Politics Journalist : Vanessa Szakal 03 June 2017

Families of Tunisian missing migrants denounce authorities’ indifference

On 31 May 2017, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES) and the families of persons who went missing while making the illegal crossing over to Italy held a press conference to denounce a blackout of the investigation into the cases of those lost at sea. Families expressed their resentment around the procrastination of successive governments since 2008, indifference which has compelled the families to organize protests and hunger strikes in the hopes of pressuring the government to make headway into investigations. In this context, FTDES President Abderrahman Hedhili expressed his support for all protests carried out by the families of the missing migrants.

Culture Journalist : Vanessa Szakal 02 June 2017

« In the era of 230 » : Artists denounce the State’s homophobia

The collective exhibition « Au temps du 230 » [In the era of 230] took place between May 17-21 in the Medina of Tunis. Organized by the feminist association Chouf which advocates for the rights of sexual minorities, the exhibition is the first of its kind in Tunisia. « Au temps du 230 » featured the work of 12 artists—painters, photographers and caricaturists—who denounce Law 230 of the penal code which criminalizes homosexuality. On the occasion of UN’s 2016 Periodic Review, Tunisia admitted the unconstitutionality of Law 230 but has made no move to abrogate it.

Politics Vanessa Szakal 27 May 2017

Tunisia: authorities face anger against privileges and disparities

Since 2011, Tunisia’s social movements have not only held their place in public life, but have adapted forms and strategies even as authorities and the mainstream media have remained intolerant of dissent. On May 10, President Beji Caid Essebsi made a speech in which he reprimanded protesters for blocking oil production and reiterated the imperative of foreign investment for development. He further affirmed that demonstrators’ demands « are impossible to meet » and that the State is unable to provide employment and development.

Politics Vanessa Szakal 27 May 2017

Timeline: El kamour and the state’s security response

On 5 April 2017, employees of Canadian oil company Winstar held a strike after the company laid off 24 workers. When the company refused to rehire the workers, a small protest was held in Tataouine, followed by some 1200 sit-inners at El Kamour, where protesters aimed to block the roads connecting to oil wells. Sit-inners were not satisfied with the Ministry of Employment’s proposition, a 60-point proposal including 150 immediate jobs, 350 additional jobs in oil companies over a period of three months and an increase in civil liability funds. But the protest’s organizational committee explained that the propositions did not fulfill their demands for 3000 jobs, 20% of the region’s oil production revenues and a development fund for Tataouine.

Culture Journaliste : Vanessa Szakal 24 May 2017

Horizons de l’art face aux frontières des médias : Le défi de quatre artistes tunisiens

Combien de reportages, d’interviews et d’articles nous faut-il pour contrecarrer l’image bourrée de préjugés et de mépris véhiculée par les médias mainstream sur la migration et les migrants ? En empruntant à Malraux sa célèbre phrase « l’art est la chose qui résiste à la mort », Deleuze énonce que l’œuvre d’art résiste aux dogmes de la « société de contrôle » où l’information dominante n’est que peu ébranlée par la contre-information. Nawaat a rencontré quatre artistes, occasion d’une immersion dans l’approche de chacun de la thématique de la migration.

Rights Translation : Vanessa Szakal 15 May 2017

El Kamour: Resistance in the south radicalizes despite intimidation

Set between an oil field and the main road connecting oil wells to the rest of the country, the El Kamour sit-in, firmly constested by the government and the media, has persisted for more than three weeks. In the days following Beji Caid Essebsi’s speech, the will of the sit-inners remains unchanged. And since the government appears determined to fulfill a dialogue of the deaf, the resistance continues to radicalize. Report.

Droits Vanessa Szakal 11 May 2017

Regards croisés sur le mal-être de la jeunesse tunisienne

A l’occasion de la présentation, le 2 mai, du rapport « Les dynamiques d’inclusion/exclusion de la Jeunesse en Méditerranée », commandé par l’Agence de Développement Française (AFD), Rim Ben Ismail, psychologue, et Imed Melliti, sociologue, ont apporté sur le mal-être de la jeunesse tunisienne des éclairages que les politiques ne sont pas toujours prêts à entendre.

Culture Vanessa Szakal 04 May 2017

« Our Friends the Humans » bring science fiction and pop culture to the stage

April 25 and 26, Moncef Zahrouni and Amina Ben Doua played the role of Samira an Raouf, « two people who find themselves in a tragic situation: taken by aliens, lost in space, trapped in a cage…how will they react? what are the problems and questions to which they must find answers? » Pulling the audience between comedy and drama, caricature and suspense, Our Friends the Humans invites us to reflect on our societies, our world and ourselves.

Politique Vanessa Szakal 02 May 2017

L’Allemagne et le G20 prescrivent un “Plan Marshall” pour l’Afrique

Youssef Chahed était censé se rendre à Washington pendant le weekend du 21 avril, à l’occasion des Réunions de printemps de la Banque mondiale (BM) et le Fonds monétaire international (FMI). Une occasion pour la nouvelle présidence allemande du G20 et les banques de développement pour promouvoir une « nouvelle stratégie de sauvetage économique de l’Afrique». D’après Wolfgang Schäuble, le ministre de Finances allemand, la Tunisie compte parmi les premiers cinq pays qui auraient déjà montré leur intérêt pour y adhérer.

