Malika Garoui

Final Honors 212 E

June 10th 2013
Professor Dziwirek

Can a Revolution Redefine the Language of Freedom in

Tunisia ?

Freedom is a fundamental right and value embedded into the

American culture and English language. Freedom is a value that was
fought hard for and has been the foundation for the building blocks of
this nation. In the words of Anna Wierzbicka, It [freedom] is shaped by
culture and history, and it is part of the shared heritage of the speakers
of English (Wierzbicka, 7). In comparison to the United States, Tunisia,
a country that has endured great political and social change over the
past century, has a very different view on the meaning of freedom. In
the past century, there have been three major political eras in the
countrys history with three very distinct levels of interpretations of the
word freedom. In this paper, I will look into the change in freedom
values amongst the Tunisian people and the words that have been, and
are now being used to express those values, as the political and social
climate has been altered.

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Beginning in 1881, until 1956, Tunisia was colonized by the

French. During this time period, people felt controlled and dictated by a
foreign power, where they had very little voice or power in society.
Topics such as: freedom, autonomy, and liberty were not talked about
amongst families or within communities. As surrounding countries
started to begin the fight towards independence, the Tunisians came
together in pursuit of their own liberation. The word ( ishtaklel),
meaning independence, emerged as a central term of the era. Once
the Tunisian people realized that they too could be free, independence
was the only thing that individuals would talk about. The primary focus
and motivation of the nation was to join together and create their own
identity. The phrase, If you are independent, you are free from the
colonizer became the motto of the time period. Their definition of
freedom, lay within that sentence. At the time, freedom had no
meaning in any context outside of the political and national framework;
freedom meant being free, and being free meant to be physically free
from the French rule. Since Arabic doesnt have a noun close to the
English word of freedom, using the verb free from is the closest
translation that can be found back to the English word. During this
time period, the nation united together for one common goal, for the
first time in modern history, to gain independence. The people of

Tunisia were not concerned for individual rights, privileges or freedoms

until many years later.

On March 20, 1956 Tunisia became a sovereign state, under the

leadership of Habib Bourguiba. After the Tunisian people gained their
independence from France and began to form their own ruling
government, the meaning of freedom began to change once again. The
word ( houriah), meaning free from emerged as a key word in the
language. The Tunisian people were proud that they were finally
independent after 75 years of colonization, and wanted to express this
newfound liberation at every opportunity. Shortly after independence,
the official motto of the country was created, ( Liberty,
Order, Justice). These three terms are significant in the way that they
defined the needs and dreams of the people at the time. During the
building of the sovereign Tunisian government, there were many empty
promises made to the Tunisian people guaranteeing equal
opportunities and rights. Independence leader Habib Bourguiba had
championed the fight against the French, but once they were gone he
had accelerated their drive to banish the trappings of religion from
public life and began to appropriate the functions of existing Islamic
institutions for the newly sovereign state (Nouihed and Warren, 80).
The campaign that Bourguiba lead in the fight for independence was
based on the principles of freedom and choice, which were quickly

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contradicted when he repressed the religious ambitions of individuals,
once he was elected into official office. At the time, restricted rights
were apart of the political and social norms that spanned across the
region, In this Arab world, we do not express ourselves. We live on the
margins of life and emit deep regret for all those concepts we never
understood, such as freedom of opinion (Weddady and Ahmari, 107).
Because the people of the region had never experienced what freedom
actually meant and looked like in practice, they believed that they
were free under the rule of Bourguiba. In comparison to the
oppressive rule of the French, the Tunisian people felt as though they
were free to define themselves as Tunisians and free to create their
own identities. Abderrazak Garoui, a Tunisian who grew up in the time
period right after the independence, described freedom at the time to
be, My nation is free, therefore I am free (Garoui). Again, there was
no need or desire for the personal freedoms and privileges that would
soon be sought out.

During this time period, there were no explicit constitutional

freedoms granted. The Tunisian Constitution, written in 1959 contained
the word freedom five times, but never gave specific rights to the
individual. For example, in Article 8, it stated, Freedom of opinion,
expression, the press, publication, assembly and association are
guaranteed and exercised according to the terms defined by the law.

