Tunisia Update: The Challenges of Reconstruction

“Destroying something is easy, building something is much harder. In Tunisia it took almost 23 days to overthrow the Ben Ali regime after 23 years in power. Now it is important to construct a new structure, a new life.

Young and old are working together on this task. We see how important it is to unite forces to achieve something. By that I do not mean only Tunisians, but also our friends outside the country. We want to show Switzerland and Europe that there is a real change.

Especially our region Kebili, in the south of Tunisia, is currently suffering greatly, and it will suffer even more if we fold our hands. The lives of thousands of people here depend on tourism and date cultivation. Tourism has collapsed due to the political events. And we suspect that the large date traders - favorites of the old system - are sabotaging our rebuilding. They have stopped exporting, causing date prices to collapse. This deprives the farmers of their livelihood.

Many people here are working hard to restore everyday life in Kebili. Maybe it is possible for European journalists to come here and report on the current situation? That way we could bring the new Kebili closer to people.”