VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTU #0073/01 0170733
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 170733Z JAN 06
FM AMEMBASSY TUNIS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9528

UNCLAS TUNIS 000073 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB/CIP/MA (AMBASSADOR GROSS), NEA/MAG (LAWRENCE,) 
USUN GENEVA (WSIS WATCHER) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SCUL SOCI UN TS
SUBJECT: BEYWATCH - NEWS FROM TUNISIA AT THE END OF 2005 
 
REF: 05 TUNIS 00879 
 
¶1.  The following is one of a series of reporting cables 
drafted predominantly by Post's entry level officers, which 
have the "Beywatch" caption.  We believe the different 
perspectives offered in each of the following vignettes will 
give the reader a look into everyday life in Tunisia that may 
not be central to more formal reporting.  For more 
information about Tunisia or the Embassy Tunis Entry Level 
Officer Development initiative, see our Siprnet website. 
 
 
Topic                                       Paragraph 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
----------------- 
 
Moderate Tunisia is "middle-of-the-road" in driving, 
too..............2 
Digital divide sculpture commemorates 
WSIS............................6 
Why are Muslim Tunisians celebrating 
Christmas?......................11 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
Moderate Tunisia is "middle-of-the-road" in driving, too 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶2.  While Tunisia is developed in many respects, it can be 
much less so in others.  The roads are paved and well 
maintained, with directional signs and traffic lights at 
every corner.  One might say there are more road signs, 
traffic lights and traffic circles than there are people on 
Tunis' roads.  Recently these roads were beautified with 
thousands of newly-planted palm trees, and road-side 
buildings were given a fresh coat of paint in preparation for 
the U.N. World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held 
in Tunis in mid-November. 
 
¶3.  Although Tunisia enjoys good roads, drivers can be 
careless and dangerous.  And although it is common to bemoan 
driving practices across the Middle-East, there is one 
particular habit unique to Tunisian drivers -- almost all 
Tunisians drive over the line dividing lanes as if not to let 
anyone pass them on either side of the road.  One can never 
tell if the driver in front of you is keeping to the left or 
meaning to go right, which slows traffic for everyone behind. 
 All drivers constantly accommodate slower moving mopeds, 
cycles, donkey carts and the occasional camel.  While major 
intersections are supervised by traffic police, the officer 
often stands in the middle of the intersection in such a way 
that he or she cannot see the traffic lights.  There is no 
thrill like the thrill of hurling down the roadway at 100km/h 
towards a green light only to have to stop short because a 
policeman hidden in the center of the road has raised his 
hand to signal everyone to stop.  Clearly with limited 
visibility, the officer and the lights are rarely 
coordinated. 
 
¶4.  Driving, during the November U.N. World Summit on the 
Information Society (WSIS) event, by contrast, was 
delightful, with traffic practically non-existent.  The 
Ministry of Interior turned off traffic lights on certain 
roadways, closed other roads altogether and created special 
traffic lanes for vehicles marked for WSIS.  This could have 
been the precursor to Tunisia's first HOV lane, but as soon 
as WSIS ended, so did the restricted lanes.  Another factor 
which helped lighten road traffic during the summit was the 
closing of schools and government offices. 
 
¶5.  Driving schools are plentiful in Tunis, and student 
drivers are everywhere, adding yet another challenge to an 
already difficult driving environment.  But Tunisians, like 
drivers in other countries, ignore common-sense road rules. 
For example, it is not unusual to see drivers stop their cars 
on the road to vent frustration to some other driver for some 
perceived traffic slight.  They are also fond of creating 
extra lanes at traffic lights, in an attempt to "creep" to 
the front of the line, and get through the intersection as 
one of the lead cars.  What cachet the driver acquires for 
being the first to cross the intersection on the first blink 
of green is not clear, but it is nevertheless common, as is a 
slight honk from rear drivers the second the light turns 
green.  And finally, any discussion of driving in Tunisia 
must include at least one parting shot about the pedestrians 
in the roadways.  These are not only the children one must 
constantly watch for, but also the adults walking on dark 
streets on dark nights in dark clothes.  Taken together, 
these various elements form a challenging environment for the 
best of drivers.  But when coupled with "middle-of-the-road" 
driving skills and etiquette, the challenge becomes even 
 
 
greater. 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Digital Divide Sculpture Commemorates WSIS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  Opinions are divided on the artistic merit of the new 
sculpture outside the Le Kram Exposition Center, the compound 
where the WSIS summit was held.  In early 2005, the GOT 
decided to set aside 350,000 TD ($256,485.45 USD) to 
commemorate the summit with a sculpture.  In April the GOT 
held a national contest for art students, architects, and 
engineers to develop an edifice that would symbolize the 
theme, "The Digital Divide between the North and South." 
From a group of around 25 contestants, 5 finalists were 
chosen to present their ideas to a panel of the COMSI (WSIS 
organizational committee).  However, the final winner was 
actually the choice of President Ben Ali.  The monument is 
the creation of artist Abdelmajid Jenhani and architect Samir 
Bellagi. 
 
