Wafa Neji ,Born in kef,
20 years old Tunisian student, majoring in English studies in Tunis.

We needed to escape long ago and now here is our chance to leave and resurrect one another. We will be gone for so long and we won’t miss the dog. Let’s head north. It is never enough or too late to catch panoramas of auroras. We will drive in circles, and every time we will ask the same people the same questions about the same destinations. We will apologize when we see them in Heaven. This new single road before us will bring back memories. It is too late now, because we’re already on our way to the world. The same world we used to see in black and white but now it is ours to handle and we need no map. This road could be our last so we will stop for strangers, become friends and make love to them. At their stop, we will let them take our stories and we will have their names in return. We will be out there on the road with cool strangers’ names. We will be gone. We will spread our hands for Queen and the birds above. We will chase after fantasies that once seemed too reckless and immature to even think of. We will live our fantasies before we leave this world, here and now. We will wish death to grandmas, demonstrate against wars at gas stations and teach kids how to curse; they will need it someday because our demonstrations will fail. 

We will be loud and careless.

Wafa Meditating 

We will confess our sins to the hot nights that will host our bodies away from rush and mischief. On those nights, we will rename every star over a flower and give back the Universe its right to shine without us humans. We will throw people’s secrets and cancer out of the windows. They will be lost forever. They took the burden and now we have all the relief in the world. Lights of weird fluorescent origins will take us there, to everyone’s refugee. Let’s go away and make up for all the sad break ups we had. Let’s wake up in the middle of nowhere, it could be raining but we could care less; it is the rain we miss.

 We will ask for autographs from the homeless. We will honor the unfortunate and spit everywhere. We will indulge in infinite rupture that people will take for cocaine. We will step vexedly over the artistically furnished gardens of big buildings. 

The beauty these people see in such places never interested us. These people who prefer to spend their lives getting around paying for the luxury rather than spend a second to check if those flowers were real or made of plastic. We will be gone for only God knows how long. Our friends will come knocking on our doors. They will wait for so long. They will anticipate our shadows to appear on those stairs but we were gone.

 We will dry our pens on the back of Stop signs. We will tell stories of dragons and heroes, malice and pure lands. Only then stopping will mean something, in such world. We will drive to shore tips and witness the tragic ending of a wave. We will sit there and weep until our tears bury those relics of souvenirs. We will weep until someone’s token is safe and sound deep in the sand. We will stop across rail ways, cause commotions and make trains stop in the middle of nowhere.

Voice your emotions and ideas

 Now those passengers with hungry looking eyes will finally enjoy the trip they paid for. We will be pride-free; we will drown in guilt and summon the angels to bless our journey. Our remorse will trail you to us. To mankind’s sweetest salvation. But we were gone. We will pray. We will worship the breeze that will sweep across our unlocked dreads. We will spread our hands for the souls and the starry roof above. We will shine as we pray hard. We will escape the lunatic and self-destructive breed of humans. 

To contact us 

Email:ahlemactivist@gmail.com

Beja ,Tunisia,We mourn today the horrible assassination of  two of our National Guard and ijuring the third one during a confrontation with a terrorist group in Qiblat ,Beja.

The interior minister emphasizes on the importance of conducting proper security and requests from the media  to not engage in any further details  during the investigation process.
We truly express our deep conslolidations for the famlies of the martyrs and hope that the justice will be brought not only for them but for the all Tunisians.
Tunisia is a land of peace and tolerance and terrorism has no place over here.
Source :
https://www.facebook.com/ministere.interieur.tunisie

