Tunisia, the spring and the democracy

The UI Podcast

The Arab spring started in Tunisia and there the historically strong union movement played a significant role in the outcome of the rebellion. In Tunisia the dictator was overthrown and free elections held, but unlike Egypt for instance, both secular and islamist parties have respected and upheld the rules of democratic politics. The Tunisian author and scholar Hela Yousfi has recently published a book "Trade Unions and Arab Revolutions: The Tunisian Case of UGTT" (Routledge 2018) that traces the role of the UGTT (the Tunisian General Labour Union) during Tunisia's 2011 revolution and its aftermath. She will discuss the Tunisian labour movement, its relevance for the Arab spring, and the struggle for social justice in Tunisia today with Lucia Ardovini, Research Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI). This screening is part of a series of three films/conversations under the heading: Emerging images of resistance in the Arab world, organised by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, as part of the Free Speech Festival at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern. More information about the Free Speech festival can be found here: http://kulturhusetstadsteatern.se/ForumDebatt/Evenemang/2018/Free-Speech-Festival/