¶7.  The sculpture is a treated iron structure covered with an 
aluminum casing, and appears on the traffic circle in front 
of the exposition center.  It is composed of two intersecting 
isosceles triangles supporting a globe in their crux, where 
the globe, according to architect Bellagi, symbolizes "all 
the civilizations and cultures in the world."  Bellagi told 
Emboff that the longer triangle represents the North, and the 
shorter triangle, which pierces the north in its side, 
represents the South.  At the very tips of the triangles are 
yellow lights symbolizing "progress."  At night, the entire 
structure is lit from within, and is illuminated by external 
spotlights around the concrete base.  The triangles' main 
sides have colored stripes, separated by dotted white lights, 
which represent "the highways of information," and the 
transparent slim sides of the triangles represent 
"transparency."  An article in Tunisian daily La Presse 
stated that the colors of the stripes represented "cultural 
diversity," but Bellagi said that this was a bit of artistic 
license on the part of the journalist.  In actuality, he said 
he just picked out colored panels that looked good, and tried 
to get them close to the colors of the WSIS logo.  The panels 
are made from polycarbonate imported from Canada, but all 
remaining materials were sourced from Tunisian suppliers. 
 
¶8.  After Jenhani and Bellagi won the commission, they 
"technically" commenced work on the project on 05/05/05 at 
5:00pm, which Bellagi considered a lucky portent for the 
start of the project.  However, it took 44 meetings, from May 
to September, to secure all the approvals necessary to 
actually begin any physical work on the structure itself. 
During this deliberation period, the project's budget was cut 
to 250,000 TD, ($183,453 USD) and the longer, northern 
triangle decreased from 20 meters in length to 11 meters, its 
current size, as the structure shrunk to fit the new budget. 
Also gone was a reflecting pool for a base, which represented 
"transparency" in the original design. 
 
¶9.  Once approvals were finally secured, they had two months 
to build the structure, from September to November.  At this 
point, they had to find a company willing to build the 
structure within the budget and time restrictions.  Most 
vendors approached by the amiable architect turned down the 
work because of the tight time frame for construction. 
Several also voiced the fear of too much "presidential 
visibility" in the case of failure.  However, one 
construction company, Afrique Metal, took the contract and 
assembled a team of civil engineers, electrical engineers, 
metallic construction workers, and landscaping crews.  During 
the initial excavation for the structure's base, the work had 
to stop briefly when they hit an old road under the traffic 
circle.  This road dated back to the French colonization 
period, sometime before Tunisia's independence in 1956. 
However, this did not stop the project, and workers, using 
bright construction lights, worked day and night on the giant 
structure.  Work was completed on November 1, 2005. 
President Ben Ali was present on November 14, 2005 to 
inaugurate the structure, two days before the opening session 
of the WSIS summit, which ran from November 16-18, 2005. 
There is a marble plaque on the concrete base which 
commemorates the occasion.  Ben Ali's comments were that the 
sculpture was "grandiose, .... a giant." 
 
¶10.  Even with all the challenges, the project was completed 
on time, and even under budget.  The total cost for the 
construction was 198,504.449 TD (USD $145,970).  The artistic 
studies and architect's fees were 29,920 TD (USD $22,002). 
To date, the construction company has been paid -- but not 
the artist and architect.  However, Bellagi, with a sheepish 
grin, said "I am still hopeful I will be paid someday." 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Why are Muslim Tunisians celebrating Christmas? 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶11.  All throughout the month of December in Tunisia, it 
could truly be said "it's beginning to look a lot like 
Christmas."  For westerners, that can be somewhat surprising, 
considering the country is approximately 98% Muslim, with an 
estimated 1% Christian population.  Nevertheless, signs of 
Christmas could be seen in many places, even more than 
evident in 2004.  There were store windows decorated with 
Christmas trees, bakeries selling Yule logs, and even 
Christmas lights on traffic circles put up by the GOT.  The 
large supermarket in Tunis, Carrefour, had a fairly large 
section devoted to Christmas decorations, and Embassy staff 
in country for the past several years have watched this 
section get larger and larger with each passing year. 
 
¶12.  Sales of Christmas items are not for the expatriate 
community only.  Local Embassy staff, as well as local 
Tunisian commercial establishments, put up trees and 
decorated offices.  Tunisians even put up decorations, 
including trees with lights and ornaments in their homes. 
The exchange of small gifts was also welcomed, and somewhat 
expected, particularly at our annual Embassy office Christmas 
party.  And finally, many Embassy staff received holiday 
cards from Tunisians this year, both at home and office 
addresses.  This Embassy officer received a card from a 
Tunisian architect, who lives outside the capital, with a 
Christmas ornament in glitter on the cover.  Inside, the 
greeting was for a "happy new year," but the Christmas-like 
design on the front of the card was unmistakable. 
 
¶13.  Where is this influence coming from, and why is not a 
conflict with traditional Muslim beliefs?  The Tunisians take 
their western cultural cues from the French, who like 
Americans, consecrate the month of December to the 
celebration of Christmas.  Also appealing are the more 
secular customs of Christmas, apart from the religious 
aspects of the holiday.  They like the fact that it is a time 
to offer gifts, to get together for a family reunion, and to 
offer aid to the less fortunate.  Since it is also common for 
Tunisians to secularize even Muslim holidays, it poses less 
of a moral problem to secularize an occidental holiday. 
Therefore, this officer predicts you can expect even more 
future appearances of "Papa Noel" in coming years. 
HUDSON