Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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When F Hamdi, a 45-year-old female municipal official in the Tunisian town of Sidi Bouzid,
slapped Mohammed Bouazizi in the face and publicly spat on him, little did she know that
like the butterfly in the Amazon jungle, her actions would lead to a hurricane of unpreced-
ented proportions. Only this time it was across the Arab world.
Hamdi confiscated %RXD]L]LV electronic weighing scales, and tossed aside his fruit and
vegetable cart; while her two colleagues assisted in beating him.
Angered by the latest of a series of similar confrontations, Bouazizi sought to lodge a com-
plaint with the local governor's office and, in the face of a rejection, threatened to burn him-
self. And he did.
At 11:30 am, less than an hour after the altercation, he doused himself with fuel and set him-
self alight in front of the building. He died eighteen days later on 4 January 2011.
At the time of his death, the government had become aware of the growing level of anger
amongst the populace and the President of Tunisia visited his sickbed and made some pla-
cating remarks. But it seems that this was to no avail.
More than 5,000 people participated in the funeral procession and many in the crowd, were
heard chanting:
"Farewell, Mohammed, we will avenge you. We weep for you today. We will make those who
caused your death weep.”
Matters unravelled quickly and, in the face of accelerating civil unrest about the oppressive
regime and a range of social and economic issues including corruption, poverty and high
levels of unemployment, the President and his family fled the country and are unlikely to
ever return to face the wrath of the people. This occurred on 14 January 2011, a matter of
nine days after the funeral.
