Africans Suffer in Tunisia What a Black Man Does Not Suffer in Europe*

« Illegal immigration is part of a plot to change the demographics of Tunisia, so that it can be considered an African country only and not an Arab and Muslim country. » This is the statement of the Tunisian President, Kaïs Saed, on February 21, 2023. It is in fact the theory of the fear of the « great replacement » advocated by Éric Zemmour in France and certain other far-right populists in Europe and which is being emulated in the streets of Tunis and Carthage.

Tunis, the New Capital of Apartheid

We are used to racism all over the world. It seems that there will always be incorrigible fools on earth. But where it hurts the most is that this sordid declaration is made by a Head of State, from a country located south of the Mediterranean Sea, who calls himself African, a member of all African bodies. Faced with the outcry, the Tunisian government opposes a staggering contempt. The indignation of the African elites is therefore strong and rightly so, but their sudden awareness of the situation of blacks in Tunisia is surprising. Who does not know what humiliation the black-skinned employees of the African Development Bank (AfDB) did not suffer with their families who lived in Tunis when this pan-African financial institution had temporarily set up its quarters there, fleeing Abidjan in 2003 for serious political and security unrest in Côte d’Ivoire?

The daily life of blacks in Tunisia is made up of bullying, harassment and racist acts. In this country, the black population (approximately 15% of the 12 million Tunisians) lives in discrimination that has ended up becoming institutional. In an article dated November 2, 2020, speaking of « Rohingyas (Burmese) abandoned in the open countryside », we also protested against the situation of black-skinned populations in Tunisia. We said in particular: “In Tunisia, people are victims of shameful discrimination because they are black. An inscription from another age, “Atig” (freed man), continues to appear on their national identity card. This situation of blacks in Tunisia does not seem to shock anyone in the world.” In common language in Tunisia, the words “oussif” or “abid” (slave) are commonly used to refer to a black person. Mirroring this, people of white skin are called « ahrar » (free men). The humiliation doesn’t end there. In Djerba, racial segregation is still traditionally applied, even in death. On the island remains « the cemetery of slaves », a place of burial reserved for Black Tunisians. Yet slavery was theoretically abolished in Tunisia since 1846. The situation is particularly worrying in southern Tunisia, where the black community sometimes lives in isolated regions, such as Gosba.

A 2016 Minority Rights Group (MRG) report revealed that there were separate buses for black pupils in Sidi Maklouf.However, the incident was presented by the government as an isolated case. However, no sanctions were taken against those responsible. More recently, surveys conducted by the Mnemty organisation revealed that areas with a high concentration of black students, particularly in the south, are the most disadvantaged and tend to lack resources in terms of social and health infrastructure. In fact, it is common knowledge that this population group remains almost totally absent from public life and employment, including government and other positions of responsibility. Despite this discrimination, there is still a general reluctance in the country to admit that racism exists. There is only one black Tunisian journalist on national television.

In 2014, journalist Nejiba Hamrouni was publicly insulted by Islamists who published caricatures of her as a monkey. Unable to sue, she used social media to raise awareness about racial discrimination. In the same year, a black woman was attacked with stones in Bizerte by her neighbours, but the case was dismissed by the police for lack of evidence, despite the presence of several witnesses. The leaders of the NGO « Mnemty » (the dream like the one made by Martin Luther King in Alabama) were harassed after organising a solidarity demonstration with Black Lives Matter in June 2020.

Who can cite the name of a black person who is a member of the government in Tunisia? Today, only one black person sits in the Tunisian Parliament! In 2011, following the fall of Ben Ali, a campaign was launched under the theme “A black minister in Tunisia? Yes, we can? No, we don‘t want .» It did not have much of an impact. What is the ordinary black visitor who has not suffered any vexations during a stay in Tunis or Sfax? The condescending not to say racist attitude of the Tunisians is expressed even in the sports fields. We still remember the stunning images of the arrogance of Tunisian footballers and their leaders during the last African Cup of Nations football in Cameroon in 2022! The Tunisians continued in their provocation and claimed that their country will not represent Africa at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It is curious that the African Football Confederation (CAF) turned its back on such remarks.

In a publication, the anthropology researcher Stéphanie Pouessel analyses the regional positioning of Tunisia vis-à-vis Europe and Africa. She emphasises that Tunisia is inventing itself between East and West. Indeed, « Unlike Morocco, which highlights its common history with Senegal and the Western Sahara for political purposes, Tunisia detaches itself from trans-African history to focus on its Ottoman past and its experience as a French colony. The first president of independent Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, theorised « Tunisianness »: Tunisian identity is specific, local, and Arabness is its essential component, to which is added the anchoring in the ancient era, in Romanity, steeped in Islamic and pan-Ottoman references. Among the identity references that have built post-colonial Tunisia, there are few references to Africa, to Africanness as a component of this Tunisian identity. This denial of Africa, visible in Habib Bourguiba, is accompanied by a gaze largely turned towards the ‘North’ or the Arab world.

