After we have done a few countries, we finally reach the sea again! Now we are in Tunisia with capital Tunis.

Tunisia, officially the Tunisian Republic, is a country in North Africa, bordering Algeria, which we visited last week, Libya and the Mediterranean Sea. It belongs to the Maghreb. The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa and west of Egypt. It includes five countries, namely Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania. Also the disputed territory of Western Sahara belongs to the Maghreb.

If you want to read more about the Maghreb it is recommended to go to the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maghreb

Population

Demography

The population is ethnically for the greater part Berber. Most of them aren’t aware of it anymore and consider themselves Arabs.

Arabic is the official language, and in the business life some businessmen speak English, Italian or German. Still French is usually the language of commerce. It is less apt to be understood in the far south. English and German are also spoken in major cities.

Religion

The Constitution of Tunisia prescribes that its state religion is Islam and that only a Muslim can be president. There is also a minority of Christians (1% of the population) and Jews (less than 1% of the population).

Climate and environment

Tunisia has a typical Mediterranean climate, which means that the have hot, dry summers and mild, occasionally rainy winters. The south and centre of the country have an almost Saharan climate, meaning summer temperatures can climb extremely high.

In Tunisia we could choose from beautiful beaches, green forests, impressive mountains, fertile plains and arid desert. It was surprisingly and astonishing…

Economy

Tunisia's economy is based on sound market-driven economic, other words, around agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing and exports to EU.

Conclusion

Tunisia is a country where you can experience many adventures, but also for those who like to go a beach Tunisia is a great option.
There is something for everyone!

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunisia
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/tunisia/weather-climate-geography
http://www.worldtravelguide.net/tunisia/business-communications
http://www.tunisia.com/

12-03-2012 om 11:29 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

On my way to Tunisia, I’m following the coastline which leads me directly to Tunis. To find out more about the country’s politics, there’s no better place than the capital.
On political base, Tunisia was a long time on the media due to the Arab Spring, which began around the 17^th of December 2010[1]. This series of protest against Tunisian leadership and constitution, sometimes characterized by violence, lasted for weeks.

The outcome of the protests led to resignation of ministry posts, release of political prisoners, dissolution of the political police and the political party Rassemblement Constitutionel Démocratique (RCD), new elections held on 23 October 2011 and last but not least the complete overthrow of then President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali[2], who was almost twenty-five years into power.
Slight measurements on the persistent lack of freedom of speech and poor living conditions were just a drop in the ocean and consequently were the death blow for Ben Ali.

Walking down the streets in Tunis, peace seems to be restored. I have an appointment with Mustapha Ben Jaafar[3], the President of the Chamber of Deputies. Apparently, he’s the man I need for a talk about Tunisia’s politics.

Tunisia’s structure is organized under a constitution with the President as the head of state with at his side the Prime Minister as the head of government and a legislature acting bicameral. This framework is likewise as a blend of the political system of France and Belgium.

Before Arab Spring there were eight political parties legalized. Now they are with fifteen. RCD, Constitutional Democratic Rally was until Arab Spring the most powerful and governing party. Up to the present, the socialistic party is still ‘popular’ but was completely dissolved.
Moncef Marzouki[4], current President of Tunisia is member of the liberal inclined (centre-left) CPR, Congress for the Republic.
At this moment, the ruling party in the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia (89 of the 217 assembly seats; 1,500,649 votes[5]) is the Islamic party Ennahda Mouvement.

Checking both sides of the story is an unwritten law in journalism. Therefore, I have spoken with the winners but not with Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. It’s a pity because he fled to Arabia and that’s a serious deviation on my route. Besides, I have to hurry to catch my plane to la bella Italia.

Laurens Fagard
  

12-03-2012 om 11:27 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

It seems that Algeria is just like Niger a presidential republic where the president is head of state and the prime minister is the head of the government. Algeria’s political system is not only dominated by a strong presidency apparatus, but also by a strong security apparatus. The executive power is exercised by the government and both the government and the two chambers of parliament, the People's National Assembly and the Council of the Nation deal with the legislative power.

After some research it appears that the political system of the country was reshaped and redefined in order to meet the changing needs of the society. Now you can see that Algeria has a long history of revolution and regime change, making the political climate dynamic and often in a state of change. The country is currently a constitutional republic with a democratically elected government, though the military, in practice, remain major powerbrokers.

