Tunisian 'Revolution Oasis' Palm Grove Thrives On Self-rule
Since the inhabitants of Jemna in southern Tunisia wrested control of their 100-year-old palm grove from the state during the 2011 Revolution, residents say their lives have radically improved.
The desert town -- where the palms produce some of the North African country's finest dates -- ejected businessmen tied to the old regime when the uprising toppled longtime ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Jemna, population around 8,000, has since become a unique grassroots experiment in Tunisian agricultural self-management -- a non-profit project run by a local community to reinvest all benefits locally.
Residents founded the Association to Protect the Jemna Oasis (ASOJ) which runs the grove where 57-year-old Abdelbasset Abed works full-time, along with some 50 other people.
During harvest season, the 12,000 date palms provide work for 160 people -- 10 times more than before. Two-thirds of these are seasonal workers.
"The situation is a lot better than before," said Abed as he cleared away dry branches at the foot of a towering date palm.
"I have a stable job."
The results are visible beyond the grove itself, with production generating nearly 14 million dinars (roughly $4.5 million) over the past 15 years.
A covered market, a sports field, computer labs in schools, scholarships and funds for other groups... the association has created more opportunities in a highly indebted Tunisia where little to no government funding reaches NGOs.
"They even help students with financial aid," Abed said of the ASOJ.
UTAIM, another local association that works with children who have disabilities, has had a constant source of income after ASOJ donated 50 palm trees to it.
"They gave us a stable source of revenue," UTAIM director Halima Ben Othman told AFP.
The local cemetery has also been revamped using income generated by the town's surrounding palm trees.
It now has a separation wall and a seating area for people visiting the graves of those buried there.
"Even the dead benefit," smiled Tahar Ettahri, the head of ASOJ.
Such gains did not come easily, however, and now locals are saying they have to fight to preserve their economic self-rule.
Two days before Ben Ali fled the country in early 2011, locals occupied the palm grove that had been leased cheaply to two well-connected businessmen.
"The young people of Jemna decided to reclaim their ancestors' land," which Ettahri said had a history of being plundered since French colonial rule.
When the regional governor sent armoured vehicles and deployed security forces in an attempt to reclaim the grove, residents staged a three-month peaceful sit-in.
Meanwhile, they had to keep producing the dates.
So local trade unionists, activists, and ordinary citizens formed a coalition, and a community fundraiser gathered some 34,000 dinars (about $10,000) from more than 800 contributors to fund the project at its onset.
"We came together with the goal of improving the well-being of our community," Ettahri said.
"We came from different ideological backgrounds, but our shared interest in Jemna united us. Maybe that's why we succeeded."
In his book "Jemna, the Revolution Oasis", sociologist Mohamed Kerrou called it a unique legacy of the ideals that sparked the Arab Spring.
Ettahri said this stemmed from a sharp sense of social justice and a propensity for the common good.
The town has a public space -- the "Jemna Agora" -- where people are handed a microphone and speak freely to discuss a problem or to propose projects for locals to put to a vote.
Despite being a success, with revenues of 1.8 million dinars (about $592,000) by the fourth year of self-management, Jemna has had to battle post-revolution governments in order to preserve its model.
Now, 15 years later, Ettahri said residents were still waiting to "settle the issue legally with the state".
The former unionist and teacher said this was not a fight against the authorities -- the residents asked to lease the grove, and were ready to pay 15 years in back rent.
To comply with a decree from President Kais Saied establishing "citizen's enterprises", which cited Jemna as an example, the ASOJ has formed a "community company".
It has 334 members -- far more than the required 50-member minimum -- and all of them insist on voluntary status, another unique aspect among such enterprises, Ettahri said.
"It's a lot of members, but the idea is to sociologically represent everyone," Ettahri said.
The group now aims to launch a plant to sort and package dates locally, providing year-round employment for 100 women.
Ettahri, 72, is a grandfather of seven and has taken a step back from day-to-day date production.
