Cartoon Cat Supports Tunisia’s Revolution

 

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, a former military officer, was president of the North African country of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011.

As the dictator promised new freedoms to a country in revolt, Nadia Khiari compared it with a cartoon she drew of a cat, Willis from Tunis, speaking to a group of mice.

The next day, January 14, 2011, Ben Ali fled the country. He was forced out after large protests against his rule. But Willis from Tunis remains¹ and has since become the icon² of the protest.

"I decided³ to use this character to tell the story of what was happening in my country," said Khiari.

Ten years after the revolt, Khiari continues to share political cartoons on Facebook using cats to describe Tunisia. "For me as an artist, it was a true revolution, because from one day to the next I was able to express myself freely," she said.

At first, family and friends were Khiari's main supporters. But she now has more than 55,000 followers⁴. In November, Khiari published the latest Willis the Tunis book. It represents her best work since the revolution.

Tunisia's revolution

Tunisia's revolution, with its demands for "work, freedom and national dignity," started various protests across North Africa and the Middle East known as the Arab Spring.

But many Tunisians continue to experience economic difficulties, corruption⁶ and failing public services. The only change is that they now have the right to say what they think.

In one of Khiari's cartoons from 2018, Willis from Tunis lies silently on the floor, a boot mark on his face, with the words "Before the revolution."

The next image shows Willis under the same boot shouting "AAAAIIIE!" with the saying "Today, happily we have freedom of expression."

Khiari says Ben Ali's fall let her creativity grow more freely with political cartoons. She now uses her art to criticize post-revolution politicians. Many people see them as being as corrupt⁵ as Ben Ali's government.

"Hide your wallet," one of the cats tells another as they walk towards the government's headquarters. "There are lots of robberies in this area."

Ten years after the fruit seller Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself, Tunisians, again, are protesting and asking for more jobs and investments.

The economic problems have worsened because of COVID-19. Thousands of health workers protested recently in front of failing public hospitals. They wanted the health minister to resign after a young doctor died in an old hospital elevator. They blamed corrupt officials for the incident.

In this environment, Khiari connected with the image of a cat in business clothes sitting behind a desk saying, "The government fights corruption." Another cat says with a big smile, "If you want to speed up the process, that can be arranged."

Khiari says that while the media describes Tunisia as a "laboratory of democracy," the reality is closer to that of an area under construction.

Khiari is also a leader for Cartooning for Peace, the organization created by the U.N. to "fight with humor for the respect of cultures and freedoms."

Freedom of the press is a continual battle in Tunisia. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) found that suppression against the media and journalists is worse since the election of the new president. For Khiari, that means the fight that started 10 years ago is far from finished.

Words in This Story

cartoon – n. a drawing in a newspaper or magazine intended as a humorous comment on something

icon – n. a widely known symbol

character – n. a person or animal who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show

revolution – n. an attempt by many people to end the rule of one government and start a new one

dignity – n. the quality of being worthy⁷ of honor or respect

wallet – n. a small folding case that holds paper money and credit cards

robberies – n. the crime of stealing money or property

elevator – n. a machine used for carrying people and things to different levels in a building

arranged – n. to organize the details of something before it happens

construction – n. the act or process of building something (such as a house)

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

5 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。