ProudlyTunisian

"à l'occasion  du 13 août, F ête  Nationale de la  Femme" Les tunisiennes ont impressionné le monde entier en se levant pour défendre leurs droits en tant que femmes et en tant qu'êtres humains. Epaules contre épaules elle se sont soulevées aux côtés des hommes afin de défendre leur nation pendant la révolution. Ceci dit, le mouvement des femmes tunisiennes remonte bien avant le 14 janvier 2011. Dès le début du 20e siècle les femmes tunisiennes ont joué un rôle déterminant dans l'obtention de l'indépendance de leur pays. Comme les hommes furent arrêtés et emprisonnées après le manifestations qui ont amené les français et leur protectorat à se retirer et à reconnaitre l'indépendance du pays le 20 mars 1956. Moins de 5 mois plus tard, le 13 aout 1956, le premier président de la Tunisie, Habib Bourguiba, faisait un discours où il citait un extrait du code civil défendant les droits des femmes. Le codex interdisait la polygamie et le ...

I participated in many conferences around the world but I found Wheelock Conference unique since its kick off. The opening panel of the conference celebrated art as a window and a mirror to the world. Ellie Friedland, the associate professor on Early Childhood Education at Wheelock College, stated that every act is a political statement, “starting this conference with an Art Panel is political.” The panelists discussed arts’ integration between praxis and critical consciousness, multiple intelligence by Howard Gardner, performance in scenes and monologue, connecting art to science and maths, theatre as a different place from school and teachers’ engagement and passion. They all emphasized training the awareness and interpersonal creativity of the child. John Bay drew a conclusion after an exercise he shared with the audience, that “we need a mixture of the strange and the familiar because too strange is scary and too familiar is boring.” He also did another exercise on the ge...

Following the departure of the former president Ben Ali, Tunisia has entered an emergency situation. A few days after he left, we started hearing about rape, kidnapping and violence against girls and women. More than two years after Tunisia’s revolt, the violence has only intensified and the violations have reached young girls more than adults. The picture is as simple as the dream of any Tunisian child to pursue an education. Yet, it also holds sadness, fatigue and fear. The girl is not only striving for a dream but also combatting poverty; a situation that even the revolution did not change for her. She has the same old board to write on with chalk, living in the same tiny house with her family and receiving the same way of teaching. She might not know yet her rights for a decent life, education and job but she only knows that she has to go to school to fulfill her dream. When we have usually been asked, “what would you like to be when you grow up...

While waiting in Cairo Airport for the next flight to Kenya, I have some thoughts to share with you. I met an impressive lady from Sudan who made me rethink about the status of women in Tunisia.  She was sitting right next to me on the plane. We had a little chat, then I asked her about her stay in Tunisia. She was attending a seminar gathering professors from all over the Arab region to discuss the Educational System. Then I asked her :"and what do you teach?". "Women's development", she answered. Well, I figured out then that they have women's studies in Sudan and my reaction was :" oh, interesting but we actually don't have it in Tunisia". She confirmed that she surprised the Tunisian attendees at the seminar when introduced herself as a professor of women's development. Well, they must be surprised if not ashamed, like I do feel. I've always thought that Tunisia as an Arab country is very much advanced in terms of women...