Multiply Tunisia

Mariyam: Dar Omma

A country home in Makthar

Green rolling hills, apple and cherry trees, these images are not what you would expect to find in Tunisia. But in the northeast of the country, an ancient little town called Makthar doesn’t fit within the normal picture of Tunisia.  About 3 hours west of Tunis, Myriam and her partner Kareem are managing a small country home nestled in the green wheat fields.  I took some time to explore the area, eat some good food and find out the motivation for Myriam to come back to Tunisia and manage a country home so far from the beaten path.  Next to a crackling fire,r I picked up on a subtle but powerful emotion.  Hope is the heartbeat of this episode.

Zakher: The question of conservation.

Growing up in America, conservation was simply apart of life.  It was taught in school, promoted on the TV, experienced in field trips and family vacations. One of my first jobs was a clerk at a local department store and one of my duties was to issue hunting licenses to the sportsmen who would make there was to my home in the central Midwest.  Basically, conservation is an industry, and for good or bad its very much a part of the social conversation in the US.  The same isn’t the case for Tunisia.  Please don’t get me wrong.  Tunisians in general very much love nature and enjoy outings to the coasts and mountains.  But the conversation about societies role in conservation is largely silent.  That’s why I was so excited to meet Zakher and hear how he is playing an active role in calling the Tunisian public to engage in conservation, while doing what he can to influence Tunisian attitudes and policies towards the protection of it natural resources. 

Malik: Tissue.tn

Tunisia’s first digital market place for textile sourcing, selling fabric and haberdashery.

Malik has a charismatic personality, a friendly attitude, and a great command of the English language. Its qualities like these that have given him opportunities to travel, see the world and study abroad. I met Malik at a weekly English hour event and was drawn in by his story.  We met up at Ben Rahim Coffee in SidiBou Said for a cup of coffee and a conversation about how he decided to come back to Tunisia and implement his ideas here.   

InWard

Whole, Live and Raw Cuisine in Tunis

My wife and I travel a lot and one of the joys of traveling is discovering good food.  We are constantly scanning the socials looking for tips on local eats and great atmosphere.  Ambiance, attention to detail and presentation all go into making a meal and experience. 

For those of you who live in Tunis, you understand how things are discovered here…its by word of mouth from a trusted source…or sometimes by complete accident.  My wife and I were checking out a new store that specialized in Asian products and we picked up a small package of tofu.  We noticed the sticker on the package and looked it up on Instagram. That is how we discovered Inward, a whole plant, live and raw restaurant located here in Tunis.  We visit the restaurant few days later where we met the owner and chef of Inward.  We were so inspired by Fatima’s, food her attention to detail and her story, we had to get an interview. 

Word on the street is that Tunisians are leaving.  It is estimated that about 100,000 Tunisians leave their country each year.  The Tunisian Ministry of Social affairs holds a lot of data on their citizens who make their way abroad and they say that the main factor for leaving is the search for better employment and better living opportunities.  One piece of data really jumped out at me.  39,000 engineers and 3000 doctors have left in search of greener pastures. I personally know 5 Tunisians who have left since I came to the country in 2018. 

Taken on its own, these figures paint a discouraging picture for the future of Tunisia.  The term brain drain has been used to describe the flow of talent from economically challenged countries to those who promise a more comfortable life. Logically the effect would be gaps in the health care and loss of innovation that could create jobs for the country and add to its progress. 

As I began this project back in 2020, I began to hear of and interview Tunisians who were stepping up to the challenge and breaking the mold.  They were using their ideas, energy and talents to create a positive impact for the future of their country. The question began to form in my mind…why did they come back?

The episodes in this season focus on Tunisians who had that opportunity to study, work and live abroad. But through various circumstances, they are investing into their country and the future of Tunisia.  Their reasons are different but in the end….They Came Back. 

Abdel Salem

The tourist industry in Tunisia has taken a beating over the past 25 years. Abdel Salim has been through it all.

