Mrs. Ibtihel Abdellatif, Truth and Dignity Commission
On Friday morning we met Mrs Abdellatif, who set up Nissaat Tunisiet, an organisation supporting women after the revolution, and a member of Tunisia’s truth and dignity commission. The organisation work with women who were victims of sexual violence, and other abuses under the Ben Ali regime. The groups work involves hearing and recording the testimonies of women, and in April 2012, held a public hearing. So far the group has recorded over 500 testimonies of abuse of women. Mrs Abdellatif was also a member of the Truth and Dignity commission in Tunisia, which lasted from 2014-2018, which examined the files of 16,000 women and 62,000 men. The commission asked for compensation for victims of abuses, and whilst the commission didn’t punish perpetrators, several sent apologies to victims, which is part of what Mrs Abdellatif says is the most important aspect of the commission: to give dignity back to victims of abuse.
Emad Abdul Latif
We met with Dr. Emad Abdul-Latif, who is an associate professor at Qatar University. He told us about his work research, in which he uses discourse analysis to gain a better understanding of the discourses of the Arab Spring, particularly in Egypt. He also talked to us about how we can connect the events of 2011 in Egypt, Tunisia and other MENA countries to what is happening now in Algeria and Sudan. He focused a great deal on the gap between language used in speeches and real actions taken by governments and how discourse was more important than the use of violence in many ways. Finally, he alluded to the importance of Tahrir Square as a Lieu de Mémoire, the intertextuality of sports and politics and the presence of music in revolutionary movements. This was a great introduction to some of the academic work being done on the 2011 uprisings, giving many clues to what is being studied and what needs to be studied in the future.
Excursion to Sidi Bou Said and Carthage
On Saturday 20th April, we had a full day excursion to the coastal area of Tunis, where we visited Carthage and Sidi Bou Said.
Carthage is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where one can find ancient ruins of the Phoenician empire, with influences of other civilizations such as the Romans and Berbers. To get to the archeological sites, we noticed that diverse ruins are spread out around the city, two of the main sites we visited were the Amphitheater and the archeological park, in addition to the Roman villas. The ruins are close to each other and next to it is the naval harbor, which was constructed during the 3rd Punic War. One of the most attractive and suggested visits in this area are the Baths of Antonious Pious, where one can appreciate the remains of the pillars and ancient architecture.
After our visit to Carthage, we headed to the bohemian seaside suburb of Sidi Bou Said. In 1915 it was given statutory protection to preserve its original state. The streets are painted in white and blue colors with typical Tunisian designs, especially the big doors and balconies. We walked through the commercial areas, where one can find handicrafts, food, museums, and art galleries. While walking around the city, we had a walked down to the harbor, while enjoying a view of the Mediterranean ocean. Our excursion finished at one of the main attractive views was at Café des Delices, where we had a traditional tea and Tunisian pastry.
