Tolerance and Different Cultures

 "Cry about the simple hell people give to other people - without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give to coloured folks, without even stopping to think." "The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." Nelle Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird  Quots  "  - " Europeans, Westerners, Russians, Arabs. If you were to get to know them, not as a category, but individually, then you can see how we are all, more or less, flesh and mind, the same. We can only recognize ourselves in the faces of the other. " Elif Shafak.                      It is a sad truth that racism, to a higher or lower degree, is a reality in most countries in the world. I read that it didn't exist before the slave trade. Anyhow, Arabs were the first and last in modern times to ship millions of Africans out of  the continent as slaves. The total figure for the 19th century was 1,2 millions slaves to Arabia. Most of the Arab trade slaves did not regain freedom, unlike those in Europe and America. Tunisia was the first country to abolish slavery. 10 - 15 % of the Tunisian population are "of colour" (should one call the others colourless?) many are descendants of slaves. Possible compensation for the horrible past appears to be unthinkable, instead several citizens discriminate these Tunisian folks of colour and shameless ignorant  persons nowadys sometimes  even address black folks with  words like " Abid" (slave in Arabic). Very sad and embarrassing for a civilized society. James Baldwin once explained racism which is widespread among poor uneducated white day labourers:  They want to think that there is a group of people who are "even less worthy" than they are. In 2021 approximately 21,000 sub-saharan African immigrants lived in Tunisia, many arrived legally to work or study here. But due to complex administration procedure, often experienced as blown up bureaucracy, (Tunisians created a good satire: "On the Divan in Tunisia") 60% don't have valid residency permits, even students attending private expensive universities that costs more than 3000 Dinar in a year. These people are given on arrival a 3 months permit to stay in the country. If they don't manage to achieve an extention in time they have to pay 80 Dinar for every month they stay byond that date. In December 2022 approx 9,000 refugees and asylum seekers came from countries like Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia according to the figures of the UN Refugee Agency. Undocumented migrants who want to leave have to pay a fine for overstaying their visas. In Tunisia many, in particular from the better off areas at the coasts, in the North and middle of the country, feel they belong rather to Europe than Africa. They believe their culture is more European and are proud if they have lighter coloured skin. A simular phenomenon exists in India, where Anglo-Indians like to marry among their group in order to keep their lighter colour and continue to believe they are superior. Anyhow, which culture belongs to which part of the world? After all the craddle of mankind stood in Africa. In Germany some stupid ignorant politicians and others stated that Islam doesn't belong to the Christian Occidental culture. Even if one wants to ignore that meanwhile several millions of Moslims live in Germany, neither the very popular beer, coffee or potato, algebra nor letters were invented in Germany. The churches structures, the "dresses" of clergyman including the pope and also the clothes of nuns look quite oriental. Once upon a time sciences were much advanced in the Orient and the Occident slowly learned from them. It seems to me mankind civilization is no longer developing. Scientists say people are getting less intelligent. Sub-saharan folks are nowadays suffering discrimination in Tunisia. They are accused of wanting to destroy the culture of their host country. Some are said to slaughter cats and dogs for meals or strange ceremonies. Tunisians are understandably horrified. Police should be able cope with this, so that those backward individuals understand that they must stop or face prison and deportation. In Al Alaoui, near Tunis, shopkeepers insulted and refused to serve students of colour. Neglected and disturbed uneducated children spit on them, swear und throw stones.  Prophet Mohamed clearly stated that Allah doesn't allow racism. Anyhow, it is stupid to think all Sub-Saharan peoples are the same ( are all Tunisians alike?), they share the same continent with us. Unfortunately many, including students, are now frightened of racism attacks, only leave their buildings if necessary and they are well adviced to carry documentation. In addion they fear unjustified  arrests in the streets, on public transport or even at work. Groups of young Tunisians gather outside of buildings where migrants live. One building has already been ransacked, many items destroyed or burnt. In Germany years ago a diplomat (of "wrong colour") got attacked by racists who accused him of being a froud asylum seeker wanting to exploit the social system. Though times are difficult, Sub-Saharan folks cannot be blamed for shortages of basic food items, the reason why is corruption, theft and greed of local citizens. Recently 20,000 tons of coffee were discovered hidden in Kantaoui (Sousse). Greedy citizens were intending to do big business during Ramadan. Thus it is not surprising that coffee has become a rare and very expensive item. Let us all remember Tunisia used to be praised as a friendly, tolerate state that made foreigners, including students and residents from other countries, not just tourists, feel welcomed!

