Interviews with Zied Mhirsi

I think when you live in Tunisia, you don´t realize how isolated this country is. You live under the impression that we´re on the Mediterranean. Europe is so close. You get, like, 3,000 satellite channels on your TV station. You´re having six million tourists a year coming to the country. You never realize those indicators do not allow you to realize that you live in a country that´s very isolated.

So when I went to the U.S. and I studied there, I contacted the national radio—station [in Tunisia]. And asked them if they can give me 15 minutes so I give them news from the United States. And every Monday night they would call me and I would speak for, like, 20 minutes on the national radio, the governmental TV, giving the news of the U.S. And that program got really popular.

So people would really ask me every week to talk about certain subjects. They would have questions. They would always stay up late at night to listen to that 20 minutes of, like– and those news has pretty much everything. So when I came back to Tunisia people in a private radio station asked me to keep doing that.

So that´s how I got my step in the system to be on a radio. And basically I got a ten-minute show called The Next Big Things. And every time I take a concept that´s very popular in the U.S. and explain it to Tunisian. And say, “This is going to be the next big thing in Tunisia.” And people wanted to have more than that.

So they said, “Why don´t you do another program.” And I was like, “There is something I really want to do, is to talk about social media on air.” Because the concept of social media invading the broadcast and radio and TV space was not in Tunisia yet, although in the U.S. you could see that bloggers were making it on, like, CNN to discuss about issues that were coming up, commenting on other issues.

Others were having radio shows and things like that. So I didn´t really invent this thing. But I was the first one to suggest that idea. And basically they accepted it. Why not talking about social media? I was like, “Facebook is so much fun, let´s talk about it.” And then I used that radio show with my colleague Emna Ben Jemaa. She´s another radio host who was also a blogger, and we went to the same high school together. And we made that show called Netshow the place where all the bloggers would come and discuss about the issues that were really crucial.

And this radio show allowed us basically to use the Internet as an excuse to talk about the issues that were happening in Tunisia. And I guess this was not something that government was happy about. Because we would even interview people who were exiled who were not allowed to speak on air at all. And we´d introduce him, “Hey, a blogger from Holland wrote this and this and said that, you know.” To the random person listening to the show on his radio it does not realize how threatening this was for the show itself or for the person talking.

But I guess the government spotted us. And that was the first international exposure that Tunisia got about the unrest and the protest that were happening. And [Former Tunisian President Zine el Abidine] Ben Ali got advised by his advisors to basically call the radio owner and then have them stop the show. And we got the show censored for like a month throughout the revolution. And then the revolution happened and Ben Ali left. And now the show is still going.

In 2004, Dr. Zied Mhirsi became a pioneer in Tunisia’s pre-revolutionary blogosphere, and used his blog, Zizou From Djerba, as a platform to express ideas, opinions, and experiences. He soon engaged others in the blogosphere on policy debates about topics like education, agriculture, and the environment. Initially, the Internet was one of the few venues for Tunisians to express themselves without being harassed by government authorities. As the regime of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali became more aware of the blogosphere’s ability to influence society, bloggers like Mhrisi became targets of censorship and persecution.

As a student studying in the United States, Mhirsi became involved in Tunisian radio and through his broadcasts, informed Tunisians about world events. When he returned to his homeland, Mhirsi remained active in radio and used it to promote the use of social media. This concept transformed into a weekly political show that featured voices from the Tunisian blogosphere prior to the 2010 uprising. Since the revolution, Mhirsi has worked extensively with international media analyzing the post-revolution political situation, working with outlets such as CNN, Al Jazeera English, 60 Minutes, CBS News, the New York Times, and the Financial Times, to produce news stories, documentaries, and other shows. In March 2011, Mhirsi co-founded Tunisia Live, the first Tunisian English-language news website. Tunisia Live is viewed by more than 100,000 visitors every month and serves as the main Tunisian news platform for English speakers.

In addition to his media activities, Mhirsi is a global health professional whose public health career focuses primarily on strengthening health systems to combat HIV/AIDS and other serious diseases.

Twitter: @zizoo

Blog: http://www.zizoufromdjerba.com/

Website: http://www.tunisia-live.net/ 

Tunisia is situated on the Mediterranean coastline. It has a population of fewer than 11 million people and is the smallest nation in North Africa in land area. In 2010 and 2011, it became the first of the Arab countries to revolt against decades of dictatorial rule, launching the Arab Spring and a wave of change across the region. Tunisia has a developing economy, focused largely on agriculture, tourism, and light industry.

Tunisia has been settled since ancient times. In the 10th century B.C., it was part of the Phoenician Empire. The city of Carthage, near the modern capital of Tunis, was established in the 9th century B.C. In 149 B.C., the Roman Empire conquered the Phoenicians. Islam was introduced to what is now Tunisia in the 7th century A.D., and the area formed part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. In 1881, Tunisia became a protectorate of France. A strong French cultural element continues to this day.

In 1956, Habib Bourguiba led Tunisia to independence from France. His political party, later known as the Constitutional Democratic Rally, went on to dominate Tunisian politics for more than 50 years. Bourguiba’s Tunisia was a largely secular state and was viewed as one of the most progressive in the Arab world on women’s issues. In 1987, Bourguiba was replaced in a “bloodless coup” by his prime minister, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Ben Ali continued many of Bourguiba’s policies, but ruled with an increasingly heavy hand. The Ben Ali regime was repressive and corrupt, with a dismal human rights record. The regime showed little tolerance for dissent, and lashed out at opposition voices in politics, civil society, and the media.

The Tunisian Revolution began in December 2010, when Mohamed Bouazizi, a young street vendor, set himself on fire in protest over harassment by a local official. Bouazizi’s act led to mass demonstrations across the country, protesting the lack of human rights, poor economic conditions, and corruption and nepotism in the Ben Ali regime. On January 14, 2011, Ben Ali stepped down and fled the country. On October 23, 2011, Tunisia held its first free elections, forming a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution and lead the country to general elections. The role of religion in society is among the most important issues facing the assembly and country.

Under the interim Constituent Assembly, Tunisia has experienced considerable political upheaval, but has begun to consolidate its democracy. There is a major fault line between Islamist and secular political forces. In 2013, several political assassinations resulted in widespread protests and demonstrators calling for the nation’s Islamist-led government to be removed. In January of 2014, after two years of debate, the Constituent Assembly ratified the nation’s new constitution. The constitution is considered progressive for the nation and has many human rights guarantees. With the ratification of the constitution, elections are scheduled for autumn 2014.

Freedom House’s 2013 Freedom in the World report categorized Tunisia as “partly free”. The nation received the following ratings on a scale with one being the most free and seven being the least: 3.5 as an overall freedom rating, a four in civil liberties and a three in political rights. Tunisia’s Internet and press were also categorized as “partly free” in subsequent Freedom House reports.