2014 Sel in Tunisia

Tunisia Spring 2014 Written by Sel Yackley Photos by Joseph Yackley Book created by Susan Hanes

Tunisia Spring 2014

Tunisia Spring 2014 Tunisia Spring 2014

Tunisia Spring 2014

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The Republic of Tunisia is the northernmost country of Africa with a population of 11 million people, 3 million of whom live in and around the capital, Tunis. Its neighbors are Algeria to the West (with friendly relations), Libya to the Southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. It is midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Nile Delta. Though relatively small, Tunisia has great environmental diversity due to its north-south extent.

The eastern extension of the Atlas Mountains runs across Tunisia in a northeasterly direction from the Algerian border. The highest peak is 3,440 feet (and gets some snow) and the lowest point is 56 feet below sea level in the southern desert. The climate is temperate in the north, with mild rainy winters and hot, dry summers.

Northern Tunisia has rolling hills, palm trees, green grass, and an agricultural landscape with olive trees, and herds of lambs and cows. The roads are well maintained, with few traffic lights, except in urban areas.

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Language and Education Tunisian Arabic is the official language. Most people also speak French. The literacy rate among adults is 78%, the highest in the Arab world. In urban areas, education is compulsory between the ages of six and 16. Children learn Tunisian Arabic at home and Standard Arabic when they start school. They are taught French starting at age eight, and English is introduced at age 12.

Culture Tunisian culture is a mix of its conquerors including Berbers, Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, Italians, Spaniards, and French. Few Christians remain in Tunisia and most of the basilicas and churches are shuttered. A large share of its Jewish population migrated to Israel in the late 1940s and following the 1967 Six-Day War. Of the 50,000 Jews who remain, half live on the southern island of Djerba and half in Tunis.

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Life Style Life expectancy is 72 years for men and 76 for women.

Infant mortality in 2004 was 25 per 1,000.

Urban areas seem more secular than other Arab countries—a large percentage of women do not cover their hair, they drive cars, work, and seem liberated.

Women were granted the right to vote in the 1950s, before Switzerland, they are proud to tell you.

Officially, unemployment is 20% but, I was told it is 35% among college graduates.

The Tunisian Dinar is 1.58 to the US Dollar.

Tunisian tea is dark, cloudy, sweet and served with mint and floating pine nuts. Turkish coffee is always available.

Liquor is served in some restaurants and hotels. You can also buy pork products at grocery stores in big cities.

There are no Starbucks, Burger King, McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut (not yet, anyway).

The only American fast-food restaurant is Fat Burger.

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The economy is based on tourism, light manufacturing, and agriculture (olive oil, cereals, beans, figs, grapes, and citrus).

Tunisian Airlines has non-stop flights to many European and Arab capitals.

Sicily is a 14-hour (overnight) ferry ride. Malta is further east.

The infrastructure is good; there is a metro in Tunis and bus service. Cars, motorbikes, and bicycles are everywhere; navigating the roundabouts is tricky.

CafĂŠs are full of men during the day and night.

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Artifacts Tunisia has the richest collection of mosaics in the world, dating back to the Roman era.

It boasts the world’s third largest Roman Colosseum, in El DJem. It has the holiest Islamic site in North Africa. The Great Mosque (also known as Sidi Okba Mosque) in Kairouan attracts hundred of thousands of Muslims every year.

Intricate architecture and colorfully-painted doors are everywhere.

Tunisian Art features bright colored paintings.

Nomadic hand-knotted or woven rugs, ceramic plates, bowls, and decorative vases are plentiful.