Politics Vanessa Szakal 20 April 2017

Chahed and the IMF: how close is too close?

After a four month delay which prompted observers to convey their concerns and suspicions about the International Monetary Fund (IMF) « lending freeze, » Tunisia is set to receive the second installment of its four-year $2.9 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) loan. The Tunisian government has agreed to set to work immediately with « delayed structural reforms, » including reducing spending on wages in the public sector and devaluing the national currency.

Economy Vanessa Szakal 12 April 2017

Can hotels and banks save tourism in Tunisia?

Tunisia placed 87 out of 136 countries ranked in the 2017 Tourism Competitiveness Index, an assessment prepared by the World Economic Forum. According to the Index report released on April 5, Tunisia dropped down 8 points from its position in the previous year, owing to « low safety and security…with terrorism emerging as a destabilizing force…which in turn has led to high costs on business…and an extremely rigid and uncompetitive labour market. » The same week, the Tunisian Federation of Hotels proposed a debt restructuration plan as a life line for the country’s tourism industry. The sector is weighed down by a staggering 4 billion dinars in debt according to the Federation, and the Central Bank of Tunisia reports that some 120 out of 800 hotels nationwide are unable to settle their debts.

Networks Vanessa Szakal 05 April 2017

The DigitUs team: working to broaden Tunisia’s digital ecosystem

If the idea of blockchain technology is to simplify financial and administrative transactions by removing intermediaries and essentially decentralizing processes, why partner with La Poste Tunisienne, a state-owned enterprise? Walid Driss of the startup DigitUs answers his own question: « I never thought I’d be working on a project in collaboration with an administration in Tunisia, let alone on a technological project, something quite disruptive and very cutting edge… » But Driss and business partner Hichem Ben Fadhl never intended to go it alone, and although they had considered other partners at the outset, La Poste had « a clear need, and there is a gap in the ecosystem that we want to help fill. »

Media Vanessa Szakal 27 March 2017

Anis Mahrsi: caricaturist at all costs

« I’m sick, » Mahrsi smiles. « My hand is sick… Like someone who always needs to smoke, I always need to draw. » Indeed, one of the most impressive things about Mahrsi is his seemingly relentless productivity, the profusion of caricatures, illustrations and projects he has worked on since 2011. In spite of a limited market, a media landscape that thas yet to shake of the habits of censorship, and lack of recognition, Mahrsi has not let down his pen for a moment.

Economie Vanessa Szakal 21 Mar 2017

Soja, la Tunisie importe les OGM

Dans un rapport publié fin février 2017, le département agricole américain prévoit une augmentation de l’importation de soja en Tunisie « pour répondre à la demande croissante du secteur de transformation ». Alors que la vaste majorité de soja est génétiquement modifié et que la Tunisie n’a toujours pas de législation concernant les OGM, les importations de cette culture devrait augmenter jusqu’en 2025.

Culture Vanessa Szakal 14 March 2017

The Tunisian body, on and off screen

The body in cinema was the theme of the 17th edition of Cinéma de la Paix? organized by the Tunisian Federation of Film Clubs (Fédération Tunisienne des Ciné-Club, FTCC) in Tunis. March 8-12, at the Quatrième Art theater downtown, cinephiles, directors, students, FTCC members old and new filled café tables and spilled out into the street, clutching programs and caricatures sketched out by an on-site cartoonist. On Sunday evening, a musical performance by Pardon My French marked the end of the festival, five days of reflections and discussions on what the body in cinema reveals about society.

Rights Vanessa Szakal 08 March 2017

Politics aside, civil society pushes for an end to violence against women

In anticipation of International Women’s Day on March 8, Tunisian civil society organizations are campaigning for the expedient adoption of legislation concerning the elimination of violence against women. The Tunisian Association of Women Democrats (ATFD), the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LTDH), and other non-governmental associations who are the first recourse for women victims of violence, are pushing for the adoption of a pending draft law, even while one of their primary critiques regarding the text is its failure to recognize the essential role played by non-governmental actors.

Politics Vanessa Szakal 03 March 2017

Chahed courts the IMF, Tunisian General Labor Union defiant

On February 25, Youssef Chahed announced the appointment of new heads to several ministries. The UGTT lost not a minute in denouncing what it called a politically-driven and unilateral decision to replace Abid Briki, former UGTT Under Secretary General, with Khalil Ghariani, head of social affairs for the UTICA, as Minister of Public Service. In a statement published on February 26, the UGTT deemed the move a deliberate provocation, and made in the interest of unblocking the second installment of a $2.9 billion loan from the IMF. The conflict, which culminated in Ghariani’s refusal to accept the nomination and the subsequent suspension of the Ministry of Public Service on March 2, is the most recent flare-up in the tenuous relationship between the current government and country’s largest workers union.

Politics Vanessa Szakal 27 February 2017

Tunisia follows lead on Europe’s migration strategy

Since the beginning of February, the EU’s revamped strategy to reduce the number of migrants arriving on European shores has suscitated fervent reactions from south to north of the Mediterranean. On February 3, European Council members met in La Valetta, Malta, where they signed a declaration committing to « step up our work with Libya as the main country of departure as well as with its North African and sub-Saharan neighbors. » On the heels of the summit, the Tunisian government has, more or less, followed the lead of its European partners, having been promised sizeable economic packages in exchange for cooperation in curbing the human flow across the Mediterranean.