1/18/2011

Maghreb. By Uncle Monty.


*****
*****
New Maghreb.
By Uncle Monty at London.
Story Photos By Alex Albion.
Other Images From The Web.
...
:: Tunisian News Update - Feb. 7, 2011 ::
Tunisia Suspends Former Governing Party.
The announcement was made after crowds pillaged
and then burned a police station in the northwestern
city of Kef. On Saturday, the police there shot and killed
at least two demonstrators and injured at least 17 others.
It was the worst violence in Tunisia since its autocratic
president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, was forced into exile
on Jan. 14 after a month of nationwide antigovernment
protests. The country is currently run by a caretaker
...
Evacuated safely from Tunisia in the
past 24 hours, the horrific scenes of the
Tunisian Uprising are now firmly etched
forever in my head. Almost like a nice birth-
day gift, I escaped the carnage and bloody
revolt unscathed and in one piece although
at times sheer anarchy prevailed all around
me on the Tunis streets of pure pandemonium
and violent death and unleashed rage of the
nation's people.
*****
They rightly reacted against the now fallen Ben Ali
autocratic regime of 23 years of tyanny, thuggery,
and calculated repression against their Maghreb
nation. I solidly salute the Tunisian people!!
*****
The danger with any revolt is it begins and
ends with its goals and aims totally distorted
from its initial inception and impetus. Such
could well be the case with the Tunisian
Uprising that could see the people being
ruled by a new regime that is not much
better than the past one of Ben Ali's 23 years
of absolute rule over the defenseless Maghreb
people. That may be the final outcome, but
for now all I can see are dead bodies, blood-
soaked street protesters, trigger-happy
copz, violence at every turn, destroyed in-
frastructure like the burned out railway
station that I had travelled to and from
during my train trips here and there in
Turnisia before the start of the people's
revolt; the looting of supermarkets and
businesses, and general anarchy all
around me. Revolts are rarely pretty,
although the Jasmine Revolution is
oddly pretty to those of us who support
it whether we're Tunisian or not.
*****
In Tunisia there are basically three social classes:
an emerging Westernized and Americanized
middle class of young educated and computer
savvy adults and high schoolers of 18 to 35 years;
the older Bedouin, Islamic and Muslim tradition-
alists of 40 to 65 years of age; and the rural and
urban poor of all ages that suffer huge lack of
work skills and educational attainment. It was
from the young and angry educated classes that
finally brought the country to open revolution
after the terrible treatment by the Tunis police
against a young university graduate seeking to
sell his market produce to feed himself while
the dastard cops stopped him trying to earn a
living along with them confiscating his food cart.
Out of utter dispair, the young man then doused
himself in petrol to protest the true tyranny of
Tunisia. What he did was to create the seeds
of the Jasmine Revolution that should bare
his good name forever - Mohamed Bouazizi of
Sidi Bouzid. He was a honest street fruit vendor.
*****
Of the many countries that I have visited -
perhaps some 35 or so - I was struck by
the friendiness of many folkz I met inside
Tunisia, especially by the young guyz and
galz who would not only wave at me but
more times than not even stop on the streets
to chat with me and to try out their taught
English on me. I was more than glad to
share our time together. At Carthage-
Presidence, I was almost mobbed by a
group of very friendly high schoolers as
I by chance walked by the high school
during their school break. We were finally
asked to move along because we blocked
the sidewalk big time ... Whatever, I was
amazed at such friendliness from complete
strangers. I cannot imagine such happening
anywhere inside England or Europe or
America thesedays. What a pity! I just hope
the revolt does not inadvertently change
or reduce the friendliness of the Tunisians
toward foreigner visitors like me and the
thousands of other Brits and Europeans
who love the people and the country.
.
Tunisia: how does it compare to other countries
in the region? Is the uprising in Tunisia likely to
happen in other similar countries? Here's the data.
On a practical level, Tunisia is remarkably
inexpensive to stay compared to the rip-off
costs and prices in the UK and all over
Europe. One of my 300 mile round trips by
train cost me a mere 7 quid while a similar
trip inside Britain by train would
have probably cost me at least 85 quid!!
Eating out was a delight at finding meals
that cost me a couple of quid by avoiding
tourist traps at Sousse and elsewhere.
Hotels are cheap, too, as along as you don't
stay at Hammamet's or Monastir's swanky
hotels designed exclusively for Europeans
to pay through the nose for hotel care.
*****
One problem, however, that should be noted
is while you can change British Sterling easily
into Tunisian Dinars - just over 2 Dinars per
quid - when you come to leave the country
the foreign exchange operators refuse to covert
your Tunisian money back into British pounds.
They will only give you Euros and/or U.S. bucks.
No information is given beforehand about that
by the Tunisian Tourist Centers to those
visiting the country. Only when you're about
to depart do you find out.
*****
As for The Jasmine Revolution, whatever happens
in the future will now result in the rise of The New
Maghreb inside Tunisia. Whether that will be
good or bad for the people, that remains to be
seen. The old dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali
is finished - "Game Over" - and his greedy and
lawless family members - and, of course, the
greedest of them all is his hated wife Leila
Trabelsi, who allegedly walked off with £37.5
million in bullion or gold bars. Presumably
stashed away either in Saudia Arabia, where
they have been given asylum, or at some fancy
and corrupt bank somewhere in the world.
*****
Having been a small witness to the first
people's true revolution in the Arab world,
there by the grace of God I witnessed
something quite extraordinary for its
sheer speed and finality against those
who just days before could have never
imagined it could happen in of all places
like Tunisia against the tryanny and
criminal power of the Ben Ali family and
their cronies and gangsters like it has.
Bravo!! Bravo!!!
*****
Hopefully, they will be hunted down and
put on trial and sent to the same inhumane
Tunisian prisons where they sent their
opponents for years to suffer and rot
away as political prisoners against the
Ben Ali strongman regime. Whatever
they get they will deserve with some 33
relatives of ex-first lady Leila Trabelsi
having been already arrested, thankfully.
.
New Cabinet first meets.
Tunisia cabinet to lift party bans. Interim
government decides to recognise previously
banned parties and adopts an amnesty
.
Switzerland freezes assets of ex-Tunisian leader; It
estimated he has $620 million in Swiss bank accounts.
http://www.mail.com/int/news/europe/140822-switzerland-freezes-assets-ex-tunisian-leader.html#.1258-stage-subhero-3
.
Ministers quit new Tunisian govt. Troops
battle protesters on the streets as at least
three ministers resign from the country's
I shall watch with intense interest as more
unfolds after post-Ben Ali. I so much want to
explore Tunisia alot more and I have already
forgiven my Sousse robber of my main camera
in light of all that has happened inside his
country. Maybe he was so desperate to
survive and so poor, too, he just took it
out of me thinking I was a rich foreigner
with everything while he had little or
nothing. Not that such justified his
robbery against me, but I can now see
the economic pain that so many young
folkz lived under. That probably drove
him to robbery and others like him.
*****
My secondary camera - or my backup
camera - was soon used to capture the
last few images I could before being
evacuated from Tunis. As for taking
images of the uprising, I felt it best not
to push the envelope by taking photos
that would draw too much attention to
me as a foreigner and the risk of getting
a bullet in my head or getting attacked
physically on the bloody and dangerous
streets when my major concern was to
focus entirely on getting out of the country
in one piece. That I did, by the grace of
our Good Lord!! Praise Him, Always!!
*****
After I have now rested up from my re-
markable first-hand, yet gruelling and at
times rather dangerous, experience in
Tunisia, I cannot wait to undertake more
adventures around the world for 2011.
.
Truly, Uncle Monty.
+St. Anthony, 2011.
.
:: Feedback & Comments ::
At Sousse's Play Park 3 Dayz
Before The Tunisian Uprising, 2011.
.
3 Dayz Before Tunisian Uprising, Sousse Soccer
Fans Celebrate Cup Win All Around The Medina.
.
Just 1 Day before Uprising, view of a Tunisian
town from my train window on my way back to
the capital Tunis. The revolt was then brewing
unbeknown to the rail passengers and me!!
.
Good old gal, she is!!
.
Ministers quit new Tunisian govt. Troops
battle protesters on the streets as at least
three ministers resign from the country's
.
Wife of Tunisian president fled riot-torn country with
1.5 TONNES of gold (that should help feed the son-
in-law's pet tiger). By David Williams.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1347938/Tunisian-presidents-wife-Leila-Trabelsi-fled-riots-35m-gold-bars.html
.
Tunisia forms unity government in effort to quell unrest.
Serving ministers of defence, interior, finance and foreign
affairs all keep their jobs alongside with newcomers from
opposition. By Angelique Chrisafis in Tunis & Ian Black.
****
.
Anglicans For JPII - Great John Paul II Will Be
Beautified May 1, 2011, By Pope Benedict XVI at Rome.
.
The Big Issue:
Helping The Homeless or A SCAM?
By Andrew Coates.
Edited By Uncle Monty.