Postcript Without Pain no Gain

Rescue dog taking a well deserved rest

 "When you are kissed by a thief, don't forget to count your teeth."  "If a beard indicates intelligence, the goat would have been a genius."  "What the monkey sees the monkey does."  Ubuntu African Proverbs.                                  Happy to see more sunshine and nights getting a bit warmer, doesn't feel like freezing anymore early in the morning. In addition the water is no longer turned off to protect the non- isolated piping during low temperatures at night, but it may yet be turned off to flush the drains, in which case one receives milky coloured water for approx. 5- 10 minutes and can only be used  for cleaning purposes or the toilet. - Rescue dogs of several countries (Tunisia, Mexico, European countries, etc.) were successfully employed in Turkey and Syria saving adults and children burried under rubble following the earthquake. Turkey, the best country in the world as far as animal rights are concerned, amazed with their gratitude to 4 - legged heroes. They did not allow rescue dogs to be flown back to their country of origion in the luggage hold, instead Turkish Airlines treated them like 1. class passengers and offered 1. class seats. One must bear in mind that rescue dogs worked until exhaustion, some paid with their life for their incredible engagement. A Tunisian dog, named Husky, only slept after 56 hours of non-stop search and discovered 40 people under the rubble. In America 65 tasks trained dogs are employed to help traumatised and injured soldiers. Hopefully ignorant folks will start to understand that dogs are a present from heavens, not dirty and useless and they must not be abused and killed. Since Turkey is a moslim country there is hope other moslim countries might learn that animals can and should be treated with respect and empathy. - There is still less coffee and rice on offer than demanded, haven't seen sugar in shops for weeks and milk comes and goes quickly. From time to time customers are restricted to 2 bottles/packets only and when not, those who try to have a stock in the house unwittingly ensure that milk is quickly sold out again. Rising prices, high unemployment and inflation isn't easy to cope with but we are still better off than several other countries. At least most poor countries usually have lots of sunshine and that is after all for free. 

