Mada organizes a reading of “Tunisian Spring”

Last Saturday, the Mada Center for Human Studies and Research organized a reading of the book “Tunisian Spring: A Journey of Literature and Man” by its author, Moroccan short story writer and novelist Mustafa Laghtiri, with the participation of Muhammad al-Nizam and Mustafa al-Za’ir, researchers in contemporary history, poet Laila al-Tajri, and Ashraf Boulmaqos, a researcher in political science and writer in travel literature, and the attendance of an audience of students, researchers, and activists in civil society.

The participants’ interventions addressed the literary and political dimensions of the journey, the subject of reading, where the focus was on the fact that Moroccan travelers historically wrote about Tunisia, but these writings remained rare, as they are mentioned in travel writings about the Hijaz as a transit station, and they were not considered much, unlike recent years in which some writings have followed, especially from intellectuals and creatives who participated in conferences and cultural events, and through this presence they convey scenes and stories through travel literature.

The interventions also considered that Mustafa Laghtiri was a pioneer in this book, pointing out that his book is the first travelogue about Tunisia after the 2011 revolution, as it came a year and two months after the outbreak of events, and addressed the factors that led to the outbreak of the revolution, and presented descriptions of the former Tunisian president such as “Zine El Harebine” and “Dictator of Tunisia.”

The book’s interesting and captivating style and simple language were mentioned, and its focus on current political events makes it a source for writing history, given that the historian relies on the journey as one of the sources that can be relied upon, after subjecting it to historical criticism, since the journey can be based on imagination, preconceptions, and the presence of the author’s subjectivity.

The interventions touched on the characteristics of the book being read, starting with the title chosen with precision and care that reflects the author’s professionalism, then the comparison that is present in all the chapters of the book between Tunisia and Morocco, and the presentation of accurate descriptive data about architecture and the treatment of mentalities, in addition to referring to the cultural aspects in Tunisia and celebrating the appreciation of creators and artists in this country, whether in terms of honoring them while alive or appreciating them while dead, such as referring to the shrine of the Tunisian poet Abu al-Qasim al-Shabi.

The interventions also touched on the author’s diversification in writing methodologies, where he adopted introspection, comparison, and neutral feedback, concluding that “this book is a documentary review, based on the author’s broad culture, of the Tunisian present in its various political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions.”

According to the speakers, the book derives its importance from the context in which it was written, and from its author, who is distinguished by his prolific production in various literary fields, his broad culture, critical sense, and clear political commitment through a set of expressed positions, as well as from the fact that it came at a stage that made him monitor the impact of the revolution in Tunisia and anticipate its future, which makes reading it more than a decade after its publication a confirmation of its timeliness in evaluating the starting points of the revolution and what it has led to.

In his speech on the occasion, Laghtiri praised most of the interventions that shed light on different aspects of what he addressed in his book, sometimes briefly and other times by allusion, considering that “the positions expressed, which some interventions considered an expression of political action, are an indication of his political awareness, and not of a political actor facing other actors.”

The Moroccan writer did not hide his inclination towards certain political proposals that represent, in their entirety, the values ​​of freedom, equality and democracy, which he referred to in the book when talking about the necessity of championing the values ​​of democracy that came with political actors who enjoy the trust of the people, indicating that “what he presented was a foresight of their experience that moved from the field of protest to the field of government.”