Emel Mathlouthi: Voice of Tunisian spring calls for justice, equality

Tunisian singer Emel Mathlouthi sings during her concert in Baghdad, Tuesday. Mathlouthi whose melodies have rocked the revolution that led to the downfall of former president Ben Ali, has pinned “obscurantism” and “censorship” and committed lyrics oriental tones on the stage of a private club in Baghdad. — AFP

BAGHDAD — Attacks on art in Tunisia are mainly driven by frustration over the injustices of daily life in the North African country rather than pure religious ideology, a Tunisian revolutionary singer said.

Emel Mathlouthi, whose songs about liberty inspired Tunisian pro-democracy protesters, said economic inequality was one of the main causes of recent violence and that if anything she had experienced more artistic freedom since the revolution.

Intellectuals have expressed fears about limits to artistic freedom in Tunisia after protesters broke into an art fair in June and destroyed a handful of works.

“There are things happening but we are not sure ofits implications,” Mathlouthi said after a concert in Baghdad on Tuesday where she was presented as the voice of revolutionary Tunisia.

“… because the most important thing that is driving people is frustration which stems from a lack of equality, a lack of justice,” she said. “If everyone had a decent job, somewhere to live, then I do not think there would be this kind of problem.”

If anything, it has become easier for singers like her to perform and tackle political themes since the revolt that toppled Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali 17 months ago, she said.
 

Mathlouthi left Tunisia for France in 2008 to promote her music career which she said had been stifled under Ben Ali because she sang about liberty and corruption.

                                                                                
“Recently I sang on the Avenue Bourguiba,” she said, referring to the main street in Tunis where protesters gathered.

                                
Mathlouthi, whose dark, long curly hair and flowing silk dress made her a striking figure on stage, started the concert with eerie, romantic songs and ended with pulsing traditional music that got some members of the audience dancing. She said she fell into the role of revolutionary singer quite by accident. “I didn’t really think that much. I tried to be on the ground, I tried to take part in demonstrations. Afterward, in some demonstrations, I was asked to sing. For me this was natural.” She said that despite the inspiration that the revolution had provided Tunisia’s artists, the country still had a long way to go in promoting their talent. — Reuters