21st Century Challenges & Opportunities

What Tunisia Faces Today

Info-graphic for higher education per providence.

- January 2011 Tunisians overthrew long-time autocrat Zine el-Albidine Ben Ali. This sets off a chain of political upheaval.

- As Tunisia works to rebuild their governments signs of change are evident across the country.

- Tunisians must repair the disparity that divides their country between well-resourced coastal provinces and an undeserved rural interior.

- This affects economic development, political representation and education.

- Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has been playing a huge role in Tunisian affairs. This extends to taking a whole country and making their thoughts and opinions localized, in many ways it unites the country of Tunisia.

- With the collapse of the old regime many people reach out to be apart of the new government system. This can result in greatness and also potential destruction. 

Info-graphic on the division of varying parties in Tunisia. 

- Tunisia's political ecosystem has been quickly populated by an explosion of political parties, with platforms and ideologies as diverse as Tunisia itself.

- University leadership, students and business leaders highlight significant gaps in the quality of instruction and infrastructure.

- Tunisia needs and desires to develop a globally competitive knowledge economy.

- Tunisia has a strong foundational infrastructure upon which to improve higher education systems.

- A challenge Tunisia faces is to bolster the interior provinces, which economic progress is stymied by insufficient educational resources compared to coastal/wealthier provinces. 

- Small business and entrepreneurship have the ability to be the back bone of Tunisia's economy.

- Challenges however could extend to but not limited to elevated costs of doing business, government control of critical markets and skill deficiencies in the work force.

"Technopark" Meant to help entrepreneurs with their businesses.  

Resources

http://thereboot.org/tunisia/

Pop Culture

Tunisian Pop Culture

- Tunisia has one of the most liberal, most inventive and prize winning cinemas of the Arab World

- 1896 the Lumiere Brothers showed animated views in the streets of Tunis, these were some of the few first    cinema related projects and would continue through the nations history

Municipal Theater of Tunis

- Tunisia hosts a film festival called "Carthage Film Festival" which has been taking place since 1966

- The festival is the oldest film festival in both the African and Arab worlds

- November 7, 1962 Habib Bourguiba proclaimed a speech to the art of theater at the Municipal Theater of Tunis

- From then on November 7th would be regarded as the Tunisian National Day of Drama

- Prohibition of the reproduction of the human image made it so potential artists and painters could not perform their mastery.

Tunisian Painting

- These artists then turned to calligraphy as their art form and this lasted until the French protectorate

- Though at the beginning of the twentieth century galleries had become reserved for European painters and artists
   - Some artists such as Moses Levy and Yahia Turki were able to display their labors of art

- In 1956 Independence was established and the art movement in Tunisia was accelerated by dynamics of nation building and by artists serving the state

- A Ministry of Culture was en-stated, under the leadership of ministers such as Habib Boulares who saw art and education as power.

Couscous served with side dishes, this one includes fish.

- Tunisian Cuisine is a blend of Mediterranean cuisine and other culinary traditions

- Fieriness and spicy are distinctive to Tunisian food

- A favorite dish of Tunisia is Couscous which is made of minuscule grains that are cooked and usually served with meat and vegetables

Wissem Hmam

- Football is the most popular sport in Tunisia

- The Ligue Professionelle 1 has 14 teams that compete for a trophy, they have a chance to qualify for the Champions League of the African Cup of Nations

- The Tunisian national football team won the African Cup of Nations in the year 2004

- In May 2007 the country had 1,673 registered sports clubs whose main assets were football

Technology and Development

Tunisia & Technology

- Strong partnerships between Europe and Tunisian research circles.

"Publinet"

- Mostly in the area of renewable energy, this in turn strengthens economy and global sustainability in the Mediterranean.

- "Tunisia considered to be one of the most technologically advanced nations in North Africa, and boasts formidable Research and Technology Center of Energy."

Tunisian Metro Car

- EV funded project "Empowering Tunisian renewable energy research activities" (ETRERA)

- This is aimed to advance renewable energy in the country and beyond through powerful new synergies

- Recently two more European research centers of excellence in France and Italy have been brought together due to the project.

- Empowering Tunisian Renewable Energy Research Activities (ETRERA) primary focus is to explore the latest in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies and applications that involve partnerships between European Member states and Tunisia

Solar Panels in Tunisia

Tunisia & Technology
http://www.cjr.org/the_news_frontier/technologys_role_in_tunisia.php?page=all