Tunisia holds a very special place in my heart. I left a part of me in the country from which I got my most beautiful memories as a little girl. For many reasons, I didn’t return (yet) to Tunisia but I always kept a special relationship, an unbreakable bond with the country. For decades and especially in recent years, people in Tunisia have known difficult times: unemployment, poverty, high food prices, massive corruption and lack of human rights.
A few days ago, Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26 years old fruit seller set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid because of police harassment revealing to the world an endemic problem growing across Tunisia. He is in critical condition. On Saturday, police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of youths who smashed shop windows and damaged cars, Reuters reported.
I fear for Tunisia and its people. Police violently crackdown on protesters, corrupted Ben Ali government is mum but the populace won’t hardly calm down. Something started with Bouazizi and I don’t know what will happen next. Tunisians are fed with Ben Ali and his relatives, and many of my friends from Tunisia living in France say time has come for Ben Ali to go.
What is happening now will have consequences in the future and good ones, I hope. Tunisia is a beautiful country with great history, its people are strong and motivated by freedom. Whatever happens next belongs to the Tunisians and if it’s time for a change in the country, it’s also time for other countries to take their responsibilities and stop supporting a dictator like Ben Ali.
I’m very preoccupied to say the least, and also afraid something would go very wrong considering the violent ways used by the authorities. Things could escalate and change very quickly, for better or worse, only time will tell. My heart is more than ever with Tunisia right now…