*****
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{ Click on any image to Enlarge }
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3 comments:

Terry (Morris) said...

Monty! Jolly good you're back from
Tunisia. I'm impressed at your ability to overcome so many obstacles. I think it is your deep
faith that helps you. Welcome back
home. Terry (Morris)

Friend Jillian said...

Hi. Good you made it out safely Uncle Monty. You picked the right place to go so that you could write another one of those stories that only you can write. Those stories of your's are always so human and real. For awhile I feared you'd finally met your match in Tunisia!
I feared we'd never see the daylight of you again. You've proved that you're a survivor even
when things befall you that would
make others give up in despair.
BUT NOT YOU ... With my best wishes, Friend Jillian.

TNT said...

I SECOND THE ABOVE TWO MOTIONS
FROM TERRY AND JILLIAN:- I NEED
ONLY STATE I AM VERY PLEASED THAT
YOU HAVE RETURNED TO US TO CARRY
ON AGAINST THE VERY DANGEROUS EVENTS TAKING YOU BY SURPRISE FAR
FROM HOME. I ALWAYS VISIT YOUR INCREDIBLE BLOG TO CHECK TO SEE THAT YOU, MONTY, ARE STILL ALIVE
OR DEAD. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@. I HAND
IT TO YOU HOW YOU COME THROUGH EVERY THING @@@@@@@@@@@@@@. TNT