Tunisia-Kasserine,I have been blessed enough to take part in the SUSI  program : known as the Study of the US institutes for women Leadership in Saint Mary’s college ,Indiana ,South Bend .As a participant from Tunisia ,I have spent bountiful moments being enrolled in five intensive weeks to learn more about women rights and movements along with a deep and academic approach of American history ,public policy ,institutions and lifestyle .This idealistic experience added to me many rose-colored values like :education ,empowerment and tolerance .Meeting  great leaders from different walks of life taught me that meeting with differences makes a difference .Hence, Love and tolerance are essential elements  in enticing co-existence and prosperity .In this realm ,as a young leader ,I have tried to engage in daily conversations about my religious beliefs and cultural identity .As a result ,I have noticed that people there especially the young ones are family-oriented ,curious and cheerful about knowing more about my country .I was happy to tell and retell everything related to not only my program and culture but me as a woman looking for peace in spite of any boundaries .Thanks to our daily classes ,I have been introduced to choking realities about how women suffer in other countries ,ranging from  :Acid attacks in Pakistan ,Death mortality and sex trafficking in Asia and Africa.

As an English language student ,I have been amazed by seeing what was yesterday theoretical, and now I can grasp the American history, movements and women suffragists in Seneca falls, museums and different big cities .

I have learnt to believe that we can fight back hatred with understanding cultural differences ,arts and dance .During my weekend with my American host mum Pat ,I have been taught that cultural shock is not only about the great buildings or attitudes .However ,cultural shock is about rejecting otherness .Henceforth ,Dancing and playing music with my second host family ,canoeing ,daily outings and traveling to diverse city were like the ambrosia for the Gods of peace and love.

This exchange  program was a cycle of regeneration for my thoughts ,my spirits and prospective. I want to close this article by recommending you to apply for  it ,go for it ,go for change. We may differ but Saint ‘Mary’s college :faculty ,students coordinators and my sisters from different countries with different ethnicities made me realize the secret of happiness .It has many faces :materialistic ,spiritual , physical ,anthologic or even methaphysical .But what remains and perpetuates is the « human,tolerant,and multicultural one.

Far away from the politicians supermacy and that free-floating frustrations dwelling within Tunisian Youth.I was looking and searching beyond any judgements or prejudices for analysing this common trend dance called"The Harlem Shake".

Before undulging in any analysis or critiques ,I have  many bursting questions beneath the stored ideas in my mind:

-1-Why this debate over this dance was not issued about the most famous track"GAGNAM STYLE"?

-2-Are the Tunisian Youth aware about the meanings ,allusions and references of this dance ?Are they knowldged about the struggle resulted by them between some supporters and non-supporters of this way of revolutionized way of expression.

I am not  going to refer to any psychologist or historian as this article ought to be somehow self-reflexive of my own perceptions.

I may blame politicians for  making this dance a phenomenon and a material for propaganda usage ;while ignoring important subjects like the drawbacks of the LMD system and the obligation of  regulating it .For instance,in the Western society ,they analyze such occurences before judging it and curing it ,if it is something awful.

Whether we approved or not ,this dance is considered an aberration yet aberrant :means not typical but socially rejected.

Starting to dance in a solo way ,with moves wich abjure the system "fucking the system ,the typical ,the common "this in terms of defending this casual dance .

Yet ,the opponents as these so-called critics made it  a political case fear of, from their prospective, legalizing in dissolute manner of articulating their ideas  in the future,  the lack of respect and libertine way of expressions far away from ethics and clichés ,that is why they are not going to tolerate such practices.

I am not here to judge or made any professional academic paper ,I am just trying to filter my thoughts and make a clear vision about this phenomenon which invaded our schools ,colleges and campuses in a pure challenge to authorities.

this abject artillery that can ruin our unity and make us divided because of a "fashion-outcome"danceactually made me recall the artificial insemination which consists of injecting a woman's womb with a previously stored sperm into her in order to get pregnant ;in an allegorical comparison these ocuurences and buzzes are injected into our country's womb , making us vomit as one of the pregnancy's side effects.

Globalization,freemasonry or whatsover ....???????????????

The importance is to focus on building our country by understanding our youth and empowering them .

Enough for propaganda bubbles

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Since My childhood ,I have seen myself as an emerging woman leader who must out voice all abuses and gender based violence against women.

