Tunis Events Calendar: Week of April 22 – April 28, 2019

A photo of the painting “June 1st” by Zubair Turki, from the collection of the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs, on display at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art at Culture City in Tunis, April 9, 2019. Photo by Fadil Aliriza.

Meshkal has compiled a list of some of the announced political, educational, and cultural events taking place in Tunis this week as well as a selection of some events outside of the capital that may be nationally significant.

Monday, April 22:

9:00 to 17:00 April 24 – Unconfirmed reports that a union of workers for the multinational oil & gas company Perenco working the Chergui field in Kerkennah will be striking for three days. A Facebook page that has the name of the union of Perenco workers cited in news reports has been inactive since 2017. According to Perenco’s website, the company acquired a 45% share of Petrofac Tunisia and its Chergui gas field operations in September 2018. Perenco claims that along with its partner—the Tunisian state petrol company ETAP partner—the Chergui field produces “about 27 [million standard cubic feet per day], with four in-line wells.” In 2016, disagreements between local workers and Petrofac in Kerkennah—an island off the coast near Sfax—led to police repression of peaceful sit-inners and the subsequent expulsion of police from the island.

9:30 – Parliament’s “Committee on Women, Family, Children, Youth and Elderly Affairs” is holding a hearing from NGOs and a representative from the Tunisian Ministry of Social Affairs, according to Marsad Majles, the parliamentary watchdog project of NGO Al Bawsala.

13:30 – Parliament’s “Committee on Administrative Reform, Good Governance, Anti-Corruption and Oversight of Public Finance Management,” is holding a hearing of the Ministry of Social Affairs on the national health insurance welfare program CNAM and the national retirement welfare program CNRPS, according to Marsad Majles, the parliamentary watchdog project of NGO Al Bawsala.

14:30 – Parliament’s “Committee on Regional Development” will present a report on field visits to the Center-East region of Tunisia, according to Marsad Majles, the parliamentary watchdog project of NGO Al Bawsala.

Tuesday, April 23:

9:00 – Meeting of parliament’s Election Committee examining the candidacies for the council of the Human Rights Commission, according to Marsad Majles, the parliamentary watchdog project of NGO Al Bawsala.

Wednesday, April 24:

9:00 – Full session of parliament (plenary session) to examine: draft law No22/2019 for “encouraging investment and and improving the business climate; proposed law No58/2018 on the establishment of a parliamentary cooperative; draft lawNo6/2019 on the reclassification of deceased and retired security forces who were reintegrated after 2011, according to Marsad Majles, the parliamentary watchdog project of NGO Al Bawsala.

9:00 to 13:00 Friday April 26  – Opening of the Tunisia Forum on Gender, hosted by the Government of Tunisia, the Government of Sweden, UN Women and UNDP. Organizers claim there will be about 40 side events, although as of the morning of April 21, 2019, the website detailing all the side events was still under construction. Location: Palais des Congrès

Thursday, April 25:

9:00? – Meeting of parliament’s “Committee on the Rules of Procedure, Immunity, Electoral Laws and Parliamentary Laws,” according to the official parliamentary website.

9:00? – Parliament’s “Committee for the Organization of the Administration and Armed Forces Affairs” is holding a hearing, according to the official parliamentary website.

14:00 – Roundtable talk on gender and violent extremism, hosted by UNDP, the International Civil Society Action Network, and SOS Terorisme. Event is a side event of the Tunisia Forum on Gender. Location: Culture City

Friday, April 26:

14:00 – Panel event “Cities for all women and all men” hosted by the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) and its branch that works in Tunisia and Libya, the International Development Center for Innovative Local Governance (CILG). Event is a side event of the Tunisia Forum on Gender. Location: Culture City, Sophie el Guolli room.

18:30 – Screening of three short documentaries on the topic of migration, one focusing on Algeria, one on Tunisia, and one on Libya followed by debate. Screening held under the theme “Realities at the Borders,” in the fourth Meeting of Mediterranean Youths Location: Cinéma Le Rio

Saturday, April 27

18:30 – Presentations of youth projects developed within the theme of cultural and economic development in Tunisia’s northwest as part of the 2018 Youth Forum held in Tabarka. Event held as part of French-Tunisia civil society day. Location: Institut Français Tunisie