This wording allowed for the presidential power to define and enforce
the limits of individual freedom. During this time period, many laws
were implemented and enforced that repressed religious freedoms,
privacy rights and freedoms of expression or speech. There was a lack
of transparency and a lack of trust between the people and the
government; A Tunisian woman describes the relationship as this:
violence practiced by governments has hypnotized us, stealing our
rights while falsely assuring us that we are well (Weddady and
Ahmari, 107). Gradually, the citizens of Tunisia became more weary of
their government power and eager for more privileges and rights.
Although the people felt anxious, and felt a need for these rights, no
action was taken in pursuit of these values. The strong political and
military authorities quickly silenced the few individuals who attempted
to speak up and begin the fight for freedom.

In 2010, a young fruit vendor named Mohammad Bouazizi set

himself on fire in protest of the government corruption and high
unemployment. His act of defiance empowered and inspired people all
across the country, and across the Middle East, to stand up and fight in
his honor. What exploded out of Tunisia and burst across the Middle
East was an instinctive movement for individual dignity led by young
subjects who want to be treated as adult citizens (Weddady and

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Ahmari, 209). After a month of relatively peaceful protests, the sitting
President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country after his 23-year rule
of the nation. As the revolution unfolded in 2010, a new sense of pride
and freedom was formed within the Tunisian people. As this newfound
unity was explored there were many words and phrases that became
apart of the revolutionary culture. Martyr, or ( shaheed) was a title
that Mohammad Bouazizi brought back into the cultural language.
It[martyr] means since I left home for the revolution, I- and my familyconsider myself a dead person. I can be killed at any time. Because I
was one of the key people who organized the revolution, I would be
among the first to be killed if it failed (Feiler, 97). Countless young
men were leaving their homes to join the protest and fight for the
nations chance for freedom. Freedom was seen as the highest
achievement that the nation could obtain, and it was fought for at all
costs, freedom is more precious than anything. They [the martyrs]
should not comprise their dreams. Instead, they should use whatever
means possible to achieve them (Feiler, 74). To this day, martyr, or
(shaheed) is a valued title, which has been used to define the
individuals who have sacrificed themselves for the livelihood of the
nation.

Other words of the revolution included many borrowed words and

phrases from English and French. During public protests in the Capital

of Tunis, individuals held signs with phrases such as GAME OVER,

FREEDOM, and POWER TO THE PEOPLE. The borrowed French word
for get out was the most common phrase of the fight, a reporter was
quoted, Dgage, or Get out, was the verb of the Tunisian revolution,
We can say what we want is the phrase of its aftermath(Bhatti). As
you can see, the language of the revolution was composed of mostly
borrowed words from both English and French. These phrases were
significant in two ways. One, the Tunisians wanted to gain the attention
of western media in order to spread their message and show the world
what they were facing. Two, these phrases in English and French have
so much meaning and feeling within them that there does not exist a
translation in Arabic that can come close to fulfilling the emotional
depth and cultural significance that these words contain. The label of
the era also contains unique significance in both languages, Arab
Spring gained traction as an umbrella term in both English and Arabic.
The phrase also reflects the fact that the seeds of change had been
growing underground long before shooting above the surface in 2011
(Nouihed and Warren, 302). In a way, these words today contain even
greater emotion and significance than they once carried when they
were first borrowed. These words have won a war, and overturned a
regime. They are words that are always going to carry cultural
significance and symbolize the power and impact that the Tunisians
can have when they unite together in pursuit of a common goal.

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The medium in which these words were expressed was

revolutionary in its own way. Graffiti reading Merci le people! Merci
Facebook! on Rue de Rome, off Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis, just
after the ousting of Ben Ali in January 2011. Social media and the
internet played an important role in mobilizing protests and raising
awareness in Tunisia (Nouihed and Warren, 180). The only reason why
the revolt was so powerful and so successful in such a small period of
time was because of the voice of social media. In a world that was
once heard only by voice, could now be seen by millions in a matter of
seconds. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were all platforms for
individuals to have their voices heard and their thoughts expressed.
The Internet was a medium that was expanding faster than the
dictators could control and was the primary source story sharing during
the revolutionary time period.