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Political Outlook in 2014 Much is made of Tunisia being the last, best hope for the Arab

civil society groups finally brokered a deal in which a caretaker

Spring. That says more about disappointments in Libya,

government shepherded Tunisia to parliamentary and

Egypt, and of course Syria, than it does about successes in

presidential elections. The country is in the midst of that power

Tunisia, but Tunisia does boast some important, promising

transfer now with elections likely in the late summer or early fall.

distinctions that suggest a brighter future. It has a welleducated, homogenous population; no history of tribal or

Those elections will pit Islamists against secularists. The

sectarian conflict; a diversified and relatively well-developed

leading opposition party, Nida Tounes, consistently polls 3-5

economy; a non-politicized military, and a tradition of political

points above Nahda, but its electoral prospects are uncertain.

moderation. Those qualities have been put to the test over the

Apart from its opposition to Nahda, Nida Tounes has no

past three years and particularly over the past six months, but

unifying political philosophy and its ability to turn out voters in

they have proven to be Tunisia’s saving grace.

an election is unproven. Nahda, meanwhile, is quietly confident that it can repeat its 2011 feat and win a new

2013 was in many ways shaped by the assassinations of two

mandate.

opposition politicians: Chokri Belaid in February and Mohamed Brahmi in July. The first led to a cabinet reshuffle while the

Nahda’s record has been far from stellar, as it has struggled to

second, which occurred under suspiciously similar

meet the mutually reinforcing challenges facing Tunisia on

circumstances, led to a full-blown political crisis. Much of the

political, security, and economic fronts. The government has

opposition walked out of the National Constituent Assembly

cracked down on Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia, which it blames

and August and September were marked by dueling street

for the political assassinations and the embassy attack, but

protests, for and against the government. The opposition won

plots and weapons caches are uncovered almost weekly. The

the battle to turn out the largest crowds and eventually forced

army has made some headway against militants in the Mount

the ruling party, Nahda, to the negotiating table. Progress was

Chaambi region near the Algerian border, but the stubborn

hindered for several months by mutual mistrust until leading

insurgency persists.

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Guns, drugs, money, and militants make their way across

National Constituent Assembly, just three have previous

Tunisia’s porous borders every day. Unrest not just in Libya, but

legislative experience. Tunisia’s democracy has bent without

across the Sahel, will confront Tunisia for years to come. All of

breaking and will likely emerge from this crisis stronger and more

this has had a devastating effect on the economy, which relies

resilient. A truly pluralistic and deeply-rooted democracy is still

heavily on tourism and foreign investment. Sluggish growth in

years away, but at least Tunisia – in contrast to many of its

Europe, Tunisia’s principal export market, also doesn’t help. A

neighbors—remains pointed in the right direction.

three-notch downgrade in Tunisia’s credit rating has raised borrowing costs at a time when the country desperately needs

The debate, while contentious, has been civil. Consensus-

an influx of cash. All the while, a newly politicized citizenry

building remains the modus operandi. This has been clear in the

refuses to countenance either cuts in subsidies or tax hikes and

process of drafting what has become the most liberal

public sector unions strike regularly. This seemingly endless

constitution in the Arab world. While the differences were

string of political, security, and economic crises has led many to

numerous and often significant, they were finally resolved

question the wisdom of the revolution.

through debate and compromise. Those traits have helped Tunisia weather these recent storms. Unlike the Muslim

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There is, however, cause for hope. While this latest crisis has

Brotherhood in Egypt, Nahda has been willing to make

dragged on for too long, it has been something of a crucible for

necessary concessions, while Tunisia’s opposition has stopped

Tunisia’s fledgling leadership. Of the 217 members in the

short of calling for a coup or jailing the current leadership.

Bey Palace

HISTORY of TUNISIA Antiquity At the beginning of recorded history, Tunisia was inhabited by Berber tribes. Its coast was settled by Phoenicians as early as the 10th century BC. The city of Carthage was founded in 814 BC by Phoenicians and Cypriot settlers who came from the area of modern-day Lebanon. After a series of wars with Greek city-states of Sicily in the 5th century BC, Carthage rose to power and eventually became the dominant civilization in the western Mediterranean. The Carthaginian invasion of Italy led by Hannibal during the Second Punic War nearly crippled the Roman power. One hundred years later, Romans conquered the area and Tunisia enjoyed huge development.

