Good food, beaches, bars, fun. This is what summer looks like for many tourists coming to Tunisia to spend their holidays here. But the season, seen from the perspective of seasonal workers, takes on a very different look. In total contrast with the picture postcard scenery, the summer season for people employed in the tourism sector implies long, tiring, and poorly-paid shifts behind the scenes. 

Two years after Kais Saied's state of exception, all democratic gains seem to be at risk. Despite the President's promise to safeguard rights and freedoms, Tunisia has clearly taken a downward spiral over the past two years. Between arbitrary arrests, insecurity towards civil society and threats to freedom of expression, inkyfada takes a closer at the facts.

 In recent months, environmental activists have been prosecuted and silenced, and grassroots movements have suffered the most. Amid a broader attack on civil rights and liberties, inkyfada takes stock of the obstacles facing environmental activists. Against the backdrop of the worsening climate crisis, they are urgently needed. Yet, increasingly, they are under threat.

Tunisian consumers are struggling to survive, grappling with shortages and inflation. Essential products like sugar, semolina, rice or flour are absent from the market, while inflation continues to soar. Having declared himself the nation's savior on July 25, 2021, Kais Saied vowed to save Tunisians from hunger. Two years later, what has  he actually accomplished?

In his electoral campaign, Kais Saied had vowed to uphold the independence of the judiciary and limit its interference with political power. But once he had seized full power on July 25, 2021, the Head of State embarked on a journey to gradually erode the autonomy of the Tunisian judiciary, employing a series of incremental measures.

Two years ago, Kais Saied took full command of the country, asserting his authority through a series of decrees that granted him unrestricted powers. In a bold move, he declared himself the sole legislator, picking and choosing the areas of State intervention as he saw fit, with no oversight or accountability from any official authority. The sheer number of decrees he has passed, spanning a wide range of issues, sheds light on the President's priorities, as he drags Tunisia into an ever-deepening democratic crisis.

Is there a threat to freedom of expression in Tunisia? Arrests, social network surveillance, arbitrary decrees... inkyfada takes a look at the current state of freedom of expression, almost a year after the adoption of a Decree unanimously described as "draconian".

"Sfax bears witness to a crime against humanity". In the heart of the city, hundreds of Sub-Saharan Africans have been left to fend for themselves, after having been evicted from their homes and even assaulted. Many others have been driven into the desert in extremely inhumane conditions, amid the applause of local residents.

When it comes to applying for a visa to Europe, service providers such as TLScontact have become an essential part of the process. Supposed to facilitate the application process, this kind of outsourcing to private companies actually creates a distance between the applicant and the company, absolves states of their responsibility, and puts profit above all else. An analysis.

TLScontact, a subsidiary of the renowned Teleperformance Group, has established itself as a pivotal visa service provider for European destinations, leading to amplified fees for Tunisian applicants. In 2019 alone, TLScontact Tunisie generated remarkable profits exceeding the 8 million dinar mark. Before they reachTeleperformance, however, this revenue  is  routed to Luxembourg, known as a tax haven.

A large number of Tunisians express a sense of humiliation when going through the visa application process. Inconsistent appointments, endless paperwork and unexplained rejections are common. In this report, inkyfada has compiled accounts from several individuals who share a collective feeling of frustration and dissatisfaction with the unfair visa system.

While the IMF and Tunisia have been negotiating a 1.9 billion dollar rescue package since October 2022, the critical talks between the Fund and Tunis have come to a standstill. While some argue that Tunisia can do without it, the US and EU are pushing for an agreement. So, what are the most realistic alternatives for Tunisia?

Tunis and Moscow have been increasingly close — at the cost of relations with the West, which had once looked to Tunisia as a model of democracy. The two countries are brought together by Kremlin's efforts to woo African countries, but also a natural alliance of its strongman Presidents Putin and Saïed.

For some months during the Second World War, Tunisia was turned into a battlefield. The local population was suffering under the consequences of the war while Great Britain and the US were fighting against Germany and Italy. Through his personal letters, the story of Hermann Franz, a German soldier, gives us an insight into the situation in the country at that time.

Nestled in Tunisia's capital, the Spain Street market operates as an informal one, offering affordable goods to the working classes while vendors enduring daily encounters with the police. Behind this apparent chaos lies a tightly organized system sustained by tribal solidarity. What attracts these vendors to Spain Street? Why did they choose this location over others? What led them here? Inkyfada delves into this realm through the study "The Spain Street market or the essence of a street economy in Tunisia" published in October 2022 by the Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (FTDES).

Many private transporters move goods of all kinds between Tunisia and Europe. Most of them, however, operate illegally and risk being arrested by customs. This profitable business has developed thanks to the thousands of Tunisians who rely on it, despite the absence of any protection against fraud and scams. 

Since the end of February and after a long period of silence, the international community, notably the European Union, has finally shifted its focus to Tunisia. The debates surrounding the "migratory crisis" are flagrantly mixed with economic concerns, as tensions rise between the IMF and Kais Saied, who has just turned down a loan from the Fund.

In Tunisia, indigenous and peasant seeds are discreetly exchanged between committed farmers and associations. They work together in a spirit of solidarity that is reminiscent of the commons, resisting the pervasive use of hybrid seeds.

For several years now, Tunisia has been facing an economic crisis. As a result, the government is struggling to finance the state budget for the year 2023 and, as in previous years, will have to rely heavily on borrowings. Inkyfada tries to unpack some figures by breaking down the state budget to 100 dinars.

In Chebba, Elyes Mkacher has transformed his once abandoned house, nestled between the sea and the olive groves, into a paradise of sustainable living by adopting the permaculture approach. This personal initiative, called Dar Emmima, also fits into the spirit of the "Commons", by making wealth sharing a central and sustainable value.