Blog 2 - Tunisia

Hello!

After we visited Nigeria, we continued our travel to the second country, Tunisia.

This country is currently going through a difficult period in its history. In January, the people of Tunisia started a revolution against their president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. They protested against the high unemployment in the country, corruption and censorship. This protest is called the Jasmine Revolution, after the national flower of Tunisia.

Now, a month later, the president has fled the country and the revolution has come to an end. Tunisia is now searching for its own independence. Many Tunisians thought that a lot would change after the revolution. But their lives haven’t really changed. The curfew has been lifted, but they still don’t have a date for the next elections. People know that they have some rights, but they don’t know how far these rights go and what the limits of these freedoms are.

First of all, I would like to say that Tunisia is a very beautiful country, but because of this revolution, it is not the best time to visit Tunisia. The country has lost a lot of its potential visitors, because of the political and economical problems. Our trip could have been a lot better and easier if we hade come at a different time.

I think it is very important that the local population has the right to speak their mind. These protests show that there are a lot of things that need to change in this country. The departure of the previous president is a good beginning. But things should continue to develop.

Belgium is struggling with a similar problem. Approximately 260 days after the elections, there is still no government. People are starting to wonder, if the politicians will ever get to an agreement. I am also of the opinion that it is taking the politicians too long.

To conclude, I can say that our trip to Tunisia wasn’t a big success. I would still come back to this country, but only if the political problems are solved. And I wouldn’t travel through the country, but stay in a nice hotel at the coast, far away from all these problems. If you want to know more about Tunisia after the revolution, this is the source I used: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/02/16/curry.tunisia.snapshot.cnn?iref=allsearch

The next country we are going to visit is Italy. I am really looking forward to it!

Bye

Elisa Debleu