The economy, mostly dependent on agriculture, boomed.

Christian Era Berber Bishop Donatus Magnus was the founder of a Christian group known as the Donatists. During the 5th and 6th centuries AD, the Germanic vandals invaded and ruled over a kingdom in North Africa that included present-day Tripoli. In 533 AD, Emperor Justinian I of the Eastern Romans re-conquered the area.

Middle Ages Around the second half of the 7th century, the region was conquered by Arab Muslims who founded the city of Kairouan, which became the first city of Islam in North Africa. In 670 AD, the Great Mosque of Kairouan was erected. It has the oldest standing minaret in the world. It is the most ancient and prestigious sanctuary in the Muslim West and is considered a masterpiece of Islamic Art and architecture. The coast was briefly held by the Normans of Sicily in the 12th century, but following the conquest of Tunisia in 1159 by the Almohaids, the last Christians in Tunisia disappeared either through forced conversion or emigration. In the late 16th century the coast became a pirate stronghold, though Spain seized many of the coastal cities until the Ottomans conquered the area.

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Ottoman Tunisia Ottoman conquest of Tunis took place in 1534 under the command of Barbarossa Hayreddin Pasha during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Initially under Turkish rule from Algiers, Tunis eventually came under a governor, or Pasha, appointed by the Ottoman Porte and supported by janissary forces. Before long, Tunisia became in effect an autonomous province, under the local Bey. The Hussein dynasty of Beys, established in 1705, lasted until 1957. During this era the governing councils controlling Tunisia remained largely composed of a foreign elite that continued to conduct state business in the Turkish language. The growing power of the European states finally forced the Ottoman Empire’s boundaries to shrink. The Maghreb (the North African area west of Egypt) suffered from the deadly combination of plague and famine. The great epidemics ravaged Tunisia in 1784–1785, 1796–1797 and 1818–1820. In the 19th century, the rulers of Tunisia became aware of ongoing efforts at political and social reform in the Ottoman capital. The Bey of Tunis followed the Turkish example and attempted to affect a modernizing reform of institutions and the economy. Tunisian international debt grew unmanageable.

French Tunisia In 1869, Tunisia declared itself bankrupt and an international financial commission took control over its economy. In 1881, using the pretext of a Tunisian incursion into Algeria, the French invaded with an army of about 36,000 and forced the Bey to agree to the terms of the 1881 Treaty of Bardo (Al Qasr as Sa'id). With this treaty, Tunisia was officially made a French protectorate, over the objections of Italy. Under French colonization, European settlements in the country were actively encouraged; the number of French colonists grew from 34,000 in 1906 to 144,000 in 1945. In 1910 there were 105,000 Italians in Tunisia. In 1942–1943, Tunisia was the scene of the Tunisia Campaign, a series of battles between the Axis and Allied forces. The battle began with initial successes by the German and Italian forces, but the massive supply and numerical superiority of the Allies led to the Axis's surrender on 13 May 1943.

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Revolution The Tunisian Revolution was an intensive campaign of civil resistance that was precipitated by high unemployment, food inflation, corruption, a lack of freedom of speech and other political freedoms, and poor living conditions. Labor unions were said to be an integral part of the protests. The protests inspired the Arab Spring, a wave of similar actions throughout the Arab world. The catalyst for mass demonstrations was the death of Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year old Tunisian street vendor, who set himself afire on 17 December 2010 in protest at the confiscation of his wares and the humiliation inflicted on him by a municipal official. Anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death on 4 January 2011, ultimately leading longtime President Ben Ali to step down on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power.

Protests continued for the banning of the ruling party and the eviction of all its members from the transitional government formed by Mohammed Ghannouchi. Eventually the new government gave in to the demands. A Tunis court banned the ex-ruling party RCD and confiscated all its resources. A decree by the minister of the interior banned the "political police", special forces which were used to intimidate and persecute political activists.

On 3 March 2011, the president announced that elections to a Constituent Assembly would be held on 23 October 2011.