In a region that had no prior experience with freedom and had no

previous knowledge of the value that freedom can have in society, the
transition to a free state has been a struggle. Lassaad Chhidi, a
Tunisian electrician was quoted in USA Today saying, We dont know
how to shut up now after so many years of keeping quiet. Flags, signs
and shouting arent the only meaning of liberty. We have to learn that,
too (Bhatti). Soon after the beginnings of the uprising, the people

began to realize that their fight was much larger than they ever could
have imagined. After they had overturned their sitting president, [the
revolution] was no longer a call for jobs and freedom, nor for an end to
corruption and police brutality. Degage!, or Get out!, had become
the rallying cry of the Tunisian revolution, while The Will to Live, a
rousing liberation poem written by Tunisias Abu Qasim al Chebbi,
became the anthem of a revolution, sung by hundreds during peaceful
protests(Nouihed and Warren, 75). The Jasmine revolution has
become more than just an opportunity for Tunisians to define freedom,
but has served as an opportunity to give the people a purpose and a
way to redefine their way of life.

Today, two and a half years after the initial protests began; the
newly elected government is working on writing a new constitution for
the nation. In comparison from the original, the first drafts of the new
constitution have included the word freedom over 27 times and have
explicitly defined the freedoms that are granted. For example, now
article 5 defines exactly what freedoms are constitutionally granted
and does not leave room for political altering, the Constitution must
guarantee freedom of religion and belief for all, in compliance with
international human rights standards. The constitutional assembly
also suggested to include every person within the state territory or
jurisdiction shall enjoy all rights and freedoms provided in the

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Constitution without any distinction, race, color, sexual or gender
identity, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other status which guarantees inclusive
rights and freedoms that cannot be discriminated based on any socioethnic or personal bias.

Not only have legal protections been put in place to guarantee

freedom for the people, but also the people themselves have
experienced a social change. A new community has been formed
where there is a strong sense of empowerment and independence.
And even if they were being watched, Tunisians are no longer arrested
and harassed solely because of their opinions (Nouihed and Warren,
94). There has been an opening for individuals to begin to engage in
creative thought, discourse and intentional questioning of their nation
and political practices.

Tunisia has accomplished a lot in the past few years, but they still
have a long way ahead of them. For all the dangers it faces, Tunisia
has made more progress towards democracy than any other Arab
country that saw unrest in 2011, and has a greater chance than any
other of making a relatively peaceful transition (Nouihed and Warren,
93). The people are working hard to develop their own meaning of
freedom and trying to establish a balance between freedom, safety,

free will and responsibility. Sami Ounalli, a Tunisian marketing

manager, was quoted saying, We don't have the habit of democracy;
we have to learn freedom (Bhatti). The political and economic future
of Tunisia is unknown to anyone, but one thing can be for certain, that
Freedom has become a central key term of the Arabic language. The
cultural change that has been in process over the past few years is still
finding its place within society, Language-and in particular,
vocabulary-is the best evidence of the reality of culture, in the sense
of a historically transmitted system of conceptions and
attitudes(Wierzbicka, 21). I suspect that the real influence of this
revolt will not be able to be measured until years from today. In the
future we will be able to look deeper into the evolution of the language
and see how much a lasting impact the fight has had as it makes it
way into the Tunisian language in the years to come.

Works Cited
Weddady , Nasser and Sohrab Ahmari. Arab Spring Dreams. New York:
Palgrave Macmillan , 2012.
Bhatti, Jabeen. Tunisia can't get enough of freedom of speech. 11
March 2011. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-0311-tunisia11_ST_N.htm>.
Constituent Assembly of the Tunisian Republic. "Tunisia: The Third Draft
Constitution of the Tunisian Republic." 30 May 2013. Article 19 .

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<http://www.article19.org/resources.php/resource/3771/en/tunisia:-thethird-draft-constitution-of-the-tunisian-republic>.
Constituent National Assembly . Constitution of the Republic of Tunisia.
Tunis, 1959.
Feiler, Bruce. Generation Freedom: The Middle East Uprisings and the
Remaking of the Modern World . New York: HarperCollins, 2011.
Noueihed, Lin and Alex Warren. The Battle for the Arab Spring:
Revolution, couvter-revolution and the making of a new era. New
Haven : Yale University Press, 2012.
Ryan, Yasmine. The tragic life of a street vendor. 20 January 2011.
<http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/01/20111168424251
8839.html>.
Wierzbicka, Anna. Understanding Cultures Through Their Key Words.
New York: Oxford University Press , 1997.