Since the early 1990s, a shift from a state capitalist to a free market economy has been ongoing with official support. Further in the 1990s their politics were generally dominated by a struggle involving the military and Islamist militants. In 1992 there has been a bloody civil war in which many people, more than 150,000, were slaughtered.
Since the mid-1990s, several Islamist parties have been permitted to participate in electoral politics.

Nowadays, many Algerians, particularly from younger generations appear to feel disconnected from formal politics. One of the causes is that political opposition movements remain deeply divided.

Eventually we can conclude that the legacy of the revolutionary War of Independence (1954-1962) and its lingering implications are still evident in recent political events and in the evolution of political processes.

Alexis Arrief, Analyst in African Affair, has written a report about the current issues in Algeria.
Via the link below you can read the whole report and when you’re not in to reading, there is also a summary involved.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS21532.pdf

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Algeria
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14118852
http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/03/09/the_paranoid_style_in_algerian_politics
http://www.123independenceday.com/algeria/political-system.html

06-03-2012 om 22:08 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

Algeria’s most important exports are petroleum and natural gas. These reserves are mainly found in the Eastern Sahara. The gas sector represents almost 25% of the gross domestic product and 95% of the export earnings. This started in the early 60’s after the country’s independence in 1962. There was a continuous growth until the 80’s when the demand for gas and petroleum decreased. In the 90’s the growth restarted because of the global demand of oil and gas. Other minerals extracted in significant quantities are iron, phosphates, uranium, lead and zinc. Since 2000 there has been important improvements to the economy which had a positive impact on investments from abroad in different business sectors.

Before the 60’s the economy of Algeria was mainly based on agriculture. Today only 15% of Algeria’s workers are engaged in farming. The farming is concentrated in the fertile valleys in the north of the country and the oases of the Sahara. The principal export products of agriculture are olives, wine and fruit. Algeria is also an important producer of cork.

Although the massive growth of oil revenues, the Algerian government had difficulties in employing its population. This resulted in a massive emigration, mainly to France. Many of those workers sent a part of their income back home which contributed substantial cash remittances to the country’s economy.

In recent years the earnings from Algeria’s exports are higher than the costs of its imports. Chief imports are machinery, food and beverages and consumer goods. The growth of the gross domestic product in 2009 and 2010 lied around 5%. Due to the recession in Europe in 2011, this ratio won’t be possible to maintain.

Algeria’s main trade partners are France, Italy and the United States. Spain and Germany are less important even though there is a pipeline from Algeria to Seville in Spain.

For those who are interested in an economic profile of Algeria I refer you to the article on the following link: http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/algeria/      

http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/countries/north-africa/algeria/

http://www.algeria.com/economy/

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0856562.html

06-03-2012 om 21:10 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

I’m off to the largest country of Africa, the tenth one in size worldwide. More than eighty per cent of the country’s surface consists of desert, namely the Sahara. Getting to Algiers – Algeria’s capital, situated on the Mediterranean Sea – is the main purpose of this journey.

Considering I’m heading northwards, this means I have to pass the entire desert for a trip of more than 1,500 kilometres. Going on foot might be rather ridiculous so I’m asking the help of Abdelaziz, a kind and experienced guide who knows the Sahara at his fingers’ ends.
As we’re facing temperatures of 45 degrees, stocks of water can be very helpful. Also blankets are necessary because the nights can be very cold in desert areas.

After two long days in solitary environment, we finally arrive in the first city, Ghardaïa[1]. My shoes are filled with sand and pebbles. Algeria has two vast mountain ranges: the Atlas, more in the northern and the Ahaggar Mountains with its highest peak Mountain Tahat (3,003 metres), which we observed at close quarters.[2]

On our way to the capital, we’re spending another two days on exploring cities like Biskra and Sétif. We also take a look at the lowest spot in Algeria (40 metres below sea-level[3]). It’s the enormous salt lake with its lovely name, Chott Melhrir.

The view around us is becoming greener and greener. The relief is changing which can only mean we’re in the city where writer Albert Camus grew up, Algiers. Because of the maritime climate, the temperatures are a little bit cooler but still muggy.
Algeria’s coast line counts almost 1,000 kilometres (!) and is geographically distinctive for its lowlands.

