Category: Tunisia

Arab Firms Project to be launched in Tunisia

Interesting news…

AIESEC, an international platform for young people
to discover and develop their potential, announced that the Arab Firms project will be launched soon in Tunisia.

Including the economic, international cooperation, high education ministries as well as Arab embassies in Tunisia, the project will attempt at creating possibilities of cooperation between Arab firms and offering opportunities to Arab students to get a training in one of the different countries in which AIESEC is operating (Morocco, Egypt, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan).

The concept of “Arab Firms” is centered on the idea that there should be a mutual interaction between the various Arab firms in order to attract investors and further enhance economic ties between the Arab states.

[Source: Al Arab Online]

I think the keyword in this article is “cooperation”, and whenever it’s for a good cause and wherever it can be inserted between the Arab countries, it is always more than welcome.

100 Megabits At Home By 2015?

According to a post on GigaOm, FTTH Council is pushing the US government to adopt a 100 Megabit Nation policy with the goal of extending, through both private and public sector initiatives, affordable next-generation broadband (100-megabit-per-second connection) to a majority of Americans by 2010, with universal US availability by 2015.

Hmmm…
On the other hand, over here in Tunisia:
I had to wait for over 3 months for Tunisie Telecom to give me a crappy phone line…
During the first two years, my phone line worked only a quarter of the time…
I’ve been waiting for over 7 months to get a simple 256Kbps ADSL connection at home, and I expect the wait to go on for several more months…

Some of my friends already went through the waiting periods and got their ADSL connections, and a few of them are actually happy with their connections, but still we’re a long way behind, and it all affects how competitive we can be and limits our chances to innovate or become noticeable players on the world level.

I know that there are a lot of factors behind this, I also know that the Tunisian government gives a lot of importance to this, doing all its possible to extend access to faster connections, but we’re still trailing in this area, and maybe it’s time to try a new approach at this and open more doors for some big private players to enter the market and push the country forward in broadband access. It can only be of benefit to everyone: public entities, private companies and individuals.

Things I Miss From My Childhood In Tunisia

I miss, oh do I miss:

– The 5 millime biscuits we used to eat so much of.
– The Stil yogurts we used to shake, bite a hole in and drink.
– The cheap granite (lemon & strawberry) ice cream.
– The collectable cards (tsawer) and marbles (bees) we used to play with and collect.
– The small bunny-bunny firecrackers.
– The soccer matches in the middle of the neighbourhood.
– The hours of watching kaaboul, baseet, sasuki and the other cartoons.
– The trees we used to climb up.
– The times we were almost caught for doing something naughty but were able to run away.
– The way we used to sneak into strangers’ weddings to get some sweets and then leave before getting caught.
– The way we used to get out of being forced to take a nap after lunch in the summertime.
– The long summer days spent at the beach and the sandwiches we eat there peppered with sand.
– The afternoon sandwiches made with whatever we found around that was edible.

Those and so many other things I miss from my childhood in Tunisia, but most of all, I miss that beautiful and pure innocence of childhood, the freedom and irresponsibility.
Oh what beautiful days those were. I wish I could revisit them just for a day.

[09/03/07] News Bytes From Tunisia

A round-up of some of the interesting news coming out of Tunisia these days…

The 2007 Davos World Economic Forum Report ranks Tunisia first in Africa, second in the Arab World after Dubai, and 34th in the world in terms of tourist and travel competitiveness. The report is based on three main criteria: business environment, human and natural resources and the quality of political reforms undertaken.

According to figures released February 23rd by the National Office for the Family and Population, the percentage of Tunisians over the age of 60 reached 9% last year, and it is expected to reach nearly 29% by 2050. The percentage of people over 80 will reach 40% by 2050. At no more than 1.8%, the population growth rate in Tunisia is considered the lowest in the Arab world and is comparable with that found in European countries.
These figures will have an important impact on ensuring the necessary workforce during the next decade, as well as on the social security funds and retirement systems. The three solutions suggested up to now are: reducing pensions, raising fund entry prices and extending the retirement age to 65 instead of 60.

Tunisia’s key olive oil exports jumped by 53 per cent to 167,700 tonnes last year. The value of Tunisia’s olive oil exports surged to 828.9 million dinars ($643 million) last year from 476.7 million in 2005 as a drop in output from top producer Spain underpinned prices. Tunisia’s domestic olive crop grew to 220,000 tonnes from 130,000 tonnes in 2005, and a crop of 170,000 tonnes is expected this year.

A book recently released retraces the history of Tunisian cinema over the past forty years.

[21/02/07] News Bytes From Tunisia

A round-up of some of the interesting news coming out of Tunisia these days…

Minister of education and training has announced that all Tunisian schools will have access to ADSL and WIMAX internet connections before June 2007.

A zero emission project, which is part of a Tunisian-Japanese cooperation agreement, is currently underway at the Borj Cedria technological park South of Tunis; it aims at creating photo-voltaic fields in order to generate some 260 kilowatts of energy, that can be used in several fields such as pumping of water for irrigation purposes, the recycling of used waters after treatment, the recycling of solid waste, the setting up of solar lighting lamps, as well as the building of a prototype for producing 1.5 Kilowatt of low-temperature wind energy destined to water pumping.

