Hijacking the Tunisian revolution
It was driven by disenfranchised young people, but are professional politicians now trying to take over?
Dubbed the Jasmine revolution, Tunisia’s uprising was driven by the youth of the country.
It all started with a young man who set himself ablaze, igniting a popular rebellion.
The young dominated the scene and over the past month dozens of young people have been killed confronting the authority’s use of deadly force.
In a country where half the population is under the age of 25, that is a lot of disenfranchised, disenchanted … just plain dissed young people.
It was a popular, organic revolt, with no external influence or firebrand clerics leading it. There was really no prominent leadership at all – just young people expressing their seething frustrations and taking to the streets.
Some have called it the Facebook or Twitter revolution because social media played a critical role in fanning the flames of discontent and spreading the news to a captivated world.
But is Tunisia’s Jasmine revolution entering a new phase? Driven by the youth and trade unions, are professional politicians now hijacking the Tunisian uprising? How do the young people of Tunisia feel about the course their revolution is taking?
In this special show from Tunis, Inside Story presenter James Bays discusses with: Fidaa al-Hammami, a graduate student and opposition activist; Haifa Jmour, a tour guide and blogger; and Dhouha Bokri, a graduate student and activist.
This episode of Inside Story aired on Thursday, January 20, 2011.