Travel Songs: Tunisia Votes

The first time I ever came to Tunisia was in December of 2010, on a trip to meet my girlfriend’s family. However, after only days of being there I found myself in the middle of a protest on the streets of Sousse. People screaming chants in Arabic, police pushing and hitting people, my first taste of tear gas – it was like something I only previously imagined seeing on CNN or Al Jazeera. This was December 27 – by the next week the whole country was in a state of emergency and by the second week of January (the 14 to be exact), Tunisia’s president/dictator of 23 years, Ben Ali, was leaving the country on a plane to Saudi Arabia – yet to return. Luckily my flight left the country just before they shut the airports down; I watched the revolution at home, on TV.

Before I continue too much, I feel that a little back-story would be helpful. During Ben Ali’s rule, he maintained absolute power over his people as well as any opposition. Youtube, myspace, and any other websites with a political opinion were 404 not available. His picture was plastered all over the country, and he was apparently ripping the people off while the common citizen was struggling to make a decent wage. It seemed that his reign would last forever (or at least until he died), until one day a fruit cart vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi changed the history of the world forever. It all started when Bouazizi had his cart confiscated by the police for not having a proper permit. This type police seizure was common practice in Tunisia at the time, as Ben Ali’s government had to make sure they had their hands in everyone’s pocket. Frustrated that his government wouldn’t even allow him to make a modest living selling fruit, Bouazizi decided to set himself on fire in protest. Now, this wasn’t the first time in Tunisia that someone had set themselves a blaze to protest the government, but Bouazizi’s case became special when his friends got involved. Obviously upset at the death of the their buddy, and understandably frustrated with the current economic situation in their country, Bouazizi’s friends began to do something that the country had not seen but once during Ben Ali’s rule – protest in the street. Eventually, people from all over the country caught wind of this story, and the protests spread from the little town of Sidi Bouzid all the way to the capital of Tunis. Next thing you know, Ben Ali Degage’d, Mubarak was behind bars, Gaddafi’s murder was on Youtube, and Americans were ‘Occupying’ everything they could make a Facebook page for.

The ‘Arab Spring’ began in Tunisia, and on upon my return in the beginning of October 2011, I was able to watch it continue. Needless to say, all this screaming and shouting, sign making and flag waving is pointless without some sort of organization to follow. After all, what good is a revolution with no purpose? So, on October 23, 2011 Tunisia gave purpose to these protests by holding the first free democratic elections of their country’s history. They were to vote for an assembly that would write their constitution. Naturally there was a lot of excitement leading up to the elections, as politics is a language Tunisians speak fluently – and passionately at that. Being able to watch the events leading up to the elections, attend speeches and rallies, speak to Tunisians, and see the street demonstrations was an inspiring experience. As time passed, I began to see Tunisia politically as I had already seen it culturally. To me, there has always been two Tunisias: the traditional and the modern. The traditional Tunisia was always my favorite part; going to the medina to buy goods, smoking chicha in a café, admiring the architecture of Sidi Bou Said – this was the Tunisia that I found interesting and beautiful. Contrast this against the super chic, French influenced, hair gel, nightclub, bottle service, house music side that is what I refer to as the ‘modern Tunisia’. Not to say that there is no in between, but this is the dichotomy. Tunisians as a people represent such a vast diversity of lifestyles, from the strict Muslim to the ‘out til 5 in the morning’ partier. This is just apparent when viewing their culture as it is when viewing their election.

Now, most Tunisians will agree that the protests that ousted Ben Ali were lead by progressive minded, young, educated Tunisians. However, when it came time to vote another group showed up – and with strong numbers. With Islam being the main religion of Tunisia, it shouldn’t have come to a surprise to anyone that the Islamist party, Ennahda quickly became the front-runner. Leading up the elections, most young Tunisians I spoke with told me that they were very afraid that Ennahda would get a majority in the constituent assembly. After all, this is what Ben Ali and the other recently ousted dictators always used as their excuse – ‘I’m protecting you from the Islamist’. So, as the elections neared, the idea that those dictators could be right, that Islamist could gain power in government, was a scary idea to face.

On the day of elections I was able to tag along with a friend of mine. I stood in line for 3 hours as I watched Tunisians of all ages, religions, and social statuses show up to cast the first vote of their lifetime. The energy was amazing and absolutely contagious. People were truly excited and happy to play a role in their government, and there was a real feeling of unity amongst everyone. Once casting your vote, your finger was dipped in a blue ink as to ensure that you do no re-vote. This blue finger eventually became a sign of pride, as I would see people walking down the street flashing their finger at one another. Truly amazing to see as a man from a country where some people really don’t find it that important to vote.

After all was said and done, it took about 4 days for the election committee to announce the results. Naturally, Ennahda had the most votes, gaining 41% of the seats in their constituent assembly. And though this is exactly what most Tunisians feared, when I ask people about how they feel post election, many are just happy that things went smoothly and that they were able to participate in democracy. With that, they happily point out to me that with a remarkably high turn out rate, Tunisia had nearly double what some western countries have in election participation.

All things considered, I think the world is learning something from Tunisia. When I see people in the streets of Egypt, or Spain, or New York City, I remember that this all started in Tunisia. The success and outcome of this little country on the northern tip of Africa serves as a microcosm for what the world is and what the world could be. It shows that it is important to not become complacent, and to understand that this world belongs to everyone and everything – so if you are unhappy with the way things are going, make change.