Earlier this year, outside a local cafe just off a bustling street in one of Tunis’ sprawling neighbourhoods, a group of teenagers were vocal about their country’s affairs. They hated the police, who had beaten and arrested their friends. They felt, all in all, lost and hopeless. ‘Once I turn 18, I’ll try to make the crossing to Europe with my friends – at least there’s money there,’ said one.
How was it that 10 years since Tunisians had ousted autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali – initiating what has often been hailed as the one democratic success story of the Arab Spring – they still felt this despondent?
