Interview With

Middle East Law and Governance 3 (2011) 230–237 brill.nl/melg

Interview with

Dr. Lilia Labidi Minister of Women’s Aﬀ airs Government of Tunisia

[ Th e Editors are pleased to feature an interview with Mme. Lilia Labidi, a professor of psychology and anthropology at the University of Tunis, who has written extensively on women in the Arab world. As of January 17, 2011, Mme. Labidi was appointed as Minister of Women’s Aﬀ airs for the Government of Tunisia. Th e Editors directed their questions to Minister Labidi in Tunis.]

Editors : What was the role of women in the revolution? How did women partici- pate and lead, and were the roles of male and female activists similar or diﬀ erent – if the latter, how so?

Labidi: Among the various characterizations of the Tunisian Revolution there is consensus that it began in the poorest regions of Tunisia, that it was sponta- neous, carried out by the peaceful apolitical youth without associations to political leaders. Women were present during the very ﬁ rst demonstrations. Some were young, others older, some were unemployed, others employed, a number had artistic professions, and they were numerous in the streets of cities – like Kasserine, Sidi Bouzid, Th ala – as well as in the capital Tunis. Whereas during demonstrations against colonialism between 1930 and 1955 when women had been put at the front of marches by the organizers, between December 2010 and March 2011 we witnessed a mixing of sexes during the demonstrations. In some cases young women were carried on the shoulders of young men. And the signs that demonstrators carried showed a global orientation, with writing in English, Arabic, and French – “Go out”, “Irhal” and “Dégage.” A number of demonstrators wore the Tunisian ﬂ ag over their shoulders.

A number of local newspapers published photographs of women, in rare cases veiled, voicing their rebellion against the Ben Ali regime and the corruption of the Ben Ali/Trabelsi clan. Some of these women were on the front pages of national and international magazines. A number of women, via Facebook, participated in the struggle by collecting and distributing news and informa- tion about the demonstrations. Women intellectuals and activists, formerly marginalized, occupied public space. One group, the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD), demonstrated in Tunis and organized a meeting in Kairouan calling for defending achievements in the area of women’s rights, secularism and gender equality, but they met opposition from Salafi groups. Another group – the Tunisian Women’s Association for Research and Development (AFTURD) – succeeded in organizing several conferences on themes such as democracy and transition. Independent women called for the dissolution of the National Union of Tunisian Women (UNFT) and the Tunisian Organization of Mothers (OTM), both of which had been closely tied to the Ben Ali regime and had worked to promote Leila Ben Ali, the president’s wife, rather than promoting Tunisian women. In the city of Sousse, Mme Rafi qa Bhouri occupied the regional offi ce of the UNFT, gathered more than one thousand sig- natures, and held a press conference calling for the dissolution of the organization and setting up a new one to promote Tunisian women.

Editors : Th e standard narrative about gender and revolution is that women are at the fore of the battle, and then relegated back to traditional roles when power is consolidated. Are you concerned that this may come to apply to Tunisia in 2011? If so, what steps do you think may make this less likely?

Labidi : I think it is unlikely that this kind of relegation will occur. In Tunisia women are educated, active in the workplace, and circulate in public space. Certainly they are far from numerous in the formal political arena, but that can largely be explained by the heavy hand of the Ben Ali regime. Today we witness the emergence of movements in solidarity with the poorer regions of the Tunisian interior and with refugees from Libya, and in both areas women are very active. In addition, women in independent civil society associations, women journal- ists, women lawyers, and women judges are part of the High Commission for Political Reforms, headed by Iyadh ben Achour, which is working to