My wife is by far no activist so when she told me that she had to attend tonight’s women’s day protest on Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis, I immediately started doing some analysis.
Why Protest?
Aside from all the politics, basically the main issue is a proposed article in the new constitution that many women see as an “Islamist ploy to reverse the principle of gender equality that made Tunisia a beacon of modernity in the Arab world when it was introduced six decades ago.” According to Lawyer Sadok Belaid, the proposed article is a “challenge to one whole model of society”.
Flare Protests
With the end of Ramadan and the start of a nation wide constitutional debate, we can expect protest activities to pick up in Tunis. Expat related areas that will be affected most by protest will be: Downtown Tunis and Bardo.
A look at the definition of ‘flare’, puts the term ‘flare protests’ into context. Flare: “a sudden burst of intense emotion”…”suddenly become manifest in a person or their expression”…”suddenly become angry”.
In other words, we’ll get back into our routines when all of sudden another controversial article gets proposed and voilà flare protests throughout Tunis. The challenge for Expats will be staying informed throughout this vigorous process while avoiding the trouble zones with ease.
We look forward to empowering Expats in this process and continue to hope for the best for Tunis.
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