The majority of community-based enterprises created over the past year intend to operate in agriculture. But this project, driven from start to finish by the president, has yet to live up to expectations.
Report: Black and Protestant in Tunisia
The religious tendencies of immigrants in Tunisia have become an object of politicization. President Kais Saied accuses Christian immigrants of threatening the country’s Muslim identity. Protestants have taken to worshiping in rented hotel conference rooms, where they can practice their religion–though not without fear for their safety. And the government stands by.
Judges under Saied: The Reign of Fear and Submission
One year after Kais Saied’s dismissal of 57 judges, Tunisia’s judiciary has never been less independent. Working under pressure and fearing retaliation from the executive power, Tunisian judges have never fared worse. Not even under the Ben Ali regime, according to a representative of the profession.
Organic products in Tunisia: Why aren’t consumers biting?
Organic has yet to become commonplace in the day-to-day of Tunisian consumers. Even though the surface area of organically-grown crops has increased by 1,000 over the past 25 years, local consumption of organic goods remains minimal. Some point a finger at consumers themselves, while others blame the government. What exactly has prevented organic from taking off in Tunisia?
Homrane Community: Another Possibility in the Mountains of Ain Drahem
Who has not heard a friend or family member express the desire to drop everything, move to the mountains and grow everything one needs in one’s own garden? A community in Homrane, tucked away in the forest of Ain Drahem, has turned this dream into a reality. And the work that this small group has accomplished in three years is tremendous.
Rule of Law in Tunisia: Saiedism’s number one victim
Since 2021, Tunisia has been living a paradox. Never has the rule of law been so abused as it is today, under the regime of a university professor of constitutional law. Most concerning about the situation are its potentially long-lasting consequences, and the series of dangerous precedents now engraved in the country’s collective memory.
It’s not you, it’s them: the populist appeal of Kais Saied
President Kais Saied’s time in power has been anything but uneventful. However, his claims of speaking for ‘the people,’ his hatred of any institution that stands in his way and his endless conspiracies, which dominate the public conversation while the economy sinks, all have parallels. They’re there in Donald Trump, Hugo Chavez and even Silvio Berlusconi.
Saied’s economic policy: IMF, BRICS and magical thinking
President Saied’s hostile remarks about IMF injunctions have stirred public debate around economic alternatives to pull Tunisia out of crisis. The struggle is bitter between adepts of the classic « structural adjustments » prescribed to save flailing economies, and adherents of the president’s magical thinking-based approach.
Tunisian television stations: Depoliticization underway
Television stations have traditionally reserved the majority of airtime for entertainment shows during the holy month of Ramadan. This seasonal exception is, however, becoming the rule throughout the entire year, as stations continue to shed their political programming. Not only are Tunisians overcome by « news fatigue », but also apolitical shows are far more conducive to product placement.
Diplomacy: Friends of Kais Saied’s Tunisia
Recent statements by high officials in the West—namely Giorgia Meloni and Emmanuel Macron—in addition to increased contact with Qatar are burying the aspirations to turn away from Tunisia’s traditional western allies, as proposed by supporters of the current regime. Close up on the geopolitics of president Kais Saied.
Editorial: Kais Saied, all alone in the world
Both at home and abroad, Kais Saied is—more than ever—alone. Well before his scandalous remarks concerning sub-Saharan migrants, he had already erected the walls and forged the bars of the cell that he occupies today. And with his isolation, Tunisia is condemned to devastating paralysis.
Migration: In El Faouar, climate change is pushing locals out
El Faouar, Kebili governorate: the lack of water, encroaching sand, plummeting revenues from date palm production, and inability to invest in lands in order to make them arable have put much of the local population in an impossible situation. With little or no hope left for the future, many locals are leaving El Faouar in search of new horizons.
In Tunisia’s Bardo neighborhood, resistance rides on two wheels
Rising fuel prices, a failing public transportation system, air pollution… More and more Tunisians are turning towards the two-wheel solution: bicycling.
Beja: Water scarcity threatens agriculture and life itself
As water levels in Tunisia’s dams have fallen, the country itself has fallen below the water poverty line. Water levels in the country’s dams are at a record low in comparison with previous years, at 28.5% of reserve capacity, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Financial Resources. This drop has had a direct impact on agricultural activities and contributed to soaring prices, while also causing interruptions in the supply of water used for irrigation and human consumption.
Sub-Saharans in Tunisia: The untruths expounded by president Kais Saied
Tunisia’s president has accused civil society of fomenting the country’s colonization by undocumented migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Kais Saied denounces those who wish to « change the demographic composition » of Tunisia, evoking their « violence and criminality ». His proof? Contacted by Nawaat, the Interior Ministry affirmed that it does not have statistics regarding the number of migrants implicated in criminal activities. A glimpse at the facts exposes the president’s xenophobic fiction for what it is.
Racism and Sub-Saharans in Tunisia: Italian influence or nationalistic lobbying?
Tunisian president’s shocking statement on sub-Saharan Africans in the country sparked xenophobic violence, police arrests, and evictions against them. It reflects Tunisia’s non-receptive migration policies and a security-focused approach. The wave of repression is linked to EU externalization of migration policies, and it is possible that Italian pressure and lobbying by the Tunisian Nationalist Party played a role. In the aftermath of the statement’s release, the Presidency has taken steps to address the criticism that ensued.
Tunisian Nationalist Party: Government-authorized racism
A political party recognized by the Tunisian government is openly displaying its xenophobia and rejection of sub-Saharan migrants. « Racism is a heinous crime punishable by the law. This racist discourse includes the incitation of violence and violates the provisions under Article 9 of the law combating racial discrimination », one jurist says. And yet members of the Tunisian Nationalist Party are clearly benefiting from its ins with authorities, even receiving airtime on television.
« You’re telling me they’re blacks? »: Framing anti-Black racism in Tunisia
In a recent video diffused on different social media accounts, including the account of one highly-followed Tunisian Instagram personality, a crowd of Tunisians vehemently protest the presence of sub-Saharan African migrants in the country. The display of unabashed racism, especially by those who insist that their grievances have nothing to do with racial prejudice, is frighteningly familiar.
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