In Tunisia, Ben Ali, the strange cult of number 7

Do not call more TV7. The only public television Tunisia has changed its name and logo this weekend. It is now the "Tunisian National Television." The red and white national colors, replaced the purple color scheme fetish Ben Ali . And no further reference to the number seven, another symbol of a cult of personality created by the deposed dictator.

23-year reign, the seventh was instilled throughout. "Square November 7, Street 7, Avenue 7, Boulevard du 7 of 7 Airport, University of 7, 7, Grocery, Pharmacy, 7, Stadium 7 of 7 Coffee ... "lists in a Facebook group "against the ridiculous cult of number seven," the cybermilitant Kaloutcha Hamadi, whose real name Soufiene Bel Haj.

"There are streets on November 7, monuments, 7 November, in the smallest village. The authority has used the emblem to mark territory, crisscross the area, "says sociologist Vincent Geisser, a researcher at the Institute for Research and Studies on the Arab and Muslim world (IREMAN) and coauthor of Syndrome authoritarian political Tunisia Bourguiba to Ben Ali.

The seven became "the symbol of the encrypted coup, that the rhetoric benalienne called" Change ", from which opens 'new era'" says Vincent Geisser. To mark the change, the statues are destroyed Bourguiba, replaced by clocks, symbol of new times.

"The regime has found a substitute that number with more or less subtle statues erected by the despot. This reflects a difficulty in assuming the personality cult. We wanted to mark a break with the authoritarian regimes of the post-independence, but it is a cult of personality that does not mean his name, which uses an image euphemistic, but allowing the economy to say we came back to the old regime, "said Vincent Geisser, which considers the monuments" hideous. "" It was the bad taste of Ben Ali in all his splendor. The vulgarity and kitsch of the scheme was reflected through these monuments. "

Besides monuments and streets, the seven is printed on banknotes, on stamps (here on the occasion of 20 years in power of Ben Ali), the back of identification cards which seven doves fly. The telephone became the 7 instead of zero. On 7 November, which gives rise to seven days off, has gotten the better to March 20, the day the Tunisians celebrate their independence. Parades, free concerts, rallies were held that day.

Businesses adopt a sign of the number seven decked "Many florists florists called the November 7, probably in recognition of those who had given them a license to practice the profession," says Hamadi Kaloutcha yet. By overzealous A butcher had even named his business "the butcher of 7 November. He was asked to change the sign. "Blogger is full of significant anecdotes, telling yet how" when you have to decorate a roundabout are planted seven trees. "Even the multiple interest the despot: for his third term, a chain is created for youth, called Channel 21. Ironically, Ben Ali a fall on January 14.