Tunisia
Ramadan Rows
In 1962, Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba drank a glass of orange juice live on television during daytime in Ramadan. His call to break the fast to pull the nation out of “poverty and backwardness” backfired, opening the door to a new kind of political opposition.
Depicting a Mother's Loss
Kaouther Ben Hania's newest documentary, “Four Daughters,” traces the life of Olfa Hamrouni, a Tunisian mother whose two eldest daughters joined the Islamic State group in 2016. Its innovative storytelling, mixing actors with real subjects, made a splash last year at Cannes and just scored an Oscar nomination.
How Disinformation Fueled the Tunisian Revolution
When news spread that Gen. Rachid Ammar had refused an order to have the army fire on protesters during the Tunisian Revolution, it emboldened the resistance and made Ammar a hero. But neither the order — nor the refusal — ever happened.
Attempts To ‘Green the Desert’ Have Dried Tunisia’s Oases
A global push for “green solutions” to climate change has driven many governments to pursue policies designed to keep the desert at bay by planting trees. But oasis communities in southern Tunisia are raising the alarm about the problem with a “great green wall.”
Europe’s Money-for-Migrants Scheme Is Buying Human Rights Abuses in Tunisia
On Sunday, Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s far-right prime minister, hosted Saied and a number of other leaders from around the Mediterranean basin for a summit on migration in Rome. While she heralded the conference as a chance to initiate “wide cooperation to support development in Africa," the immediate objective was clear: stop the flow of migrants coming to Italy from Tunisian and Libyan shores.
Angelic Swords, Blushing Brides and Savvy Aunties — Inside the World of Tunisia’s Bards
Fdaouis, the traditional bards or storytellers of Tunisia, have nearly died out in the modern world. Yet while the ritual of listening to stories in public squares survives only in memory, a new generation of storytellers are reviving and renovating the art form.
Under Tunisia’s Humorless Autocrat, Satirists Wonder Who Will Get the Last Laugh
Satirists flourished in the years after the Tunisian revolution. But two years on from President Kais Saied’s consolidation of power, their humor is being stifled by both economic hardship and a return to heavy-handed authoritarian control.