorate Sidi Bouzid. For in spite of their capacity to mobilize, women are essentially excluded from public space and marginalized in social movements. Conscious of the double discrimination they face, 32 women decided to launch their own protest called « Manich Sekta », I will not keep quiet, to make their voices heard. In the summer’s blazing heat, they invited us to learn about their struggle for work, dignity, and social inclusion.
For over a month, the water supply in several delegations of Tunisia’s Mine Basin has been disrupted by intermittent cuts. The situation has suscitated protests in the towns of Borj El Akarema and Segui in Mdhila, where life has become insufferable for residents. While some accuse SONEDE for not assuming its responsibilities in the maintenance and management of water pipes, ostensibly weathered and rusty, others point a finger at the phosphate industry which exhausts water reserves and pollutes the rest. Nawaat left for Mdhila to meet with residents and farmers to learn more about the water issue.