International and internal observers declared the vote free and fair. The Ennahda Movement, formerly banned under the Ben Ali regime, won a plurality of 90 seats out of a total of 217. On 12 December 2011, former dissident and veteran human rights activist Moncef Marzouki was elected President.

In March 2012, Ennahda declared it would not support making sharia the main source of legislation in the new constitution, maintaining the secular nature of the state. Ennahda's stance on the issue was criticized by hardline Islamists, who wanted fullblown sharia, and was welcomed by secular parties. On 6 February 2013, Chokri Belaid, the leader of the leftist opposition and prominent critic of Ennahda, was assassinated.

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The Yackley / Johns visit to Tunisia Tunis is a curious hybrid, its easiness mocking the frantic nature of other Arabian capitals. Sunglass-sporting city slickers swish past elderly men wearing red felt hats; women wrapped in headscarves link arms with their dressed-to-kill daughters; artisans blowtorch metal in backstreet hole-in-the wall workshops as people throng to glittering shopping malls. Tunis is a sociable, small-scale capital with suburbs stretching endlessly along the deep-blue Mediterranean.

Joe lives in a spacious single family home in La Marsa, a suburb north of the business district, close to the American Embassy. He has a lovely garden, citrus trees, a couple of decks and two balconies. This three-story, four-bedroom, three-bath “villa” is surrounded by 10-foot high walls. A security guard comes around every few hours to make sure all is safe and sound. Joe has hired a gardener and a housekeeper who come once a week.

Embassy staff cannot have family members live with them since the Benghazi (Libya) incident and an attack on the Embassy in Tunisia. Considered a high-risk assignment, the U.S. Embassy is short-staffed—making Joe work harder and longer hours.

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Saturday, March 15 After a 2 1/2 hour flight from Istanbul, Ayla, Simon, Leo and I arrived in Tunis on a Saturday afternoon. Joe met us with four bouquets of jasmine, the state flower of Tunisia, aromatic even after it dries. The small but modern Carthage airport was a breeze after the one in Istanbul. Leo, with his blue eyes and blonde hair quickly became the main attraction—people picking him up, posing for pictures, hugging and kissing him. He enjoyed every minute of this friendly attention throughout the week—in mosques, medinas, and museums.

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After we got settled, we took a drive around town and hiked up and down the white-washed streets of Sidi Bou Said and enjoyed a light meal and the beautiful view of the Mediterranean sea from the cliffs of the CafĂŠ Sidi Chabaane.

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Sunday, March 16 The next morning Joe’s friends Steve, Nabila, and John led our caravan to Zaghouan, a sleepy town tucked beneath the foot of the rugged Jebel Zaghouan that used to supply ancient Carthage with fresh water during Hadrian’s reign from 120-131 AD. Long stretches of the 70-mile aqueduct, built two thousand years ago, are in remarkably good condition. We had a delicious five-course lunch outdoors at Restaurant Zaghouan, situated in the middle of a farm, with donkeys, cows, lambs, olive orchards as well as a small swimming pool and a well. We were serenaded with music of various countries and felt totally safe letting Leo run around the grounds. This “resort” offers simple accommodations for overnight Tunisian guests. Sunday night Joe had a lovely dinner party at his home where we met some of his closest international friends. Seven different nationalities were represented by the 10 guests around the dinner table.

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Monday, March 17 While at work during the day, Joe let us use his car to explore Tunis. We learned that Phoenicians (from the Levant) established a trading post here nearly 3,000 years ago that later became Carthage, one of the greatest cities of the ancient world that dominated the western Mediterranean in the 6th century BC. We climbed up the Byrsa Hill and enjoyed amazing views across the excavated fragments, and down through the cypress trees.