A Hero flying 1. class with Turkish Airlines

Without Pain no Gain

 "People are lonely because they built walls instead of bridges." "Dirty water does not stop plants from growing." "When you see a poor man eating chicken it is either the man is sick or the chicken is sick." Ubuntu African Proverbs.                                                                    Cats are great companions, but living with just 1 or 2 is quite different from living with nearly 3 " football teams", yet strange folks seem to think that while they themselves are overwhelmed by just 1 in the house, we could take on more and hereby leave them with a good conscience. Cold, stormy weather with heavy rain recently, 2 girls knocking at our door asking me to please take their cat as their mother doesn't like cats. I felt very sorry for them and the lovely cat, but I had to refuse. My cats don't want more adoptions and would try to make the cat leave and besides, I am getting exhausted, physically and financially. There are so many hungry mouths to feed and when they look at me with their beautiful trusting eyes..... I left the poor nice girls with my message for their mother: "What you do is Haram. You have a bad heart. You don't like cats and Allah doesn't like you." Not sure whether this was the right approach to make that woman change her mind. She should be proud that her girls like cats and know empathy. We need more kids like that. - Surprising news, the president of the butchers' chamber asked the Mufti of the republic to cancel Aid Al Adha this year in order to rescue and preserve the cattle. Tunisia no longer has enough sheep and presently doesn't produce for the traditional slaughtering required by this religious feast. Imports are extremely expensive and costs are generally rising a lot. Aid Al Adha certainly would put much pressure on religious families. While adults may understand that they haven't got the means to buy a sheep or perhaps just a piece of meat, children often don't. They enjoy the tradition, feeding a sheep in the house for a few days, proudly taking the animal for a walk and then finally big meals with the family, lots of meat...... Frankly I am glad I was never subjected to this custom, I could never, not even as a child, eate an animal that I have seen alive before, or even worse, in whose eyes I looked. Listening to crying sheep in various houses before the big slaughtering takes place always makes me sad. In Saudi Arabia an incredible number of sheep get slaughtered every year, paid for by religious moslems arriving in order to fulfill Quran requirements. For them it is a good deed in the eyes of Allah. But there is too much meat, even after feeding the pilgrims and donating to the local poor, so a tremendous amount of sheep are thrown away, buried in mass graves. Frankly I don't understand this practice in a holly moslem country. Why can't the Saudis donate this surplus meat to poor countries in the Far East and Africa? (In Jemen many are starving.) In view of the millions of Dollars they spend e. g. on bribing politicians of the European Parliament, surely financing the transport etc. of the surplus meat shouldn't be a problem. Besides, such a donation would serve more effectively to improve the public image of the Saudis than bribing corrupt law makers in foreign countries. - In Sousse a car hit a big motorcycle and just continued his journey without stopping. The rider of the motorcycle suffered several injuries including an obviously broken arm, his passenger seemed to be okay and the motorcycle got badly damaged. My husband witnessed the accident while sitting in a taxi. This driver stopped his vehicle and immediately rushed to help and take the injured man to a hospital. He prior asked my husband to look for another taxi to continue his journey. I often noted that Tunisians are quick to help, not looking the other way or thinking that others should react. In Syria and Turkey Tunsians were among the first rescue teams to arrive from an Arabic country. In Syria a Tunisian rescue dog (German Shepherd breed) was hailed as a hero. He detected a child under 3 m of rubble and thanks to him it was possible to pull out the alive kid under the directorate of civil protection. I hope this case and the others of life saving dogs will make folks in Tunisia think twice before demanding the shooting of dogs. 

Postcript These Complicated Times

 "Being a friend of a scorpion doesn't mean that you cannot be stung by a honey bee." "Bad company corrupts good manners." "To a wise man a warning is a blessing. To a fool it is an insult." Ubuntu Proverbs.                                                                                            Thanks to Libya we just received food aid, 96 lorries filled with rice, flour, oil, sugar, etc, 74 more are expected. There has been a shortage of these and other basic foods for several months. For those folks who once lived in the East German Demoratic Republic (DDR, Russians joked the abriviation stands for: Dawei, Dawei, Raboti = work, work quickly) it must be like a Deja Vue. I haven't seen sugar on sale for some time and whenever a fair amount of milk appears, it quickly disappears again. I presume some folks are stock piling as they are worried that the stock in supermarkets will soon run out again, but they are themselves ensuring that precisely this happens. Coffee remains rare or expensive. By the way as predicted,  solely supermarkets are allowed now to sell milk and sugar. Only there customers are paying a 100 Milliem surcharge tax to support the government. It was mend to be due for all sales amounting to at least 50 Dinar. If you buy e. g. from Carrefour (not sure about others), though, you pay this amount each time you buy something there, independent of the total sum. The tax amount is very low, so we don't mind if it helps, a problem only for the very poor. To my surprise very few folks here know chives (the green part on spring onions) delicious on bred and butter, sandwiches, scrambled egg, etc., so they just throw it away. Most of my Christmas cards to Germany still haven't arrived, thus taking more than 2 months, or disappeared in the "Bemuda Triangle" for good. Difficult to say whether it's due to the bad Post Office service in Tunisia or Germany, where they have their problems too. Since several small parcels got lost, I had to ask my friends not to send anything and I also stopped doing so. By the way, mail to and from UK seems to work just as bad. Strange, before the revolution letters only took 7 to 10 days to arrive in Europe or from there. With constantly rising prices and high inflation citizens are of course very discontent and grumbling a lot, some from a higher level than others. Imports are getting more and more expensive and difficult. But this is the situation in many countries nowadays. When Saudi Arabia isolated Kuwait fairly successfully, the Kuwaiti people discovered that just about all their imports aren't necessary as those products can be produced in the country. Hopefully Tunisian citizens will discover their possibilities. Much can be done. Sadly in Kairouan a second bus was recently stolen. The quick police search was successful, some parts, though, dismantled and gone, no trace of the other bus so far. In the past when Tunisia was crowded with Tourists some Taxi drivers decided to transport only tourists. I recall my hsband and I being advised once that the driver only stopped for us as we were mistaken to be tourists and "sorry, please find another taxi." A Russian tourist thought he could travel by taxi for half an hour and pay just one Dinar. He stated that he had been told everything in Tunisia is very cheap. Anyhow, we were not amused and I frankly wished for such taxis a time when tourists are rare. I guess I have to be careful with what I wish...... 

