Last night a nation wide curfew was put in place to quell unrest throughout the country following the demonstrations and uprisings supposedly caused by the art exhibit in La Marsa. The curfew has been instituted to dispel rioters, and ensure that people cannot be out all night with nothing to do but burn more police stations and loot more shops.
I have never been anywhere with a mandatory curfew before. It is strange. People take it very seriously, which I guess is to be expected. Bilel and I had left the house to go out with a friend of his, when midway through our trip to Kantaoui we learned of the curfew (couvre-feu) that would take effect at 9:00pm. It was 8:30. All of the louages (shared taxis) going past were full, and the individual hire taxis were largely unavailable. So, we decided it was best to just hoof it home. We walked quickly, our conversation was lighthearted, but it was clear that we should be in before curfew started.
I asked what happens if one is out after curfew. "I don't know," Bilel said. "I guess they have the right to shoot."
I assumed they meant the military, and as we walked home we passed a group of four soldiers in fatigues with large guns standing in front of a truck painted in camo paint. The were lit by a yellow street lamp, their faces mostly in shadow, lighting up only when they took a drag of their cigarettes. Mostly they just looked bored, casually glancing at us and then returning to the smoky haze of their own conversation.
We made it home with a few minutes to spare, and we spent those few minutes explaining to Kamel and Sheriffa why we hadn't taken a taxi. They were irritated, but seemed to understand that there just weren't any taxis. They then spent half an hour convincing me that things are safe, that the curfews are normal, and that after the revolution this happened all the time. They seemed sincere, and really not too concerned, but I knew that they wouldn't have reprimanded us if there was no cause for concern. Either way, I felt fine knowing the family wasn't worried. It was a quiet night in Bouhassina. No cars passed my window, no music drifted in, no conversations wafted in broken bits. Just lamp light peeked through the window.
The curfew was lifted this morning at five am, and if nothing else it was calmer when we went down to the beach. Rioters had cut down a beautiful 70 year old palm tree at the post office and burned 3 police stations over night. We saw the downed palm tree being dragged away. On the way back from the beach after exercising we went to find the police stations, but didn't find the first one so we returned home. We left a bit later to get groceries and on the way back traffic slowed and there was a crowd of people in the middle of the street. We approached the scene and there was a police van and a military truck. There were about 15 men with AK-47s standing in front of a house and some around the sides. People were staring at the roof and we could see officers with billy clubs circling the sides of the house. And then traffic picked back up and I don't know what became of the house or its residents. Kamel speculated that it was a house where there were rioters hiding. Its hard to know either way.
Things are tense here, but not as bad as they seem in the newspapers. People are carrying on normally, and there is really nothing to be afraid of. There is a little more activity and people have their hackles up, but it isn't ominous here. The curfews are precautionary, meant to quiet unrest rather than inspire fear. They will likely persist through the end of the week, but I am headed to Paris Friday, so I don't have to worry about that.
It continues to be an adventure here. I can't wait to see what happens next. Safe and sound in Tunisia, until next time.
I have never been anywhere with a mandatory curfew before. It is strange. People take it very seriously, which I guess is to be expected. Bilel and I had left the house to go out with a friend of his, when midway through our trip to Kantaoui we learned of the curfew (couvre-feu) that would take effect at 9:00pm. It was 8:30. All of the louages (shared taxis) going past were full, and the individual hire taxis were largely unavailable. So, we decided it was best to just hoof it home. We walked quickly, our conversation was lighthearted, but it was clear that we should be in before curfew started.
I asked what happens if one is out after curfew. "I don't know," Bilel said. "I guess they have the right to shoot."
I assumed they meant the military, and as we walked home we passed a group of four soldiers in fatigues with large guns standing in front of a truck painted in camo paint. The were lit by a yellow street lamp, their faces mostly in shadow, lighting up only when they took a drag of their cigarettes. Mostly they just looked bored, casually glancing at us and then returning to the smoky haze of their own conversation.
We made it home with a few minutes to spare, and we spent those few minutes explaining to Kamel and Sheriffa why we hadn't taken a taxi. They were irritated, but seemed to understand that there just weren't any taxis. They then spent half an hour convincing me that things are safe, that the curfews are normal, and that after the revolution this happened all the time. They seemed sincere, and really not too concerned, but I knew that they wouldn't have reprimanded us if there was no cause for concern. Either way, I felt fine knowing the family wasn't worried. It was a quiet night in Bouhassina. No cars passed my window, no music drifted in, no conversations wafted in broken bits. Just lamp light peeked through the window.
The curfew was lifted this morning at five am, and if nothing else it was calmer when we went down to the beach. Rioters had cut down a beautiful 70 year old palm tree at the post office and burned 3 police stations over night. We saw the downed palm tree being dragged away. On the way back from the beach after exercising we went to find the police stations, but didn't find the first one so we returned home. We left a bit later to get groceries and on the way back traffic slowed and there was a crowd of people in the middle of the street. We approached the scene and there was a police van and a military truck. There were about 15 men with AK-47s standing in front of a house and some around the sides. People were staring at the roof and we could see officers with billy clubs circling the sides of the house. And then traffic picked back up and I don't know what became of the house or its residents. Kamel speculated that it was a house where there were rioters hiding. Its hard to know either way.
Things are tense here, but not as bad as they seem in the newspapers. People are carrying on normally, and there is really nothing to be afraid of. There is a little more activity and people have their hackles up, but it isn't ominous here. The curfews are precautionary, meant to quiet unrest rather than inspire fear. They will likely persist through the end of the week, but I am headed to Paris Friday, so I don't have to worry about that.
It continues to be an adventure here. I can't wait to see what happens next. Safe and sound in Tunisia, until next time.
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