Immigrants, Scapegoats Everywhere!

AfDB employees had filed numerous complaints for acts of racism and discrimination, but the presence of this institution, with executives of a high social level, had been able to modify for a time the perception of Tunisians of the black worker.The AfDB agents lived in beautiful neighbourhoods, frequented hotels, restaurants and cafes and luxury shops. The black worker was often perceived in Tunisia as an immigrant fleeing famine and misery, lacking education and not speaking a word of Arabic and could only be of the Christian faith. This means that his integration into society was very difficult.Undoubtedly, because of such a state of mind, black immigrant workers are the ideal scapegoats in a context where Tunisia is experiencing a situation of both economic and political decline.

The ‘Arab Spring’ that started in Tunisia and led to the ousting of the Islamists in 2011 soon turned out to be a big disillusion. The Islamists came to power and corseted society before another autocrat, President Kaïs Saed, came to power. The failure is resounding in all respects. The economic and social difficulties are blamed on these migrants, most of whom are in transit on their way to Europe. There is a lot of confusion about sub-Saharan migrants. Some flee various humanitarian crises and conflicts and transit through North Africa with the intention of continuing to Europe. Others come to Tunisia to study or work. Whether their objective is to transit through the country or to stay for study or economic reasons, many find themselves living in Tunisia for extended periods.

Due to the invisibility of black Tunisians in public life, a large part of society assumes that all black people living in the country are of sub-Saharan origin. Sub-Saharan migrants are victims of racial discrimination, their situation is further aggravated by language barriers, documentation problems and limited access to education and health care. They are frequently victims of abuse, exploitation and even targeted attacks. Falikou Coulibaly, a leading anti-racism figure and president of the Association of Ivorians in Tunisia (AIT), for example, was stabbed to death in Tunis in late December 2018. Although the authorities claimed that the murder was related to a robbery, Coulibaly‘s death led hundreds of black Tunisians to demonstrate in the days that followed against racial discrimination in the country and the government’s lack of adequate response. Through its network of anti-discrimination issues, Minority Rights Group (MRG) has documented hundreds of cases of racial discrimination against black Tunisians and sub-Saharan migrants in 2019 and 2020. The situation is quite similar in most Maghreb countries. Closer to home, in Mauritania, the painful plight of the black population continues to shock the conscience.

However, the failure of African leaders south of the Sahara to provide education, health and work for their youth must be indexed. Also, other Black Africans are living the martyrdom of discrimination, ethnic hatred and xenophobia in many other Black African countries where they live. It will therefore be difficult for leaders in sub-Saharan Africa to lecture others, as we pointed out on 28 April 2015, « Shame on Africa », after hundreds of bodies of black migrants were washed up on the beach of Lampedusa (Italy). « This Africa is letting its sons die and to make matters worse, the African is becoming a wolf to the African. In South Africa, nationals of other African countries are chased, lynched to death, burned alive by their South African brothers who ask them to leave South African soil. This is happening in South Africa, a country governed by black members of the ANC elite, those famous freedom fighters and assertive black people! Nelson Mandela has already turned over in his grave three times.

Faced with such a situation, too, African leaders prefer not to know what is going on. Robert Mugabe (then President of the African Union) can speak on behalf of the African Union as well as on his own behalf, as his country is being emptied to take refuge in neighbouring South Africa. Robert Mugabe can express his shame at the attitude of the black population of South Africa. This will undoubtedly ease his conscience that his country, Zimbabwe, which was so promising, is in such a disastrous situation that no one wants to stay there anymore.”

* This title was inspired by a statement made by President Abdoulaye Wade on 22 January 2001 at the Forum on Racism in Dakar. Faced with situations of pogroms and attacks against Burkinabe nationals, the indignant Senegalese President stressed that « what a Burkinabe experience in Côte d’Ivoire, a black person does not experience in France ». The comment provoked the ire of the Ivorian population and authorities and triggered strong reprisals against the Senegalese community in cities such as Abidjan, San Pedro and Yamoussokro. I personally had a heated argument with George Aboké, a member of President Laurent Gbagbo‘s cabinet, in December 2007, during an international conference of journalists in Abidjan.This close ally of the Ivorian Head of State was still ranting against President Wade’s remarks in opposition to his Senegalese co-panelist. Exasperated, I told him: « President Wade is absolutely right to say so! » For the rest of my stay, my Ivorian friends distanced themselves from me. The political context was heavy. The altercation was reported to President Wade, who then laughed out loud.

By Madiambal DIAGNE / mdiagne@lequotidien.sn

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