These Complicated Times

 "Not all old men you should take advice from, fools get old to." "The road of I-don't-care often leads  to the house of Had-I-known." Ubuntu African Proverbs  "I am born this way. God (Allah) makes no mistake." Lady Gaga        In ancient /Pharaoh Egypt cats and dogs were highly valued. One of their gods was illustrated with the head of a dog and Egyptians believed dogs will accompany the souls of the deceased. What made in "modern times" many Moslems believe that dogs are dirty, dangerous, the Quran allowing the killing of them? As a matter of fact dogs save human life following  many different kinds of accidents: fire, drowning, avarlanche, earthquake, crashed buildings, they guide blind people, help to discover drugs, trace corpses, protect folks and property, chase criminals. They are very loyal, often the only friend for elderly, sick and/ or lonely folks, help to teach children empathy, but the don't give us milk or eggs and they bark - a reason to hate them? I was shocked to see a woman who goes to the Mosque every day, throwing a stone at a barking dog in the neighborhood. I shouted at her: "There is no need for this. The dog is gentle unlike the kids around here. It is this stone throwing that makes (some, not even all) dogs aggressive." The dog was sitting in front of a house of a family that several weeks ago kicked out 2 gentle dogs, a black and a sand coloured one, in spite of the risk that these may get shoot as so-called strays. Did Allah give that family a chance to correct their cruel deed? Not sure whether one of their previous pets was barking there. The dog disappeared again, which can mean anything. Whenever I hear a barking, maybe homeless dog here, I worry for his life. So depressing. Nowadays folks quickly reach their low level of tolerance, in particular when it comes to animals. I don't understand, though, how citizens that are daily subjected to kids yelling as if bitten by a tarantula, cannot bear a bit of barking. Anyhow, in Argentina opened a restaurant advising guests that stray cats and dogs are also welcomed and meals are cooked for them too. Thus guests are expected to tolerate their presence, I would like to stress that Argentina is a poor country. ( Poverty is no reason not to feed hungry animals. The old argument, support the poor, not animals.) In Nigeria a woman has a sanatury for strays, 3oo of them are living there. - Pavements appear to be mainly regarded as welcomed parking space. Pedestrians are frequently forced to leave the pavement and therefore walk on the road instead. Various house owners who don't want their pavement blocked by vehicles installed different kinds of barrier constructions made of cement or brick. How long this lasts depends on the respective neighborhood. Little chance here with all those footballs plus careless and/or unexperienced drivers. - In Rades, a big port near Tunis, 137 camaras badly needed to help fight corruption, bribes, theft were recently installed. A privat firm holds the monpol for the works of Rades port. In a documentary on France 24 it was stated that Rades is the slowest port in the world. As a result of this various much needed imports, including medications, also for animals, are not available for some time. Hopefully this will eventually change. - One of those bright street lights here stopped functioning. We enjoyed much better sleep without it shining into our bedroom (inspite of curtains), there remained still enough light outside, but it became less inviting for kids roaming the streets. In view of the risen electricity bills folks are wondering whether so many street lamps are really necessary, after all it is not for free and a lower electricity consumption is better for the environment. To our regret STEG now got the light working again.

