For 7 long years* now, Tunisians have been waiting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but nothing comes. Today, six months after the municipal elections and three months after municipal councils were put in place, our towns and cities are still just as hideous and unsanitary as ever.
Eco Movements? First, Let's Take Stock
A video posted on social media a few days ago was shared en masse. It sparked numerous reactions condemning the decay of our towns and cities. The video in question was filmed in Lafayette, in downtown Tunis, and shows filth and piles of garbage littering the sidewalks and the road.
After this footage was published, the spot in question was quickly cleaned up by municipal services, and — as paradoxical as it may seem — residents of the neighborhood who went to see this facelift almost declared victory. Except that a few meters further on, they were stunned to find the very same pile of filth! There's the catch! In short, the clean-up only targeted the part that had been filmed. The intent was clear: simply try to make people believe the video was old. The same head-in-the-sand methods persist, along with that irritating habit of denying an obvious truth in order to play the eternal victim — and this has been going on for 7 long years.
Numbers That Give Pause for Thought
The problem is far from being unique to Lafayette or to any single neighborhood or municipality. They're all much the same, given that most of our cities are practically unlivable. Indeed, the numbers speak for themselves: 2.7 million tons of household waste go unrecycled and are dumped into nature, even though they represent a genuine goldmine. 68 percent of these piles of waste are organic matter, and 11 percent are plastic. Yet the organic matter in question could be used for energy, and the plastic could easily be reused. That's not what happens, however, and as a result, it's Germany that imports this material. By way of comparison, Japan has zero waste. Tunisian experts are sounding the alarm…
A Systemic Failure
In the aftermath of the revolution, special delegations handled the municipal interim. Lacking both the means and the authority needed to undertake major projects, these delegations were unable to carry out municipal duties. Tunisians were therefore forced to put up with years of an unsanitary environment. During those years, municipal elections were postponed so many times that one might have thought they would never happen at all. In May, relief finally came. The municipal elections did eventually take place, except that three more months had to pass before the municipal councils were put in place. Once those three months were over, Tunisians naturally expected their cities to be beautified and their environment cleaned up. But there is a world of difference between their expectations and the reality of things.
Nothing has been done, so much so that our cities remain just as dirty, ugly, and hideous as before. But beyond the unsightliness, Tunisian men and women are living in an environment that is downright unsanitary. This atmosphere sets the stage for diseases to spread. With very few exceptions, most neighborhoods have become unbearable to walk through. From filth to dumped garbage to foul odors, our streets look like snapshots taken in ghost towns. And the problem worsens with every torrential rain. The sewers, uncleared for ages, get clogged and spew back rainwater fouled with wastewater and mud.
A Genuine Public Health Issue
All of this leads to an infestation of insects. The invasion of mosquitoes and the spread of diseases linked to the lack of cleanliness only confirm this sad state of affairs: West Nile virus, leishmaniasis, hepatitis A, the threat of cholera and dengue fever… current conditions are conducive to the spread of disease. They confront us with an alarming public health situation. Bacteria and other microbes and viruses find ideal breeding ground in filth. And since cleanliness doesn't seem to be among the municipalities' priorities, we are gradually heading toward a public health crisis.
That is when civil society steps in and responds. Citizens, but also non-governmental organizations and grassroots associations, decide to react by taking matters into their own hands. If there is one sentiment that comes close to unanimous among Tunisians, it's being fed up. “Feddit!” Tunisians cry.
The Rise of Ecological Awareness
Since January 2011, everything has seemed to be on hold. Tunisians have waited. A great deal. They even armed themselves with hope, believing in better days ahead, but every post-electoral period brings its share of disappointments. Over the years, these disappointments pile up and turn into despair. The uncivil, unruly, and appalling behavior of some Tunisians adds another layer to this general state of despair. Indeed, citizens themselves bear a large share of responsibility for the dangers and diseases that threaten us because of garbage.
But out of all this darkness, a glimmer of hope still emerges, and it is often thanks to members of civil society. Mohamed Fakhri, a young activist, launched a clean-up campaign in the Gammarth forest. The young man managed, on his own, to collect at least 500 kilos of garbage dumped all over the wooded area.
Sustainable Development
This concept is finally starting to take on meaning in Tunisia. As a reminder, sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. And political ecology in the broad sense rests on three pillars: public institutions — the ministry of the environment, for instance — political parties, and associations. It is clear that associations play a decisive role in bringing environmental issues to the fore in society, particularly because they act as a spur to the other two forces.
There's a catch, though: the public doesn't know they exist. More than half say they've never heard of them. That's a harsh verdict for these associations, especially after roughly twenty years in existence. As a reminder, they existed well before the revolution — the famous Labib, among others. The absence of these associations from the local landscape is, in itself, a paradox. Given their role and their ethics, these associations are supposed to be close to the people. They should understand their environmental problems and help solve them. It is not without irony, in fact, that some describe them as “window-dressing” associations that “exist only on paper” or “are never there when you need them.” The worst part of all this is that these associations do nothing to make themselves known to the public. And the environmental police force that recently came into being has done nothing to improve the image of those fighting to make our society better.
Do Eco Movements Have a Future Here?
Perhaps we will one day finally see the creation of a green party in Tunisia? A political ecology party that adheres to the Global Greens Charter, that famous document drawn up and signed by 800 delegates from Green parties in 70 countries at their first gathering in Canberra, Australia, in April 2001. The signatory parties and political movements committed to respecting certain principles, such as protecting and restoring the integrity of the earth's ecosystems, with an emphasis on biodiversity and the natural processes that sustain life; recognizing that all ecological, social, and economic processes are interdependent (in other words, the concept of sustainable development); ensuring balance between individual interests and the common good; harmonizing freedoms and responsibilities; and fostering diversity within unity…
The Emergence of a New, Responsible Civic Consciousness
While we wait for that day, citizens are fighting to improve our daily lives — people like Ms. Saloua Ferjani, a professor at the National School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tunis, who is active within the coalition for the protection of the Radès forest. We should also mention the Association des amis du Belvédère (Friends of Belvedere Association), as well as “ordinary” citizens who have decided to do extraordinary things, like Houssem Hamdi, who carried out a massive clean-up on the Gammarth beach, picking up no fewer than 1,775 empty beer and wine bottles dumped in nature… and many others, men and women alike, who care deeply about protecting mother nature and her treasures.
There is certainly still a lot of work to be done, but hope remains in order.
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* Article originally published in La Sultane #40
By Firas Messaoudi
