10 years on, Tunisian emotions mixed in birthplace of Arab Spring
Ten years after the first Arab Spring protests erupted in the central Tunisian city of Sidi Bouzid, the locals are still suffering economic hardships amid a lack of government support.
SIDI BOUZID, Tunisia — In the heart of Tunisia’s central town of Sidi Bouzid is a statue of a fruit cart towering above the presidential seat of power — a homage to fruit vendor Mohamed Bouazizi’s storied role in setting in motion the country’s 2011 revolution.
The 26-year-old street vendor set himself alight on Dec. 17, 2010, after a dispute with police who confiscated his handcart and produce — his only way to make a modest living for a household of eight. The desperate act of protest ignited a tidal wave of demonstrations in Tunisia that ousted the country’s longtime autocratic ruler and eventually rippled across the region.
A decade later, Tunisia has a new government, a new constitution and more democratic freedoms, all fruits of the movement that began in Sidi Bouzid’s streets. Unlike other major Arab Spring countries whose protests were either quashed or devolved into civil conflict, the country is often hailed as a democratic success story.
Nevertheless, worsening economic conditions, chronic joblessness and perceived entrenched corruption have dimmed the shine of Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution. For some, conditions have grown so dire that they now question whether the late Bouazizi’s legacy is a blessing or a curse.