Postcript If Life hands You a Lemon, Looking Back

 "Envy is the most honest kind of admiration." Wilhelm Busch  "If you do harm to a child or animal, one can surely say that you are an idiot and a bastard" Sean Connery.               Tunisians living abroad in 2022 transferred 8,5 Billion Dinar to Tunisia. This is 2 times as high as the income from tourists, thus a vital source of foreign exchange revenue. For several poor countries the situation is more or less simular. Anyhow, returning after several years in Europe (or from other continents) and not just for a holiday, is not very easy. Tunisia has changed, even the mentality of many citizens seems to have changed, or is it mainly viewed like that because expats compare their experiences so much and the past possibly wasn't as bright as appears to be in memories? Living under a dictatorship does effect a society. The freedom enjoyed after the revolution several less educated families misunderstood as a chance to let their children run wild, no respect for anyone. "They are children", thus not responsible for any of their actions, (nor of course are their parents) protected by big families, besides, victims usually can't effort to employ a lawyer. Some expat families came and left again, feeling like a stranger here, sadly even the children didn't want to settle in Tunisia. Stone throwing, abuse of cats and dogs, their poisoning or shooting, environmental negligence, etc. such behaviour they don't understand. I heard of expats' kids that refused to speak Arabic as a kind of protest. It makes a lot of difference whether you grow up with books and good-night stories read by your parent or are just handed a ball and being allowed to spend most of the day out on the street, perhaps even with more or less neglected other kids. In Kairouan children took a big hammer and started to knock down the bricked protection circle around the tree I planted a few years ago. "Just for fun." Parent's comment: "They are kids." Is it considered to be normal for children to damage/destroy what doesn't belong to them? Must they not be taught how far they can go? It is normal for children to test where the line is that they must not overstep and it is their parent's duty to explain this. - Following the threat to boycott joghurt as there is no milk on sale, it now re-appeared on the shelvings. Rumour has it that only supermarkets will be allowed to sell it in future, not those numerous little shops. To avoid blackmarket sales? Originally milk was only mend to feed calves, humans didn't need it, babies had their mother's milk. In our so-called civilization animals get brutally exploited, cows are forced to have calves  and not allowed to care for their babies (which all too often are quickly slaughtered) so that we can steal the calves' milk. I must admit I like dairy product and for many years wasn't aware of the above. What you grow up with you often don't question, it seems to be so normal. In Kairouan various bakers started to sell the popular baguette for 350 Milliem, previously 250 Milliem. A big increase for the poor, Instead of being able to buy 4 baguettes for 1 Dinar, they now have to pay 1, 050 Dinar for only 3 (1 Euro is approx. 3,240 Dinar). In some shops butter is available again, but 250g for more than 7 Dinar. Coffee is still rar, but plenty of Nescafé at a high price. Sugar one can sometimes find on the blackmarket at a corresponding price. Bakeries still receive sugar, plenty of it judging from their (for my taste) extreme usage in cakes. - I informed my husband that several neighbors arrived at our front door indicating that they are hungry. So he asked: "Which neighbors?" I replied: "They are gentle, beautiful and modest. Oh and they have 4 legs." What is the difference between the kids here and the cats? The children ask for chocolate or "Bonbon" while the cats are happy with a bit of croquettes or so-called

"salami" (sausage for cats). The usual food that Tunisians feed to stray cats is either couscous/left overs from their meals or noodles with a bit of sardines. By the way, cats shouldn't eat onins, garlic, beans, pepers, cake, chocolate, avoid spices in particular salt, etc. I wish I were rich and could help all animals that need help. Living in an Arabic style house (yard/terrace in the middle) is great in summer, spring, autumn, but not much fun in winter (pretty cold, wet and windy). 

If Life hands you a Lemon, looking back

Just 2 of my little treasures

 How I imagine my funeral one day

Not a burst pipe, just water wasting in Sousse. 

