Italy Says Libya’s Election Hinges on Reconciliation

As Libyan parties continue to have different standpoints towards the commitment to France’s mediation and the outcomes of the meeting, hosted by Paris in May, Italy seemed to follow the path of French diplomacy in the Libyan crisis file in which Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta arrived in Tripoli coming from Tunisia. In renewal of French-Italian disputes, Trenta who arrived with General Claudio Graziano said: “we do not believe that an acceleration of the electoral process can bring stability,” adding that the north African nation also needed “reconciliation, the return…

Miss.Africa announces winners of seed funding

DotConnectAfrica (DCA) has announced the winners of its 2018 Miss. Africa Digital Seed Funding for STEM programmes, awarding cash grants to initiatives in Ghana, Tunisia and Seychelles. The Miss.Africa Digital Programme is a gender-focused initiative targeted mainly at female youth audiences in Africa to increase their personal involvement in early technology use and adoption. Its Africa-focused seed fund, now in its fourth year, offers grants to support women and girls in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes to launch or expand their own initiatives that will increase their digital opportunities…

A Festival of North African Contemporary Art During an Age of Anxiety

The 5th edition of Jaou Tunis at the Kamel Lazaar Foundation brings together the works of various North African artists in a beautiful and oftentimes political display. Exhausted by sad political literalism, I passed into Tunisia for the 5th edition of Lina Lazaar’s Jaou Tunis contemporary art festival feeling jinxed, as jingoist Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban had been approved by the stolen Supreme Court that very day. I was a dispirited, appalled American entering North Africa, where I should have received an evil eye. Much of the art I encountered here thrives on…

Changing government will hurt economy, says PM

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed said on Tuesday a change of government would put the economy at risk and shake the confidence of international lenders. Earlier, President Beji Caid Essebsi  urged Chahed to step down if the country’s political and economic problems persisted. Nine cabinets have failed to resolve high inflation and unemployment since the Revolution. “A change of government will shake the confidence of Tunisia’s international partners,  the economy will improve by the end of this year,” he told TAP in an interview on Tuesday. In the interview, Chahed said the government…