Knowing that Algeria once was a colony of France and considering the old Dutch saying “Living like a God in France”, this photo of Kabylie’s hills in the north of Algeria really proves that Frenchmen had taste.

Laurens Fagard

06-03-2012 om 00:00 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

Niger is located in West-Africa along the border between the Sahara and Sahel regions. It’s a landlocked country, about 650 kilometres removed from the sea.

The northern two-thirds of Niger are covered by the Sahara. The beautiful desert landscape is made of unending stripes of sand alternated with large areas of gravel and stones. In central Niger you can see the Aïr Mountains whose peaks show above the desert surface. The southern part of Niger is in the Sahel region. Between these two zones there’s a transition zone which is the only protection for the northern part of the Sahel zone to become a desert. The intervention of the people has yet another bad influence on this zone.

The Niger River cuts through south-western Niger. The Yobe forms a part of the Niger-Nigeria border in the southeast. There are also many other small streams through southern Niger. Many of them are rocky river beds that are dry except in the rainy season.

We are lucky to visit Niger now because the best time to visit this country is in the cool and dry season, from December to February. Temperatures are now around 30°C while they can soar over 50°C in the hot season, from March to June. The air is so hot that the rain drops evaporate before they can reach the ground. By the way Niger is one of the hottest countries in the world. From April to May sandstorms occur regularly. The rainy season lasts from June till September, although rainfall is often unreliable.

In the rainy season natural disasters are never far away. Almost every year there is flooding caused by the rain that leaves thousands homeless.

You can see there are many different types of weather during the year, so it’s difficult to know which clothes are required. Lightweight clothes are advisable most of the year but you should take warmer clothes for the cool evenings. Don’t forget your rainwear!

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Niger-CLIMATE.html

http://www.southtravels.com/africa/niger/weather.html

28-02-2012 om 22:31 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

Culture

As in Nigeria, there are various ethnic groups in Niger. This wasn’t new to us. The main groups in Niger are Hausa, Songhai, Tuareg, Fulani (or Fulbe) and Kanuri.

I was really surprised when I discovered that there are 5 national languages in Niger. Over 20 million West Africans speak Hausa as mother tongue and at least as much speak it as a second language. Another national language is French. French is used primarily in official written governmental and international correspondence; the local mother tongues are more often used in daily social interaction, markets, and trading.

History

The history of Niger begins in the 10th century. Nomadic Tuaregs then settled in the area that we now know as Niger. Around the 15th century they had built an impressive empire, but at the same time, the Songhai people had built an empire around the Niger River. The Songhai succeeded to conquer the empire of the Tuareg, but not for long. In the 16th century they were driven away by a Moroccan army.

During the Middle Ages the Niger region was on the central caravan route from North Africa to the Hausa states. At the end of the 19th century the French arrived in Niger and they made it, obviously, a French colony.

In 1958, Niger became a presidential republic and in 1960 they were declared independent.

In the 1990s there has been a bitter conflict with the nomadic Tuareg in the north of the country. Several different Tuareg insurgent groups emerge, demanding greater autonomy over their region and support for the ancient but threatened Tuareg culture. This conflict has held a long time. Eventually, in 1995, the government agrees a peace accord and an amnesty with one of the Tuareg groups. The last of them accepts the terms of the agreement in 1997.

As in Belgium, Niger sometimes suffers from a crisis. In 2009 this was the case.

In February 2010 there was another conflict by the army and they deposed the president. The coup group called itself the Supreme Council for Restoration of Democracy. The government said new elections in early 2011 took place. These elections were won by Mahamadou Issoufou who took office as new president.

The coup group called itself the Supreme Council for Restoration of Democracy. The government suggested new elections which took place in early 2011. These elections were won by Mahamadou Issoufou who’s now president.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Niger

http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Niger.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Niger

http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad04

http://www.countriesquest.com/africa/niger/history.htm

27-02-2012 om 18:45 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

As I’m traveling through Niger, I’m conscious of the fact I’m making a serious deviation towards my next country, Algeria. To get my first impressions of the agriculture, I’m moving on along the Niger River, which crosses the country in the southwest where the soil is the most fertile.