He still heads the ASOJ, but more as a lookout to warn of potential problems ahead. A farmer irrigates date palms in the Jemna oasis AFP A farmer prepares to pollinate palm trees AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Dying Breed: Tunisian Dog Lovers Push To Save Age-old Desert Hound
Nemcha, Zina and Zouina, three North African Sloughi hounds, play on the beach in Tunisia where their ancestors have long roamed desert plains, seemingly unaware of the existential threat to their dwindling breed. The Sloughis, known for their speed and slender physique, have for many centuries accompanied nomadic societies across North Africa, and have been featured in art and lore dating back at least to the Roman era. But nowadays breeders and advocates say that unregulated crossbreeding, the decline of nomadic lifestyles and habitat shifts due to urbanisation mean that they might soon disappear. Olfa Abid, who was walking Nemcha, Zina and Zouina along the coast in northern Tunisia's Ras Angela, said the age-old breed is "part of our heritage, our history". "We must protect the Sloughi," said Abid, a 49-year-old veterinarian, her arms wrapped around one of her dogs. Recent years have seen a spike in unregulated crossbreeding, mixing the local Sloughi with other hounds often brought in from abroad to boost its speed for dog races, according to Abid. National kennel club the Tunisian Canine Centre (CCT) has been working to raise awareness and safeguard the breed, including by creating a dedicated registry with a regulated breeding scheme. The organisation's director Noureddine Ben Chehida said it also seeks to have the Tunisian Sloughi "recognised according to international standards" as a unique breed, under the guidelines of the International Canine Federation, the world's main dog breed registry. Such recognition would give the local Sloughi population a place on the international stage and help preserve its lineage at home, Ben Chehida said. Also known as Arabian Greyhounds, today the CCT estimates that fewer than 200 pure-bred Sloughis remain in Tunisia. With their short coats in sandy hues or grey and arched backs, the hounds' swift gait has earned them a precious spot in Tunisian folklore even as the desert life they once supported gradually vanishes. Historians debate how they first made it to this part of North Africa, but many attribute their arrival to nomadic tribes like the Mrazigs who live in the south of modern-day Tunisia. For centuries, or possibly even millennia, the Sloughis have been vital companions to desert nomads, helping them hunt and guard livestock. "Running like a Sloughi" is still a common saying in Tunisia. "It's a noble dog that was the pride of its nomadic owners," said Abid. "It's a primitive hunter with a purpose when food was scarce." She said the Sloughi has also had a more privileged standing compared to most dogs that are generally considered impure in Islamic cultures. Unlike other breeds, Sloughis have traditionally been allowed indoors and would even eat beside their owners, said Abid. In the southern town of Douz, on the edge of the Sahara desert, dog breeder Nabil Marzougui said the "proliferation of hybrid breeds" is putting the Sloughis' future at risk. "We inherited this dog from our forefathers," said Marzougui, calling for authorities to intervene to save the Sloughis as well as the ancestral tradition that they embody. The hounds require ample daily exercise, especially where hunting is no longer available or needed. This is why Abid said she had left the city to settle in the quiet coastal village of Ras Angela, on Africa's northernmost tip, where long stretches of sand serve as an ideal terrain for her three dogs to run around and roam free. Their seaside adventures, which Abid shares on social media, are now followed by thousands of people online. Hatem Bessrour, a 30-year-old agricultural engineer and the proud owner of a Sloughi named Cacahuete, called on fellow dog owners to register their pure-bred hounds with the national canine centre to support its breeding programme. The breed is part Tunisia's heritage, he said. "We must care for it just like we care for antiquities and archaeological sites." Tunisia veterenarian and dog owner Olfa Abid says the Sloughis are 'part of our heritage, our history' AFP For many centuries, the Sloughis have been vital companions to desert nomads, helping them hunt and guard livestock AFP
DW
14-06-2025
- DW
Germany tackles explosive wartime legacy at sea – DW – 06/14/2025
Unexploded WWII bombs are still regularly found across Germany. But hundreds of thousands of tons of wartime munitions also lurk off its shores. Now Berlin is stepping up moves to clean up this perilous toxic waste. An estimated 1.6 million metric tons of conventional munitions lie in Germany's coastal waters alone. The vast majority is located in the North Sea; the rest in the Baltic. There are also thought to be several thousand tons of chemical weapons. Most have lain largely forgotten for 80 years or more. While headline-grabbing bomb discoveries on dry land close down entire neighborhoods and transport networks, as in the western German city of Cologne in early June, the threat is much more insidious at sea. Growing fears over contamination have prompted action. Now, a large mobile platform is planned that will autonomously retrieve old weapons from the seabed and dispose of them. The trailblazing project was presented to the international community at the UN Ocean Conference in the French city of Nice in June. "Up to now, recovery operations were only carried out in the event of imminent danger, if, for example, an undetonated bomb was at risk of exploding," said Sebastian Unger, marine conservation director at Germany's Environment Ministry (BMUKN). "Now, it is about finally tackling this problem for reasons of environmental and marine conservation, but also to ultimately reduce human health risks," added the ministery expert, talking to DW from the event. Saltwater corrosion has rusted munition casings causing them to leak TNT Image: GEOMAR TNT released by dumped WWII munitions German mines and explosives discarded by Allied bombers on their way back to Britain are among the WWII combat weapons strewn across the ocean floor. But most of the explosives in Germany's North Sea and Baltic waters ended up there after the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. British troops tipped the armaments that they found in weapons factories and warehouses into the sea. It was seen as a quick fix in the process to denazify and demilitarize Germany. In recent years, it has become apparent that they are decomposing. One visible sign of their decay is lumps of white phosphorus or an explosive mixture containing TNT occasionally washing ashore. The substances look frighteningly similar to prize amber or minerals and visitors and beachcombers have been injured. Amber is regularly found at the Baltic but white phosphorus can look quite