Personally, I enjoy a good history lesson, especially when that lesson gives depth to the current situation.  Abdel Salem is a curio shop owner in the white and blue village of Sidibou Said. as such he has been a part of the Tunisia’s tourism industry since 1998.  Over the past 25 years, he has seen good seasons and bad seasons.  I had tea with him one morning before his shop opened to get his perspective on the progress of tourism, the growth of English and what the future of Tunisia will look like.    

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Bassim

Third wave coffee is fairly new to Tunisia. Baristas at Ben Rahim Coffee learn about and share their coffee experiences in English

When I landed in Tunisia in 2018, the coffee scene, in terms of third wave coffee, was simply unheard of back then.  Sure, there are aspects of Tunisian culture that are built completely around coffee, but the coffee shop is much more of a social gathering place rather than a location to receive a quality product.  In fact, for my tastes, the coffee was so bad here that I started drinking tea when I would meet up with Tunisian friends and colleagues.  That all changed when I was introduced to Ben Rahim coffee, Ben Rahim offers the full spectrum of coffee drinks that you would expect to find in any coffee shop that is serious about its craft.  Ben Rahim’s success is directly related to the quality and consistency that it provides it customers, but also because of its location right at the entrance to the village of Sidibou Said.  I spoke with Bassim, wow as a barista at Ben Rahim at the time of this recording and asked him about the role English played in in the day to day at the shop. 

Racem

When Racem interacts with tourists who come to BLEUE! cafe, he has to play it cool with language.

With a population of 12 million people, Tunisia receives 9 million tourist entries every year.  Quick math says that 75% of the population of Tunisia enters the country each year, bringing their economic surplus to splash on Tunisia.    Small businesses, located in strategic places can take the opportunity to tap into that economic potential.  One such place is a small café called Bleue!.  Located in the touristic village of Sidibou Said, Bleue! serves salads and sandwiches to a vast array of Tunisians, ex-pats and tourists who make their way to cliff side village. I caught up with Racem, an employee of Bleue!, as he opened the café before the waves of tourists started flowing into the village of blue and white. 

Oscar Scafidi

On arrival to Tunisia, Oscar realized that there hadn’t been an updated English travel guide for the country in over 10 years. He set out to change that. Purchase Your Copy Here!

When I hear ‘Mediterranean’ I probably get the same images in my head that you do.  Rocky islands surrounded by clear water.  Stone villas built into oceanside cliffs, maybe sundrenched hill sides dotted with olive and juniper trees.  These images, in my American expectation, are  associated with southern Europe.  Imagine my surprise when I landed in Tunisia, and was greeting by these same landscapes. 

Tunisia is the second most visited country in Africa, recording close to 9,000,000 entries in 2019.  Creating over 92,000 jobs, its tourism industry made up almost 10% of its GDP in 2022.  That number is expected to raise above 15% by 2025.  This is largely due to the wide offering of unique destinations.  Golden Mediterranean beaches meet the dunes of the Sahara dessert. Cultural excursions include everything from ancient roman sites to iconic Star Wars filming sets. Plenty of youtubers have trekked across Tunisia’s jagged countryside, tasted its food, and posted their stunning images.  With so much to see and do, it hard to believe that Tunisia  remains a largely ‘unknown’ destination for Americans.

There are projects that are addressing this issue.  The US alone is investing $50,000,000 into its Visit Tunisiacampaign.  This project is designed to bolster Tunisia’s tourism sector with a special interest in sustainable/eco and local operations.  Others are lending their hand as well.   The next few episodes of Multiply Tunisia will focus in on those who are contributing to, and being impacted by the ebbs and flows of tourism in Tunisia. As we tour around, we will keep our focus on English, its importance to the sector, and how Tunisians are using it to keep up with all those tourists. 

First up is Oscar Scafidi.  Oscar isn’t Tunisian, but he recently published a Bradt Tour Guide for Tunisia.  I met up with Oscar in a busy streetside café to talk about his guide, his love for Tunisia and how he set about creating the first English tour guide for Tunisia in over 10 years.   

Just a few conversations with our friend Ahmad Farhat.