A gentle beauty discovered, hopefully with a loving home. 

 "Before you destroy a bridge be sure you can swim." "Money can't talk, yet it can make lies look like truth." Ubuntu African Proverbs. "The more I get to know humans, the more I love dogs." Erich Kaestner                                                                                                             Not knowing what's ahead is not such a bad thing. The last year, 2022 in total was a year that many wished never happened. Christine from Duesseldorf, my best friend for 40 years, suddenly passed away, I miss her very much. In addition several very dear feral friends passed over the rainbow, adults and kittens, most less than 4 months old. Sandy, 9 years old, was very special. She used to sleep in my arms, under my blanket, purring me to sleep. In the morning she and her brother Tiger would wake me up. Now this task remains solely to Tiger, a great gentle tomcat. On rare occasions when I oversleep, there are many in the house and outside urgently waiting for their breakfast, chanting something like: "we are hungry, hungry." If you love cats, well the most beautiful you can find in Tunisia. Unfortunately though, their beauty and good character doesn't protect them. For unknown reasons some folks hate cats and dogs. Occasionally one or two of my feral family members run outside, just for a brief check what's there. I know they will return in no time, so I have to just worry about the traffic and possibly stone throwing hooligans. Anyhow, lately when I tried to fetch my lovely, long haired black and white Melanie, a middle aged woman from the neighborhood came outside and mumbled something about Belladia (town authorities), sounded like she would like them to come and kill my gentle little treasure for no reason at all. One day her outside door curtains got slised with a knife (possibly revenge for shouting at the street kids), but she would insist that cats did this. I have been advised that this woman is mentally disturbed, so maybe she is excused for having strange thoughts. Still, such folks worry me. Poor cats, poor dogs. So much beauty wasted among those who have eyes yet cannot see. In Mexico a man was sentenced to 25 years of prison for beating his dog. I firmly believe we could create a better society with strict animal protection laws. - STEG who have a monopol on gas and electricity supply to household and state buildings, haven't issued bills for 14 months in Sousse. In spite of so many unemployed, they managed to find employees for meter reading with more or less zero motivation, this could be due to bad payment or mangement, e. g. employees feeling their performance is not being valued. Anyhow, the persons sent to read the meter, knock at the door once, waite 3 or 4 seconds, then walk away, even when told the occupants are at home and may need a couple of minutes to come to the door, besides, most houses have long corridors. "No time," the reply. Are customers expected to wait by the door, even though they know neither the date nor time of the arrival of the STEG employee whose time is so precious? By the way, if I am informed correctly, senior STEG technicians are paid 14.400 Dinar a month and the average wage (combined high and low wages) amounts to 3032 Dinar in 2020. This is pretty high for a country like Tunisia. Unpaid bills are a problem, not only among folks who have problems making ends meet, but also in the state sector. "STEG wedges a war of no mercy over unpaid bills." For many the present bill will come as a real shock. Pay the demanded amount or buy food? How to cope with rising prises, even for basic food?  With practically no service, customers expected to do their own reading and possibly take a taxi (now also more expensive, buses and minibuses likewise) to present the data and ask for the bill, was there a genuine need for STEG to rise their charges? Besides, is it really necessary to have so many and bright street lights? Scientists nowadays regard excessive light as one kind of air pollution. It also irritates birds and insects that orientate itself by the light of the moon. Are those street lights mend to prevent street robbery? Well, broad daylight robberies take place, we know of several cases and also from own experience. A 100 megawatt solar power plant is planned for Kairouan. Of what was planned before the revolution only 5% has been achieved so far, in Marocco it is 37%. The year ended without me finding out what happened to my gorgeous puppy, Djego, who disappeared less than 1 year old. With lots of luck he found a new family, but I fear he may have been shoot "as a stray", horrible thought. When I think of him I can't help crying. He was by the way vaccinated. An American famous  actress said, if life hands her a lemon, she will ask for salt and Tequila.