Bird Nest 1

March 21, 2008

BIRDNEST

The Bimonthly Reader’s Digest of the Network of English-Speaking Tunisians.

A word of welcome As of March 2008 about 300 compatriots have responded to the call for a network of English-speaking Tunisians to be launched. Among them there are scientists, engineers, managers, social scientists, and medics. They may be living in Tunisia, the US, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, or Singapore, but they all have in common a genuine desire to strengthen the link between Tunisia and the Anglo-Saxon and Anglophone nations around the world.

Today, more than ever, our joint efforts are needed to complete the long-awaited transition towards full integration into the global arena. The Bird Nest will contribute to the success of this process of opening up by compiling the views and opinions of Nesters on the ways in which Tunisia could enhance its presence abroad and what we can learn from other countries’ experiences. We hope that this publication will give you food for thought and look forward to hearing your criticism and suggestions. BIRD NEST team

1

What’s up? 52 YEARS ON By T.C

When President Bourguiba paid a State visit to London shortly after independence he experienced the kind of enthusiasm the British had reserved for Carthaginian envoys and traders as they landed on their Isles 3000 years ago. Today, there is still room for that special relationship to develop and flourish. As we celebrate the 52nd anniversary of our independence, we must take this opportunity to draw the necessary lessons from the past, particularly when it comes to our relationship with a country like Britain. In the area of commerce, as it is with education, research and development, science and technology, and cultural exchange, Tunisians still need to set the right framework for a fruitful

collaboration between the two nations. If commonsense had generally prevailed in Tunisia’s domestic policies, our attitudes towards foreign affairs, including trade and diplomacy, remained ill-advised and short-sighted. A lot could have been done, for example, to promote the uptake and use of English had the necessary conditions been fulfilled by our successive governments. We must now ensure that the errors of the past do not undermine our prospects for the future, and the best that can be done is to give impulse to a binational alliance that extends to Britain’s historic and continuing links across the globe.

We must ensure the next 50 years bring about a bold and forward-looking partnership in which we make the most of our longstanding diplomatic links, shared values, and geographic proximity to the UK.

President Bourguiba stands next to PM Howard Macmillan as people cheer at them passionately

Editorial Team (so far) Join us! [email protected]

Tarek Cheniti

Issue 1, March 20th, 2008

Slim Menzli

Zied Laaribi

Facebook group: Network of Anglophone Tunisians cauldron-tn.blogspot.com

March 21, 2008

Anouar Brahem THE CONSTRUCTIVE JUGGERNAUT By S.M.

So what happens when Sahar wears a Khomsa and decides to go in a voyage on the footsteps of the black cat seeking an unbelievable love story? Well you can’t help but follow her breathlessly like a certain Alice in Wonderland in a smooth and peaceful reverie. And while there is no hookah-smoking caterpillar involved, the day-dreaming effect is guaranteed. There is no card castle but a café…an Astrakan café. There is no infinite fence but a Barzakh. There is no Lewis Carroll. Only Anouar Brahem. Armed with his luth, Brahem’s music has been a juggernaut against classification. Quoting from musicolog.com from the web page related to Anouar Brahem: “The way Brahem's music resists classification is a measure of the quality of his artistic career. By eluding labels, or better by slipping through all kinds of definitions from jazz to world music, he has sanctioned a freedom of expression that is uncommon in the musical context within which he works." Brahem also succeeded in putting an end to a long irony. While the luth has been a vital instrument in the classic Arab

2

Issue 1, March 20th, 2008

band (Takht), it has been long buried in the large and loud ensemble as Liane Hansen put it in an interview with Brahem for NPR following a tour in the US in 2002. In his album Madar (1994), he even revealed some “civil engineering” skills! Otherwise, how can one explain the arch-shaped bridge he built between Tunisia and India and which he labeled “Qaws”? Brahem is also man of cinema. Not only has he been composing the original scores for many films and plays, amongst which, "Sabots en Or" and "Bezness" by Nouri Bouzid, Ferid Boughedir’s "Halfaouine", Moufida Tlatli’s "Les Silences du Palais" as well as for "Iachou Shakespeare" and "Wannas el kloub" by Mohamed Driss, "El Amel", "Borj El hammam" and "Bosten Jamalek" by the Theatre Phou but also he produced “Mots d’Après la Guerre” with which he competed in the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland in August 2007 and where he gathered live testimonies on the aftermath of the war in Lebanon in the summer of 2006. With his fine art, this level of international exposure and a commitment

for dialogue across cultures, Brahem could easily clinch a nomination as a UN Goodwill ambassador. A man of cultural diversity, he surely knows how to grab the stick (Oud) from the middle: beside being second to none juggling his taut yet gentle Oud strings, Anouar Brahem has also been juggling “the Olive Tree and the Lexus” with remarkable ease. In fact and quoting from musicolog.com again: “Anouar Brahem is an artist who, while profoundly imbued with his Arab heritage, is unequivocally modern, well-anchored in his times and headed toward the future. He is, furthermore, an artist unperturbed by the clash of cultures. He has always enjoyed initiating meetings with musicians of different horizons: Jan Garbarek, Richard Galliano, Dave Holland, Francois Couturier, Jean-Louis Matinier and John Surman, of course, but also Manu Dibango, Manu Katché, Taralagati, Shaukat Hussain, Fareed Haque, Pierre Favre...finding in each meeting the means of renewing himself while retaining his own identity.” And that is how he gets to shrink the world a little bit without any mushroom. Hail to the Tunisian genius!

cauldron-tn.blogspot.com

BIRDNESTBIMONTHLY March 21, 2008

The green bit IT’S ALL ABOUT OIL…OLIVE OIL! By S.M.