I really get aware that Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. Its rank on the Human Development Index (HDI) is penultimate of 187 countries. Conspicuous is the enormous amount of livestock across almost the whole nation.
The economy of Niger is very centralized which means that Niger is very dependent on subsistence crops, uranium deposits and according to my presumptions, livestock.
However, these factors do not really contribute to economic growth in Niger. On the contrary, a drop in world demand for uranium, desertification, drought and an exponential people growth have undercut the economy dramatically.[1] [2]

I’m finally arrived in Niger’s capital, Niamey. I’m about to buy a chicken, grilled on an exotic way to silence my growling stomach. The price I have to pay, is 2000 CFA Francs, which is three euros and a bit. Niger shares together with seven other countries the Central Africa CFA Franc. Because Niger frequently has serious debts, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has to interfere with debt reliefs. The half of the Government’s budget is derived from foreign and extern donor resources.

Climate is linked to economy very narrowly. Due to great droughts (Niger’s area consist almost 60% of the Sahara desert), Niger is permanently harassed by famines. Vast amounts of population face starvation constantly.[3]

As I sit there on a bench at Niamey’s Grand Market with the half of my chicken left, completely satisfied and enjoying Niger’s gastronomy, I give the remains away to a little poor child at the pavement.  

Laurens Fagard

26-02-2012 om 09:19 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

I was really astonished by the great diversity of the Nigerian culture. The history of Nigeria goes back to 2000 BC when Nigeria was mostly populated by nomads who lived from the land.
The most well-known inhabitants in their history were the Noks in 800 BC. This tribe started the fashion of making bronze and terracotta sculptures.
The Nigerian population was suppressed by British colonizers round 1900 and they were used as slaves in other countries. Finally they recaptured their independence on 1^st October 1960.

Nigerian culture is as multi-ethnic as the people.  They still nourish their traditional languages, music, dance and literature. The three large ethnic groups of Nigeria are Yoruba, Hausa-Fulani and Igbo but there are a lot more smaller groups. Because of that only 50% of the population speaks the official language, which is English. As there are more than 250 ethnic groups, there are more than 250 languages.

The Nigerian culture encloses as many varieties in styles of clothing as there are different groups of people living in the country. The main feature of their clothing is the conservativeness.

Another characteristic of the Nigerian people is their handling with guests. They welcome them with the greatest care and warmth. This hospitality returns everywhere in the Nigerian culture.

Soccer is a very practiced sport in Nigeria. Also polo, cricket, swimming and wrestling are very popular.

There are two main religions in Nigeria, Christians and Muslims. The two Christian festivals are Christmas and Easter as we know this. The three Muslim festivals are  Eid Al Fitri, Eid Al Maulud and Eid Al Kabir, which are all national public holidays.  Each ethic group has different traditions for celebrating these festivals.

So as you can see Nigeria has a very rich culture from different parts of the world. But I can’t tell you all of it because I have to move on. If you want to know more about it you surely have to visit Nigeria.

 http://www.mapsofworld.com/nigeria/

http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad41

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/nigeria.html

Schockaert Michèle

20-02-2012 om 22:00 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

Population

Demography

When we visited Nigeria we noticed that this country had a lot of people. After some research it appeared that this country is also the most populous country in Africa with a very strong population growth.

Ethnic groups and religion

Religious joining in Nigeria is strongly related to ethnicity, with rather distinct regional divisions between ethnic groups.

There are over 250 different ethnic groups.

The main ethnic groups are involved in a constant struggle for power, which from time to time leads to violent outbursts. These are the Haussa and Fulani in the north, which are mostly Muslim, the Igbo in the south consist of a large number of Christians, the Yoruba in the west, which practices Christianity, Muslim and sometimes traditional Yoruba religion, and at least the Ijaw. Also the Tiv, the Kanuri and the Ibibio form tribes of respectable size.

Overall statistics indicate that about 50% of the population is Muslim, about 40% are Christian and about 10% practice traditional African religions or no religion at all.

Economy of Nigeria

According to the United Nations Development Programme 70.8% of the population in Nigeria lives below the poverty line.

