Tunisia Information

The Romans ruled and settled in north Africa until the 5th century, when the Roman Empire fell and Tunisia was invaded by European tribes, including the Vandals. The Muslim conquest in the 7th century transformed Tunisia and the make up of its population. Subsequent waves of immigration included significant numbers of Spanish Muslims and Jews at the end of the 15th century.

Tunisia became a center of Arab culture and learning and was assimilated into the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. It was a French protectorate from 1881 until independence in 1956. It retains close political, economic , and cultural ties with France.

Tunisia’s independence from France in 1956 ended the protectorate established in 1881. President Bourguiba, who had been the leader of the independence movement declared Tunisia a republic in 1957. In 1959, Tunisia adopted a constitution modeled after the French system, which established the basic outline of the highly centralized presidential system that continue today.

Beginning with independence, President Bourguiba placed strong emphasis on economic and social development. This was especially true in the areas of education, the status of women, and the creation of jobs. These policies have continued under the current President, Ben Ali, and Tunisia has comparatively high literacy, school attendance rates, low population growth rates , and relatively low poverty rates.

Comparisons are always important in the minds of readers, and here are some facts about Tunisia. It consists of an area of approximately 63,000 square miles and is slightly smaller than the state of Missouri. The land is arable in the north and along the central coast. In the south, where we are headed in a few days, it is mostly semiarid or desert. The population is roughly 10.2 million people of which 98% are Arab-Berber. Almost all of this ethnic group is Muslim. The summers are hot and dry, here, and winter weather is often mild and rainy.

Tunisia has been a leader in the Arab world in promoting the social and legal status of women. A personal Status Code was established shortly after independence that gave women full legal status. Among other things, this code allowed women to run and own their own businesses, have bank accounts, and obtain passports under their own authority. Tunisia was also the first county in the Arab world to outlaw polygamy. The government requires parents to send girls to school. Today, more than 50% of university students are women.

Other comparisons that might surprise some are that we have seen a range of women’s dress from head scarfs (hijab) to mini-skirts. I’ve also seen some men in shorts. We’ve had to learn how to greet those introduced to us by saying, “assalama” (hello) or “le bes” (How are you?). If you haven’t guessed already, most Tunisians are multilingual. Many speak Arabic and French as well as a number of regional dialects.

One pleasant surprise was my ability to represent our Rotary Club at a meeting of one of the local, Tunisian, Rotary groups. When one makes the effort to seek out local groups anywhere in the world, one finds that the concerns about anyone’s country are similar, regardless of language or cultural differences. Working toward improvement of communities is a common theme throughout the world; but most groups outside the US and western Europe are trying to do it with far fewer resources that most Americans could ever imagine.