At the time of writing these lines, the price of a barrel of crude oil (42 gallons or just a little under 159 liters) hit the $111 mark. This bullish trend does not seem to lose momentum any time soon. Decoupling economical growth from rising demand on energy resources has already been brilliantly achieved by leading countries like Germany and Denmark. Hydropower is nearly exhausted in Germany for instance. Finland, a country that has over 25% of its area lying within the Arctic Circle is even pushing to exploit…solar energy. Being an emerging nation that is still relying heavily on agriculture, Tunisia boasts an important potential for energy production by biomass and thus can displace some of its painful oil imports back to development coffers: olive pomace (Tunisia is to the global olive market is what Kuwait is to the global oil market holding a 7% market share of world production), wheat/barley trash are some options just to name a few. Just about half of the country is desert with arid to very arid climate translating into huge solar resources useful for heating water and producing electricity using photovoltaic panels. The solar radiation is strong enough across southern Tunisia that many remote villages can have their own standalone systems and meet their daily domestic energy demands without having to be connected to the utility grid. Every time oil prices push a new limit, media sheds much more light on solar and wind energy than any other form of renewables in particular. But what should be done to fuel all those motor vehicles hitting the road every day? This remains THE gap in the market. Society needs more than electricity. Research should be encouraged and made in-house to address this crisis-in-waiting. The Institut National de Recherche

Scientifique & Technique in Borj Cédria has been conducting some research on photovoltaic cells. We believe this choice is not adequate since the improvements in terms of efficiency (if any) do not justify the allocation of time, efforts and funding. More focus and funds should be given to extracting transportation fuels from abundant agricultural waste and residues so to avoid displacing the food market, to create jobs and to cut energy imports. A Tunisian delegation was present at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference this March in Washington DC. The conference was probably the most important event of the year for the Renewable Energy community. This is a good sign on the sense of urgency the Tunisian government is starting to pay for green energies and sustainable development.

Photo Quiz Who’s this young Tunisian man? Email us your answer! [email protected] * Hint: his name starts with “A”

3

Issue 1, March 20th, 2008

cauldron-tn.blogspot.com

BIRDNESTBIMONTHLY March 21, 2008

In the loop INCREDIBLE INDIA!

The Taj Mahal. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ endoking/2299308085/

By T.C

Any developing country must face at some point of its history the painful problem of the brain drain, yet some countries do cope much better than others, and some have even reversed it to their advantage. India is a case in point. With its booming economy and large Diaspora, India can rely on the greatest resource of all- human talent, to advance and prosper. But what’s the secret behind India’s success and what can we learn from her experience? There are two characteristics of India which we must bear in mind when assessing this country’s potential: India is distinct by reason of political organization. As a mature democracy, she has undertaken the necessary structural reforms without which individuals would not be able to trust public institutions with their civic rights (e.g. intellectual property, freedom of thought and speech,..). An efficient and honest government who ensures that the law is meticulously observed at all times provides the right conditions for progress to happen. India is also distinct by reason of civilization and culture. This is a nation where the community matters as much as the individual, and where people are keen to support each other in times of need. This tradition is celebrated and

nurtured by expatiates who have organised themselves in thriving networks of action. Moreover, more Indians are now willing to go home after they have acquired a useful experience abroadeither as students or as professionals. So India is likely to become one of the next decade’s global superpowers, and rightfully so. We in Tunisia cannot afford to miss out on this opportunity, and must look for potential synergies where we can benefit from Indian knowhow and establish ourselves as a key partner in Africa and Europe. We must also implement the right institutional

Extra time Alan Goulty

Alan Goulty Reading the “Sabbah”, a daily Tunisian newspaper.

4

Issue 1, March 20th, 2008

Alan Goulty is the UK ambassador to Tunisia, and there is something special about him; he is the only foreign representative in our country who maintains a blog. So if for once you want to see a human, rather than a powerand-paper, side to international relations, you’ll definitely find his diary interesting. He engages with all kinds of policy questions, ranging from his outstanding experience as a special envoy to Sudan, to the more mundane problems of environmental campaigning, animal

changes at home in the light of what was done in India. Indeed, Tunisian expats need to see fundamental changes in the work of Tunisian institutions that would encourage them to put their knowledge and expertise at the service of the country. And finally, expatriates are required to engage in private initiatives which circumvent administrative inefficiencies. In this respect, the NEST is certainly a good starting point!

rights, and the fight against bureaucracy. His writing style is agreeable and succinct. You will be able to check his blog by googling his name.

cauldron-tn.blogspot.com

BIRDNESTBIMONTHLY March 21, 2008

Aouch, it’s boiling hot! The Cauldron is the title of a new blog where Nesters can get together to discuss issues of interest to the network and update each other on their projects, opinions or suggestions for possible cooperation schemes. We want the cauldron to be boiling with ideas, so everyone is “warmly” invited to contribute! Check out http://cauldron-tn.blogspot.com/

Words of Wisdom “We will either find a way, or make one”Hannibal Barca

BIRDNESTBIMONTHLY