Community Based Poverty Reduction Project for Nigeria wants to improve access of the poor to social and economic infrastructure and increase the availability and management of development resources at the community level.

http://earthtrends.wri.org/povlinks/poverty_resource.php?poverty_resource_ID=2218

Apparently Nigeria has a dual economy. They depend on oil earnings, overlaid by a traditional agricultural and trading economy. Agriculture used to be the main source of export earnings and public revenue. The oil sector is now of overwhelming importance to the point of over-dependence. The competition between ethnic and regional groups for power and access to the country’s oil wealth are increasing in intensity.

Because of the rapid population growth, the agricultural sector couldn’t keep up with it and now Nigeria, once a large exporter, has to import food. Since the 1970’s the economic growth has been irregular. They depend most of the time on the global oil market which fluctuate a lot. Now Nigeria is facing a growing economic decline and the living standards is falling down.

Article

“The Political Economy of Poverty, Equity, and Growth: Nigeria and Indonesia”
http://ideas.repec.org/b/oxp/obooks/9780195209860.html

Facts

Advance-fee fraud

(1) In Dutch we call this “Nigeriaanse oplichting” aka “419-fraude”. This name is derived from the fact that recently many of these scams start in Nigeria. Also non-Nigerians are involved in this type of fraud.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_fraud

(2) Nigeria is among the world's 20 poorest countries.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Nigeria

http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/nigeria/

http://www.iss.co.za/af/profiles/Nigeria/Economy.html

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Nigeria-RELIGIONS.html

20-02-2012 om 21:15 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

A flight from Brussels to Lagos of about eight hours, starting with a journey from middle Africa to Norway and writing about politics in Nigeria. Not an easy task to fulfil but not invincible.

Politics in Nigeria frowns eyebrows with most of the people who have nothing to do with the subject.  Although, the type of governance is almost completely modelled after the United States: a Federal Republic with influences of the Westminster System. This model is similar to the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature in the United Kingdom. The fact that Nigeria is a former colony of the United Kingdom elucidates a lot.[1]

Walking down the streets in Lagos, I’m wondering who’s the president of Nigeria. A passer-by tells me concisely but vigorously it is Goodluck Jonathan. At first, I thought he wished me good luck on my trip, supposing my name was Jonathan but later I became conscious of the fact that Goodluck Jonathan turned out to be the president of Nigeria.

Goodluck Jonathan[2] [3] became acting president in the beginning of 2010 due to a medical treatment of the then president, Umaru Yar’Adua. In May of that year, the state of health of Yar’Adua weakened which led to his death. Jonathan was designated officially as the 14^th president since Nigeria’s independency.[4]
Considering Nigeria’s tightly related to the USA on political base, elections are held each four years. In 2011, the year of presidential elections, Jonathan excelled his opponent, Muhammadu Buhari, with approximately 56% of the Nigerian votes.
His challenges are to throw overboard the fuel subsidy which is causing a drag on the economy, solve the problems around the terrorism and maintain security[5].

The following day my intentions are moving North-Eastwards to Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, finding out more about the composition of the parliament with its different parties.
I’m heading to the National Assembly of Nigeria[6] where I have an appointment with the President of the Senate, David Mark.
The parliament is constituted of seven parliamentary parties of which one party definitely shows off with about two-thirds majority. This is the so-called People’s Democratic Party[7] (PDP) of which current president Jonathan and the man to whom I’m speaking are members.

In contrast with the ultra-conservative All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) which is the direct opponent, the PDP is leaning more on the liberal side with a conservative touch. Unity and democracy are two pillars of the party. It is also aiming for a religious freedom but refuses to accept homosexuality, a sensible subject for more parties in entire Africa.

Basically two things are bothering me after my stay in Nigeria. The influences of the colony-period are incalculable and unfortunately is there a predominating conservative way in Nigeria’s government policy.
Goodluck Jonathan has still got a lot of work to do and hopefully is he living up to his name.

Laurens Fagard

19-02-2012 om 00:00 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

18-02-2012 om 10:15 geschreven door 2 MAS2  

To all our readers...

We, Jonathan, Laurens, Michèle and Xenia, are traveling around the world and every week we move to a new destination with new adventures and new stories.
We will start our journey in Nigeria in the week of 14^th February. Our final destination will be, eventually, Norway.

17-02-2012 om 11:20 geschreven door 2 MAS2