We have just arrived back from our week in Tunisia and let me tell you, it was a great and memorable trip. Initially, I did not know what to expect besides the fact that I would not be able to communicate with them with my Moroccan Arabic. I questioned how good the food was going to be, where we would be staying, and how much we were going to learn about Tunisia and its culture in such a short period of time. Fortunately, all of my questions were answered, and I was extremely surprised by everything that Tunisia had to offer.
We were traveling to Tunisia to primarily learn more about its democratization process and understand what Tunisia has gone through since the Arab Springs to present day. For those of you who may not know, the Arab Springs were a series of protests and rebellions that occurred in the Middle East to achieve better governments that could treat its people better. The majority of Arab countries participated in this movement in different ways and all had different degrees of success. Tunisia was able to change from being a dictatorship to becoming a democracy. Free and democratic elections were implemented, and Tunisia is often seen as the country that came out with the most success from the Arab Springs. With its democratic government consisting of a president and parliament, it is often seen as one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East.
During the weekdays, we were invited to attend the “Democratization in Tunisia” Conference which consisted of two or three guest speakers speaking about a variety of topics regarding Tunisia from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Some of the topics they presented and we discussed were about the weaknesses and strengths of their new constitution, the different political parties that existed, the road to becoming a democracy during the Arab Springs, and what the future has in store for Tunisia in their upcoming elections this year. Many of these talks were very informative as this was the first time I was learning about these events and entities. Despite the conference only being about five days long, this intensive schedule allowed me to learn so much, way more than I could have ever imagined. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting each presenter and hearing what they had to say about Tunisia and seeing the passion they had for their homeland.
Concerning the sites we visited during our time in Tunisia, we were restricted due to safety concerns and were not allowed to go walking alone during our free time in the medina. However, this did not mean we did not have organized trips to see what Tunisia had in store. We took part in a tour of the old medina, visited Carthage and El Jem and explored the Palace of Sidi Bou Said. All of these places had different things to offer whether that would be historical significance or aesthetic enjoyment. During the weekend, we visited a city known as Hammamet, which was essentially a tourist city where people would travel to for the nice beaches, restaurants, and clubs it had. We also had a chance to meet former prime ministers and get a tour of the parliament building in Tunis.
By the end of the week, we were pretty tired as it was a very long week with a lot of events and activities planned. However, that does not mean I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the Tunisians and learning more about their great country and rich history. The memories I had made during this week are going to remain with me for quite some time.
On other thoughts, this does mean we are returning to my motherland, the great and beautiful country of Morocco. I am excited to return as Morocco has better weather and food in my opinion, but most importantly I can finally be able to communicate with people in Arabic again. And thus, I end this blog by thanking Duke, Professor Mbaye Lo, Tunisia, and others who were involved in organizing and planning this program. Tunisia, I hope to visit again in the future (maybe when I learn how to speak your Arabic dialect better) inshallah!
Until next time,
Ayoub Mahdar
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