I got ashamed when I had my first menstruating period ,and I started to have a certain consciousness about women inner conflict .

When I reached twelve years old ,I started to act in many plays at my school portraying women victimized and entrapped in a patriarchal society which gave privileges to men and judged women to be impotent .I tried to scream and tell them ,that womanliness is not about my body ,it is about who I am ,my identity.Then,I started writing in blogs since sixteen years old and called myself gender abolitionist ,recalling slavery abolitionism in the United States of America. 

Rushing feelings, mature ideas and innovative plans made  my friends called me often “Thatcher the iron lady». I told them :"I may be young ,but life and misjudgments over women taught me to be me Ahlem an Arab lady coming from the MENA region not someone else." When I discovered the world of the civil society ,apart from being founder of three NGOS :Young leaders entrepreneurs ,Biledi –My country, and She network for women and children empowerment, apart from being founder of Creativo club in Kasserine my hometown and Leadership Club in the American center in the capital too. 

I conducted researches about what being a  woman means?

what is the difference between feminine and feminity ?

sex and gender?

 All these concepts were rolling in my head and enabled me not only to focus or making women issues my life cause but to reflect upon conflicT,especially “the personal “which turned to be” political.  

women were raped because they were judged upon their appearances .They were molested in public transportation , abused in offices and even in closed bed rooms with their husbands.

 I shuffled all my cards and started to look for being a feminist who is not excluding men but engaging them in a national dialogue within my project:”Rise for justice” after being appointed by the international movement “one Billion Rising.”  

 Furthermore,my participation in so many international programs made me think about not only Africa but Asia as well…Feminism deals with all cases of victims beyond geographical limits. I may call myself sometimes a global feminist who will consecrate her life for women because they need me as I need them.  

 I want to say that I want to be an African crossing Asian issues feminist and activist :I should be skilled enough which I am building and spreading all over me either through my articles or workshops. I am seeing myself as someone appointed soulfully and spiritually to speak up, rise up and show that being woman is not an obstacle.

 I am blessed to be a woman and what I am trying to do in my life is to make women as proud as me ,to be educated and empowered .

By this token, far from falling in the theory of conspiracy and victimhood which I really hate ,women must be and ought to be enflamed to stand up ,to say no when someone wants to hurt and tarnish their dignity. Asia was and still the place where my “cup of Grail “like TS.Eliot mentioned in “the waste land ”.

My reality  and my identity are a piece in a larger image called Africa .So as AN EMERGING WOMAN  leader ,I pledge to work for and with women and never belittle them until I am buried   ”

 

« I am a lover of truth, a worshipper of freedom, a celebrant at the altar of language and purity and tolerance".

When the fundamental beauty is sorely ,grossly ,heinously offended by poverty ,confined by deprivation and suffocated by sadness.Kasserine is an old story of a perpetual fighting, struggling and  resisting against those so-called leaders.

A story of a doleful child who lives kilometers far away from his school, everlasting weeping of burned forests and deplorable buried souls.How can I forget the tears of a melancholic saga of those killed youth…
How comes I smile and forget those wistful thoughts flying in the top of the Chaanbi Mountain.People seem to forget ,about to forget and they forgot…They forgot that Kasserine may seem as any other internal region but for me it is the land of freedom ,of raised voices for justice and liberty.Each day ,I thank God for making me belong to this blessing land where modesty ,mercifulness and forgiveness are the ambrosia of their divine souls.

Today,I remember our soldiers who were slaughtered while serving their country.
Brutality, ferociousness, viciousness these are the trinity of these malicious ,malevolent and cruel terrorists who wanted not only to escalate violence in Tunisia but to take  revenge as well from the land of  warriors and Ali ben Ghdhehem .

I just want  to express my grandiose love and commitment to make Kasserine’s voice heard .I want to conclude with this quote which I found quite expressive

  “The worst that could happen to us is that we have to die, and since that is already our unalterable fate, we are free; those who have lost everything no longer have anything to fear.”