The Tunisian Revolution of 2011 : Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution
Tunisia : A jewel on the Mediterranean Sea http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxwB8zRqpdQ&translated=1 *Flag:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3EIdDNfGmg&feature=related
*Motto:
(Hurriya, Nidham, 'Adala) حرية، نظام، عدالة "Liberty, Order, Justice"
coat of arms Location: is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area is almost 64 000 square miles. (about the size of the state of Wisconsin ) . 800 miles coastline. Tunisia is a land of constant sunshine with temperatures ranging between 54°F and 92°F (12°C and 33°C).
Facts: Population: just over10.4 million (2010) Economy: diverse: agriculture, tourism, mining, manufacturing… According to the World Economic Forum,Tunisia was ranked the most competitive economy in Africa in 2009 and the 40th in the world . It is a one of the European Union‟s most established trading partners in the Mediterranean region. Tunisia, an export-oriented country in the process of liberalizing and privatizing economy, had suffered corruption benefiting the former president's family. Although Tunisia managed an average 5% growth over the last decade it continues to suffer from a high unemployment especially among youth. Education: According to The Global Competitiveness Report 2008-9, Tunisia ranked 17th in the category of "quality of the higher educational system " .
Language: Arabic is Tunisia's native language. French is the second language and English is the third one.
Rich history:
Multiple civilizations:the Phoenicians/ Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Ottomans and the Europeans.
Berber tribes
Religion:
Islam is the official state religion
Tunisia has a secular culture that encourages acceptance of other religions like Christians and Jews.
Tunisia: a touristic destination th The 4 touristic destination in Africa.
Tourism tops the services sector, with more than 7million tourists a year : 4 million European tourists (Germans, Italians, French, Spanish).
Well known seaside resort areas – Sousse, Nabeul, Djerba, and Tabarka offer their visitors the finest sand beaches with a good choice of waterfront hotels featuring sun and sea. Gorgeous Mediterranean beaches
Tunisian Desert / south:
Politics
Tunisia was colonized by France from 1881 until 1956. It achieved its independence led by Habib Bourguiba, who later became its first president. Tunisia is the only country in the Arab world where polygamy is forbidden by law as a part of a provision in the country‟s Code of Personal Status introduced by Bourguiba in 1956. This code was meant to end gender inequality and update family law to enable greater social and economic progress and make Tunisia a fully modern society. After doctors declared Bourguiba unfit to rule, the country was governed under the authoritarian regime of the former Prime Minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from 1987 to 2011. Tunisia is formally a democracy with a multi-party system, the secular Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD), has controlled the country as one of the most repressive regimes in the Arab World. In the Economist's 2008 Democracy index, Tunisia is classified: * 141 out of 167 countries studied as an authoritarian regime * 143 out of 173 in terms of freedom of the press
Tunisia practices some Internet censorship, including the blocking of certain websites such as YouTube many years ago. In January 2010 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton mentioned Tunisia and China as the two countries with the greatest internet censorship. The regime was accused of becoming a „kleptocracy‟ with corrupt members of the Trabelsi family, especially Imed Trabelsi and Belhassen Trabelsi, controlling much of the business sector in the country.
Human Rights Watch report described the national elections of October 25, 2009 held in Tunisia as "an atmosphere of repression" Ben Ali allowed several political parties, unable to compete because of their lack of the social depth and the ideologiacal platform, to context elections. Real opposition remained bunned under numerous pretexts. Besides, no independent observer was allowed to monitor the vote. His government went after the country‟s journalist union, bringing down its democratically elected board, while his police bullied and harassed critical reporters.
The President's official speeches are full of references to the importance of democracy and freedom of speech. However, according to Amnesty International, "the Tunisian government is misleading the world as it conveys a positive image of the human rights situation in the country while abuses by its security forces continue unabated and are committed with impunity".
Freedom of the press is officially guaranteed by the government but, in practice, no public criticism of the regime is tolerated and all direct protest is severely suppressed and does not get reported in the local media. Jasmine Revolution http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY8jeGtBkDo&pl aynext=1&list=PL25AE855186D6D515&index=54 Causes and results: . December 17: Mohammed al-Bouzizi‟s immolation ( led to his death on January 4th) "the drop of water that made the whole cup overflow" • December 24: the police shot 2 protesters and killed them. * Causes behind his suicide: . Unemplyment: -officially 15.7% (2009) – unoficially: many economists put that figure at 40% while education levels are high
• Shortage of economic problems as a result for raising food and fuel prices • The uneven distribution of natioan resourses between regions. • The book “La régente de Carthage” or "The Regent of Carthage" written by journalists Nicolas Beau and Catherine Graciet in which they describe the “key role” of Leile Trabelsi in shaping Tunisian policy. • Tunisia's wildly popular rapper El Général http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeGlJ7OouR0&translated=1 . Facebook and Twitter used to organize the protests. . Wikileaks • The US ambassador describes Tunisia's President Ben Ali's family entourage as a "quasi Mafia" because of its "organized corruption".
* Results: After Bouazizi‟s death, young people had taken to the streets in nearby towns, where protesters clashed with security forces on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omWjoDlS0LE January 13: The president last speech: promised lowing food prices, easing censorship after promising affording 300 000 job opportunities within less than 2 years January 14: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKB5RLuSnBw The President declared a state of emergency , dissolved his government, called for legislative elections in six months and promised not to run in 2014 but this did not quiet public anger. By the night of the 14th, President Ben Ali had fled to Saoudi Arabia, ending 23 years of authoritarian rule.
To Be continued…
Memorable videos:
American singers' gift to Tunisia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wat5xXV2ic
Tunisian Protests Spread to Algeria, Yemen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aY0zKprP7 w&feature=related
The World is Greeting Tunisia 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Np1ewi5Qb 4 Thank you for following!
Asma Ben Romdhane