The neurology department of the University Hospital of Charles-Nicolle in Tunis, has successfully tested a new breakthrough surgical treatment which is destined to stop epileptic fits among patients suffering from this neurological disorder.

Tunisian lute virtuoso, Anouar Brahem will open the third edition of

Numbers On Tunisian Youth

For about three years, the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been conducting a survey of around 10,000 young people ranging in age from 15 to 25. The survey encompasses five areas of focus: youth and participation; youth, identity and the values scale; youth and development; youth and the information society; and youth and the Tunisia of tomorrow.

Some of the numbers that came out of this study are very interesting:

– More than 72% of respondents said they refuse to engage in politics or join political and social parties.

– Only 16% said they belong to NGOs.

– Only 9% follow domestic media regularly, while 22% do not follow it at all.

– 92% of Tunisian young people reject religious extremism, and they regard the religion they identify with to be “the Islam of moderation and the middle way”.

– 59% were optimistic about the future.

– 69% refuse to work within the short-term contract system.

– More than 71% of respondents view their physical health as good, but 81% say they find it hard to practice sports due to limited time and insufficient areas designated for sports.

– Only 13.7% said they have good knowledge of the Internet.

Another study, the results of which were published by the National Office for the Family and Population, produced some equally interesting numbers:

– Aversion to marriage has risen to 65% in 2006, as compared to 35.9% in 2001.

– The percentage of single women rose from 80% in 2001 to 85% in 2006 within the 15 to 29-year-old age group, and from 16% to 20% during the same period within the 30 to 49-year-old age group.

[Source: Magharebia]
[Via: HouBlog]

First Arab Nominated for Holocaust Honor

Tunisian man is first Arab to be nominated for holocaust honor for risking his life to save Tunisian Jews from Nazi persecution.

At the height of World War II, Khaled Abdelwahhab hid a group of Jews on his farm in a small Tunisian town, saving them from the Nazi troops occupying the North African nation.

Now, Abdelwahhab has become the first Arab nominated for recognition as ”Righteous Among the Nations,” an honor bestowed on non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from Nazi persecution.

[…]

… Abdelwahhab, the son of an aristocratic family was 32 when German troops arrived in Tunisia in November 1942.

[…]

Abdelwahhab served as an interlocutor between the population of the coastal town of Mahdia and German forces…

When he heard that German officers were planning to rape Odette Boukris, a local Jewish woman, he gathered her family and several other Jewish families in Mahdia — around two dozen people — and took them to his farm outside town. He hid them for four months, until the occupation ended.

[…]

Abdelwahhab still has to be approved by the Yad Vashem commission that grants the honor. Since the war, Yad Vashem has conferred the status on 21,700 people, including some 60 Muslims from the Balkans. But no Arab had ever been nominated.

[Source: NY Times]

[Thanks to Jimbo for the link]

News Bytes From Tunisia

While doing my regular round of the news this morning, I came across a number of interesting news from Tunisia, so I thought I’d post a little round-up of these news, and who knows, I might start doing this regularly.

Starting January 1st, 2007; Tunisian mothers, with one child or more who wish to devote time to raising a family while retaining their job, will be able to work half time for two thirds of their salary.

The Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), one of Tunisia’s main opposition parties, has elected a woman, Maya El Jeribi, as its leader, making her the first woman to lead a political party in Tunisia.

Following a recent pilot experience led in Gammarth, the Tunisian Ministry of Transport aims at generalizing the use of natural gas in the whole network of the Tunisian “Transtu” bus company, as well as equipping some 3000 taxis in the capital.

Details are still shady about an exchange of fire between national security agents and a gang in Hammam-Chott, one of Tunis’ southern suburbs. The results: Two dead, four wounded and two arrested.
Various Tunisian press sources report different stories; from the gang being international drug trafickers, to them being known wanted criminals, to speculation about them being a terrorist cell planning attacks on New Year’s Eve. In the end, we’ll just have to wait for more details from the official sources.

A new Mauritanian Airline Company named “Mauritania Airways”, that will cover domestic, regional and international routes, was recently created based on a triangular partnership between Mauritania, Tunisia’s national airline company “Tunisair” and Mauritanian public and pivate participation. Tunisair holds 51% of the venture.

I guess that’s enough news from Tunisia for today…

Web Design Contest For Tunisian NGOs

The team at KEN (Khadra Environmental News) have launched a web design contest for Tunisian youth who are web design amateurs or professionals with less than two years of experience.

The idea is to get these web designers in touch with Tunisian NGOs in order to help them create official websites and successful online presences to promote their services and projects.

The resulting websites will be evaluated by an evaluation committee (50%) and voted upon by the public (50%); the winner will receive a 500TD Award, and the first runner up a 250TD award.

For more information on how to participate in the contest, the conditions and the participation form go to KEN’s detail page (FR).
Candidates have to get their participation forms sent in before October 16th.

I think this is a brilliant idea and a great way to help Tunisian NGOs, that don’t have big budgets to spend on communication, to build an online presence for themselves and promote their activities and projects, and also a way to encourage amateur and junior web designers to take their passion one step further.

It’s a very exciting project and I’m happy to be involved with it as a member of the evaluation committee.

Please spread the word and tell anyone you think might be interested in participating in this contest.

[More details: KEN (Khadra Environmental News) (FR)]