Day: July 30, 2023

This Sunday, Tunisia observes World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and the 5th anniversary of its accession to the relevant convention, at a time when this scourge is experiencing a spectacular upsurge in the number of irregular migrants heading for Tunisia from African countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa.

Tunisia has enacted a law prohibiting human trafficking (organic law of August 3, 2016) and created a national authority to combat human trafficking under the same law.

In 2018, Tunisia acceded to the European Council Convention on Trafficking in Human Beings and, in the same year, joined the international “Blue Heart” campaign, which aims to raise public awareness of the need to detect and identify victims of trafficking.

In 2002, Tunisia was ranked second in the world in the fight against human trafficking.

However, the country has been facing a significant social and security challenge in recent months, with an unprecedented increase in the number of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, with the help of criminal networks operating on a global scale.

Faced with this phenomenon, Tunisia, which now places this issue at the top of its priorities, has requested the support of the European Union and the United Nations in its fight against cross-border networks active in human trafficking and organ smuggling.

Last Sunday, at the International Conference on Migration and Development in Rome, President Kais Saied stressed the need to tackle the causes and origins of the growing phenomenon of irregular migration, expressing a convergence of views with the President of the Italian Council, Giorgia Meloni, on the creation of a new global financial institution to be fed by cancelled loans and funds recovered from banks in the North.

A memorandum of understanding was signed on July 16 between Tunisia and the European Union, which provides for implementing a series of measures in five key areas: youth employment, economic development, investment, strengthening trade and digital transition, and combating illegal migration.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Prime Minister Najla Bouden met visual artist Abdelaziz ben Massaoud at the Kasbah on Saturday, in the presence of Cultural Affairs Minister Hayet Ketat Guermazi and heritage historian Abdessatar Amamou.

On this occasion, a tribute was paid to the visual artist Ben Messaoud for his important work and his contribution throughout his career as a teacher in secondary schools and higher institutes of fine arts.

Bouden’s meeting with the historian Amamou provided an opportunity to discuss the Government Palace as a unique historical monument.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of publishing a book about the palace, which is part of the Medina of Tunis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

Cybersecurity and electronic crime, as well as ways of protecting networks and basic digital infrastructures, were the focus of a meeting held between Minister of Communication Technologies, Nizar Ben Neji, and Head of the Department of Science and Technology, Katie Noyes, as well as high-level delegation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the US Department of Justice.

The meeting also focused on the importance of international coordination to exchange experiences and combat the dangers of the digital space, according to a press release from the Ministry of Communication Technologies made public on Sunday.

The two parties also discussed the importance of ratifying the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, as well as the need to develop mechanisms for digital investigation and the fight against electronic crime and irresponsible behaviour on social networks.

The Minister of Communication Technologies visited the United States of America from July 24 to 28 at the head of a delegation, according to the press release.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

The Assembly of People’s Representatives (ARP), meeting in plenary session on Saturday evening, adopted a bill to approve a loan agreement signed on April 29, 2023, between Tunisia and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), worth 16 million Kuwaiti dinars, or about 160 million dinars (MD), to help finance the construction and rehabilitation of classified roads.

This project, the total cost of which is estimated at around 237 MD, aims to contribute to improving land transport services and ensuring traffic safety on classified roads, in addition to putting an end to the isolation of a number of localities, through the rehabilitation and reinforcement of around 121 km of links in the classified road network in Béja, Jendouba, le Kef and Nabeul.

The AFESD contributes 87% of the cost of the works, excluding taxes, to the financing of the project. The loan will be repaid at a fixed interest rate of 3% per annum over thirty years, including a four-year grace period.

The components of the project, which will be supervised by the Ministry of Public Works, include the upgrading of regional road No. 76 at Beja, through the construction of a 307.80-metre bridge over the Oued Majrada, the construction of 16 hydraulic structures, the upgrading of roads and pavements, and rainwater drainage works.

As part of the project, regional road no. 75A2 in the governorate of Jendouba will be rehabilitated by widening the road to a width of 7.6 metres, reinforcing the pavement, improving the road layout in line with international standards, building a rainwater drainage and canalisation network, preparing and fitting out road junctions, building a 140-metre bridge over the Oued Tassa, and carrying out signposting and road safety work.

Other projects include the refinement of regional road no. 173 in the governorate of Kef and the rehabilitation of regional road no. 43 in the governorate of Nabeul.

Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse

An exhibition called “Forgotten Saints,” where the artist chose to work on photographs of slaves, has opened at the Eden Art Gallery on Eden Island and is expected to tour Africa.

There are 33 works on display produced by veteran artist Emmanual D’Offay, who sees himself as a slave activist who denounces slavery for all its atrocities.

“I believe the better way to do that is with all the photographs – because all the photos seen here are of real people who were brought to Seychelles as supposed liberated slaves, who were never liberated,” said D’Offay.

People interested to view the exhibition have until the end of the month to do so and purchase the works on show as well.

With names such as “I am Human” and “The Martyr”, D’Offay took the photos of the slaves and added his own unique touches to humanise them contrary to the original pictures that were taken.

There are 33 works on display produced by veteran artist Emmanual D’Offay. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY

“They were each given a number; they lost all links to their families and links to their heritage, so I got all this information and what I wanted to do is show their suffering and since they have gone through all this pain, why can’t they be called saints?” he asked.

D’Offay also mused that during his five years of working on the exhibition, he realised that the slaves were martyrs who exemplified courage and sacrifice.

Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, received seven slaves among the first 28 settlers who arrived on board the Telemaque on August 27, 1770. They settled on the inner island of Ste. Anne.

As of the 1780s, hundreds of slaves were transported each year on the small island shores. They came from West and Central Africa – formerly Zaire – now the Democratic Republic of Congo – and the south-eastern coast of Africa – Mozambique and Madagascar.

“They endured unspeakable sufferings and deserve to be remembered,” said D’Offay.

This is why he has decided to pay tribute to their extraordinary actions by calling them forgotten slaves.

D’Offay revealed his plans to have the exhibition tour the African continent. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY

Towards the end of the slave trade in the region in 1835, many vessels were caught and set free and sent to Venn’s Town on Mahe Island, where there was a school for the children of freed slaves.

D’Offay revealed his plans to have the exhibition tour the African continent.

“I am working with the African Union and other such organisations so that my work may be viewed in countries that have been directly linked to the slave trade, such as Ghana,” he added.

The artist also expects to be shown in Ethiopia – the seat of the African Union.

“Forgotten Saints” prints will be handed to the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (SNICHA) to keep for its own records.

The exhibition is a sequel to D’Offay’s last exhibition held five years ago, called “Raped Identity” which continues to explore the themes of slavery, exploitation and sufferings of the past.

Source: Seychelles News Agency