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Tuesday, March 18 We relaxed on Joe’s deck and let Leo climb the orange tree and pick up some juicy ones. He loved running up and down the marble hallways and steps. We shopped at the modern grocery store at a strip mall near his house. Taking advantage of the warm weather, we spent the afternoon on the beach (a little cold for swimming but great for sunning). Leo loved walking on the soft, clean sand, getting wet up to his shoulders and watching older kids frolic in the sea.

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Wednesday, March 19 Joe arranged for a driver and guide to take us on a six-hour tour of downtown Tunis, and the Bardo Museum containing the world’s richest collection of mosaics along with statues, coins, pottery, and huge urns, all excavated in this land captured by so many civilizations during the last 3,000 years. The museum, opened a year ago, has thousands of items and is a delight to visit because there are few tourists in Tunisia right now. After the museum we walked around in the Medina (old marketplace) built in the middle ages but filled with 20th century goods for sale. Of course, we bought souvenirs handmade by local artisans. Ayla wished she could take home a brightly painted wooden door with metal knockers and unique to Tunisia, to use as a coffee table. The doors adorn urban homes, stores, mosques, courtyards and government buildings.

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Thursday, March 20 Joe had the next two days off, a Moslem holiday, so on a Thursday morning we piled into his Audi and headed south on a 3-day circle trip to see ancient artifacts and scenic sites. Our first stop was El DJem (pop. 19,000) , the site of the world’s largest coliseum after the one in Rome, ”the most impressive Roman monument in Africa,” according to the Lonely Planet guide book. After running around several levels of the edifice, Ayla, Simon, and Leo rode a camel (the poor animal) outside the Colosseum, a touristy thing to do. We had lunch outdoors at a busy corner restaurant. Simon was smart to order rabbit (chicken was tough). A small museum had a rich collection of mosaics excavated in the area.

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El DJem Coliseum

Our next stop was the holy city of Kairouan, founded in AD 670 by the Arab general Okba Ibn Nafaa al-Fihri. It is the most conservative city in Tunisia, with 118,000 residents. We stayed overnight at the five-star Golden Tulip Hotel, The Kasbah. Too bad we did not have time to swim in the heated outdoor pool or take advantage of the Turkish baths. The rooms were elegant in the old style with colorful hand-painted tiles from floor to ceiling and huge wooden carved doors. This huge hotel had several foreign tourist groups as well as a formal function in the ballroom for local residents. Buffet dinner and breakfast were rich in variety; the red wine was quite good.

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Friday, March 21 We started the next morning with a visit to the Grand Mosque, the oldest in North Africa, also called the Sidi Okba, after its founder.

Built in 670 AD, the original structure was destroyed by vandals and was rebuilt it in the 9th century. The courtyard reminded us of the mosque in Damascus. There are 414 pillars (some brought in from Carthage) holding up the structure with pieces of wood between the crown and the columns for protection against earthquakes, according to the guide. He told us that as many as 5,000 believers come to pray every Friday, with women going to a segregated section. The narrow streets of Medina provided us with many photo ops, including curved arches, more colorful doors, and stairs to who knows where. We bought four rugs after some haggling and drinking of tea (which reminded me of the Turkish experience). We also purchased some ceramic bowls, hot plates, and hand-woven baskets.