similar Image: Andreas Franke/picture alliance Carcinogenic toxins affecting marine life Toxicological tests carried out on mussels in the dumping site over the last decade have revealed traces of carcinogenic chemicals contained in the munitions. Examination of samples gathered since the 1980s also show a steady rise from 2002 onwards. "The concentrations are very, very low. As humans we don't have to be concerned about eating these mussels. But if we go further down the line — maybe in 30, 40 years — we might have to think twice," said Edmund Maser, a toxicologist from the University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), who has been involved in the research. The marine ecosystem is, however, already at risk, according to Maser. TNT traces have been found in fish and in seawater, too. And as the metal casings surrounding the munitions continue to rust, ever more will be released. GEOMAR detected munition strewn across the Bay of Lübeck in the Baltic Sea Image: Geomar/dpa/picture alliance Explosives piled up like Mikado sticks GEOMAR, the Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, was asked by the Schleswig-Holstein state government in 2016 to help find out what weapons were down there and their possible environmental impact. They have been using a variety of acoustic and visual technologies, which they have continued to develop during the ongoing pilot phase. The results have been mind-boggling. "There is munition there, crates of it. One area is 20 by 40 meters in size where munition boxes are stacked up on the seabed, as if they've just been unloaded from a truck. In another spot there were a lot of bombs, 50 to 250 kilogram bombs, piled up like Mikado sticks," Jens Greinert, GEOMAR marine geologist, told DW. Small caliber ammunition, pistols and rocket launchers were also discovered. The challenges of the shifting marine environment and the sheer mix of munitions on the seabed make the recovery process complicated as well as hazardous. The material inside can still explode — and there is always the risk of the release of toxic chemicals, such as TNT, during the retrieval and disposal process. GEOMAR and UKSH will also be part of the team monitoring the clean-up. With autonomous underwater vehicles like these, GEOMAR can make photographic charts of the seabed Image: Julia Gehringer/GEOMAR Ticking time bomb German environmental organization NABU began drawing attention to the problem in 2007 and is calling for the clean-up operation to get underway as soon as possible. "We don't really have a lot more time. The decomposition is, in part, at a more progressed stage than we were hoping. Of course, the problem exists on land, too. But toxins remain localized there, while in the sea they continue to spread and enter the food chain," Kim Detloff, NABU head of marine conservation, said in an interview with DW. The NABU expert said there remained a problem with ongoing financing of the long-term operation of the planned platform. "It needs to be working 365 days 24/7," said Detloff. And he added that the enormous scale of the problem meant that far more than one floating platform was needed. Poland: The WWII threats lurking in the Baltic Sea To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Technology transfer to other contaminated marine areas in the world The pilot and next phase of the munitions recovery project were financed with a €100 million emergency program from the federal government. The groundbreaking salvaging and dismantling platform should be ready for deployment by late 2026 or early 2027, according to the BMUKN's Unger. He hopes such approaches will be adopted in other parts of the world. In German waters, operations are likely to prioritize particularly ecologically sensitive areas, fish spawning grounds or areas close to the coast that are of particular interest to the tourist industry, but that is still under consideration, according to Unger. Edited by Helen Whittle While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.
DW
03-06-2025
- DW
Pornhub blocks access in France to protest age restrictions – DW – 06/04/2025
The firm behind Pornhub, RedTube and YouPorn plans to temporarily block access to its adult content in France. Pornhub, Redtube and Youporn were scheduled to be suspended in France on Wednesday onwards, according to parent company Aylo. Instead of porn, the company will only display a statement on France's new regulations that require porn sites to verify that their users are 18 or older, a Pornhub spokesperson said on Tuesday. Alyo's sites, like other porn sites available in France, has until June 7, 2025, to implement a rigorous new age verification standard. It's part of a French government push to shield minors from inappropriate content. France's Deputy Minister for Digital Technology Clara Chappaz defended the government's move late on Tuesday. "We're not stigmatizing adults who want to consume this content, but we mustn't do so at the expense of protecting our children," she told France's Europe1 TV. The sites aren't protecting children, so it is now the government's responsibility, she said. What is Aylo's issue with the age-verification law? Currently, users to explicit sites can click a a box declaring they are over 18, but their age isn't actually verified. France's new standard requires explicit websites to verify a user's age using a credit card or a government-issued ID document. And to protect users' identities, the standard requires porn sites to use an external site for this age verification. Using a principle known as double anonymity, the porn sites will then only receive confirmation that the person is of legal age and will not know their identity. The external service provider will know the identity of the user but not the reason for the age check or the sites the user visits. Alyo has said that it is in favor of age verification but says it should be done on the devices used rather than on the websites visited. The porn industry giant has called the French government's measure potentially privacy infringing and ineffective. In a post on X on Tuesday, deputy minister Chappaz said the standard, with its double anonymity, guaranteed privacy. "It's unacceptable to lie when you don't want to respect the law," she posted. "If Aylo would rather leave France than apply our law, they are free to do so." How many minors watch porn in France? Users in France account for Pornhub's second largest audience after the United States, according to Pornhub's own statistics for 2024. And, says France's digital and audiovisual communication regulator Arcom, some 2.3 million minors access porn websites every month in the country. That's 12% of France's total number of porn users. Adult content platforms have come under fire elsewhere in the European Union. EU regulators said last month that they would investigate several porn sites, including Pornhub, for failing to comply with rules to protect children. Edited by: Zac Crellin
