An EU study group has recently filed its diagnostic report on Tunisian Civil Society (TCS). A look back at the principal elements of this report and some proposals for future action.
Global Voices Citizen Media Summit: Day 1
On July, 2 more than 300 bloggers, netizens, and academics flocked to Westlands in Nairobi, Kenya to take part at the 2012 Global Voices Citizen Media Summit. After welcoming guests, Ethan Zuckerman, co-founder of Global Voices Online gave some historical background, and talke about the first Global Voices Summit.
Tunisia: Appeal Court Confirms Verdict in Islam Criticism Case
On 25 June the Monsatir Court of Appeal confirmed a primary verdict in the case of Jabeur Mejri, a young Tunisian citizen convicted over the publishing of content deemed “insulting” to Islam.
Internal Security Failures: Fuloul, Laraayedh, and “Provocative Art”
“Criminals, drug traffickers, and Salafist extremists are the ones behind the unrest,” Ali Laraayedh, the Tunisian Minister of the Interior, told the Constituent Assembly on Tuesday. The minister was invited to speak to the assembly and answer its questions
Constituent Assembly: Duty to Lead the Way in Transparency and Governmental Accountability
On June 4th, members of the OpenGovTN group (an initiative that works to institutionalize transparency in the new Tunisia) met with the information and communication official in the Constituent Assembly, representative Karima Souid.
Beyond Sheer Numbers, Greater Transparency Needed in Assembly Costs
It all started 3 months ago in the Constituent Assembly’s Finance Committee. One Constituent Assembly member, who does not sit on the committee, anonymously confided to me: “It was one of the first things they discussed.”
Informal work, or evidence of the state’s incompetence
The problem is that the informal field is theoretical and is difficult to define. “The informal sector encompasses all employment activity that is executed with out registration, accounting, or paying taxes or dues. Such activity is beyond the state’s control and regulation.
My name is Farah, I am 9 years old, and I work
Today, 1st may, this scene is not limited to child labor and exploitation, for this is the scene that the Tunisian citizen has gotten used to seeing, especially in recent times, all over the capital’s main thoroughfare, Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis.
Mission Impossible : Access to Information in the Constituent Assembly
Being at the Constituent Assembly nearly everyday for the past month or so has not, contrary to what people may think, helped me get most important documents out to the public. Until this day, there is no systemic way of accessing crucial information on committee work
Tunisia: “The Illusion of Islam” unveils the illusion of liberty
This very day. Human Rights Watch and Reporters without Borders made the journey to Mahdia to investigate the case. Both Tunisian and foreign media have started talking about the case in hopes of provoking public opinion on an issue that cuts to the core of of the freedom of expression
Book readers invade Tunis main avenue
Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis, usually a stage for protests and police crackdown, turned into an open library in the afternoon of 18 April. Armed with their books, adults, teenagers, children, men and women from different social classes occupied the avenue to take part in “the Avenue Reads”.
Sustainably Combatting Unemployment with New Regional Development
The delicate social climate in most inner regions of Tunisia is a reminder of the tension that unemployment has created over the years. Gafsa, home to one of the largest employment producing companies in the region, the Gafsa Phosphate Company (Compagnie des Phosphates de Gafsa, CPG)
Investigation – “Mahdia Affair” : 7 years of prison and 1200 dinar fine for Atheism?
I heard the news two days ago. Two young Tunisians, both 28, from the Mahdia region, each received 7 and a half year prison sentences and 1200 dinar fines for having published a photo insulting the Prophet on Facebook.
Local journalism collectives reclaim media space
A tool that has been used and abused by the former regime’s propaganda teams. Information in Tunisia is described as centralized and monopolized by a few media outlets that are usually headquartered in the capital, Tunis. One initiative however, spearheaded by Nawaat jointly […]
Time for a “Bourguibist” Comeback? Essebsi Butters up Tunisians in Monastir
The dome shaped room was a sea of red and white. It smelled of amber musk and sea. The attendees were mostly well over the age of 40, and the buzz of excitement was impossible to miss. You would think you were attending a Michael Jackson concert. […]
Youth-led Wiki Workshop Held at Nawaat HackerSpace
In an effort to increase the level of Tunisian participation in wiki-media, a workshop was held on Saturday, March 17, at Nawaat’s “Hackerspace” – a space designed to hold community events – to discuss the concept of wiki-media. The workshop was led by Yamen Bousrih, a young Tunisian cyber-activist.
OpenGovTN meeting exposes the need for pragmatic action to ensure transparency
Following a mostly online presence, a few members and supporters of the Tunisian OpenGov initiative gathered last night, March 10, 2012, at Nawaat’s Hackerspace – a community meeting space created by Nawaat to facilitate the exchange of ideas and resources – a perfect space for OpenGovTN to meet. OpenGovTN, an initiative that was launched some months ago, aims to institutionalize the concepts of open governance, open data, and transparency in a new Tunisia on all governmental fronts […]
Tunisia : Hilary Clinton in Tunis, again…
“Youth rising, aspirations and expectations”, is the name of the conference held on February 25, 2012, by Hilary Clinton, the secretary of United States in “Ezzahra Castle” in Sid Bousaid. Her visit to Tunisia is the second one in a less than a year. After a long boring checking out for security reason, we ended up in a small and crowded room waiting for Lady Clinton who came late.
