Aus Tunesien zehn Jahre später

Leila Bouazizi, die Schwester von Mohamed, der sich in Tunesien vor zehn Jahren aus Proest selbst in Brand setzte und so zum Auslöser der Massenproteste wurde, die kurze Zeit später zum Sturz des Regime führten und wiederum den Beginn des arabischen Frühling einläuteten, hat eine Dekade später eine klare Botschaft an ihre Landsleute. Und die heißt: Macht weiter. 

She criticized the lack of solid measures to reform Tunisia’s failing health system or fix its decrepit infrastructure, with deadly floods following every major rainstorm.

And despite some political progress, young people in marginalized regions such as Sidi Bouzid still face unemployment three times the national average.

With rising prices, stagnant incomes and few opportunities even for the highly educated, “the situation might even be worse now” than before the revolution, said Leila.

Tragically, dozens of young people still set themselves alight every year in Tunisia, which has also seen a spike in numbers of people, particularly jobless youth, attempting dangerous sea crossings to Europe. “It’s not just my brother,” she said. “Lots of people have lost their lives.” But, she said, “I hope that things will change.” “Many people are still protesting, speaking out, for change,” she said. “It might take more than 10 years, but young people must carry on protesting, speaking out, to get their rights.”