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We traveled to El Kef (the Rock), a town of 46,000 that subsists mainly on agriculture. At 3,000 feet. El Kef, (originally called Sicca) was established in 500 BC. It is only is only 30 miles from the Algerian border. The Kasbah, at the top, affords sweeping views of the city below. Ayla discovered a Christian cemetery with numerous grave markers dating to the early 1900s (we figured some died during the flu epidemic and some during WW I). We saw the St. Peter Basilica and went inside an abandoned synagogue that used to be the place of worship for 5% of the population until the final Jewish migration to Israel in the 1980s. We stayed overnight in Hotel Les Pins, a three-star hotel that was like a labyrinth. I kept getting lost in its hallways that went up and then down, and up again. It was built against a hill and had at least 200 rooms, but only 20 or 30 guests this Friday night. The four-course dinner was good, as was the wine and local beer. We had free wi-fi in the lobby. To our surprise the hotel did not accept credit cards; luckily Joe found an ATM. The highlight of our circle tour was a visit to Dougga (originally called Thugga), a Roman city built of golden stones. It is considered the best preserved Roman small town in Africa. The remains are startlingly complete, giving the visitor a glimpse of how Romans lived—flitting between the baths, theater, and temples. This prime site, with natural springs, has been occupied since the third millennium BC, judging by the dolmen graves on the ridge above the ruins. It was already a substantial settlement by the time Carthage advanced into the interior in the 4th century BC. Byzantines arrived in 533 AD and set about remodeling Dougga as a fort. The ruins of an Aghlabid bathhouse, east of the capitol, show that the site was still inhabited in the 10th century. People continued to live among the ruins until the early 1950s when the inhabitants were moved to Nouvelle Dougga, also known as Teboursouk (pop. 11,000).

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Dougga

Dougga A uNESCO World Heritage Site

We spent three hours walking up and down the theater that holds 3,500 spectators (and is still used for festivals), admiring the capitol (considered Africa’s most magnificent Roman edifice), looking for the Lycian baths, and resting in the shade of the huge columns of the Libyo-Punic Mausoleum, a rare and spectacular 60-feet high, 2nd century BC monument.

Joe drove us back to La Marsa so we could walk on the pedestrian promenade before dark. An authentic Italian pizza house (where a dozen kinds of thin-crust pizza are prepared in wood fired ovens) was our last stop. Sunday was a day of relaxation and packing for the Johns family. Joe found an opportunity to show us a little more of his adopted city before taking the gang to the airport.

I stayed behind for another week and read a couple of books, enjoyed a walk in the quiet streets around his home and walked over to the shopping mall nearby to check out all the modern goods. A young professional couple—Ian from Michigan and Tiko from the country of Georgia who possesses two passports (Georgian and Swedish)—had us over for dinner on Thursday night .Our whole family is invited to their wedding reception in Triblisi, Georgia in September. Joe had to attend a Tunisian/American young professionals reception on Friday night.

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Saturday, March 29 Joe and I decided to go north to Bizerte which sits at the northern most tip of Tunisia, jutting into the Mediterranean. Again the tollway, well maintained, afforded scenery of green grass, olive trees, and herds of lambs and cattle. We stopped in Utica to see more ancient ruins, sparse compared with other Tunisian Roman sites, but it is a tranquil flower-filled place.

Bizerte (pop. 113,400) is a bewitching port city sitting on a canal that links silvery salt water Lake Bizerte and the glimmering Mediterranean. We entered the Kasbah, originally a Byzantine fort built in the 6th century. Today’s Kasbah has 30 foot walls that were built by the Ottomans in the 17th century. We walked in its narrow winding streets where people live and worship, and through a fish market and a farmer’s market, teeming with activity.

The old port, lined with cafes, pastel harbor buildings, bobbing fishing boats, and the golden fortification of the Kasbah, feels like 1950s France or Italy. We had two large bowls of soup and grilled fish with French fries, salad, and a spicy veggie dip at a cafĂŠ for less then $7.

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Sunday, March 30 Two weeks in Tunisia went by too fast. As I say good-bye to my son, I know he has adjusted to life in yet another Arab country. He works hard at the Embassy but makes time for a satisfying social life.

In his spare time he plays tennis and some golf and has formed a soccer league. He sometimes rides his bike to work (God help him) and runs along the sea with friends on Sunday mornings. Tunisians are amazed to hear him speak Arabic, (at first they address him in French recognizing him as a foreigner). Their smiles widen when they hear him speak their kind of Arabic.

I hope to make another trip to Tunisia before Joe finishes his two-year tour. Maybe I can fly south to see the desert which apparently is beautiful in its own right.

Au revoir Tunisia Good by, Joe Allaha emanet ol 33

Written by Sel Yackley Photos by Joe Yackley Book Created by Susan Hanes 34