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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Sixty Six: Using political iconography to express ideas > Street scene, Tunis, Tunisia, 2008
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06-NOV-2008

Street scene, Tunis, Tunisia, 2008

The main avenues of Tunis were bridge with signage proclaiming the twenty first anniversary of Ben Ali’s tenure as the country’s president. I don’t read Arabic, but I would expect these signs to speak well of the political and economic benefits of his reign. When we study this image in its detail, we note at least 17 images of Ben Ali himself, fluttering from the overhead wires along with Tunisia’s national flag. I positioned the setting sun behind the banners to stress the messages. Some might read the golden coloration as a symbolic tribute to Ben Ali’s regime, which has taken a pro-western stance and spurred a growing economy since the 1990s. (In early 2011, Ben Ali would be driven from office and into exile by a revolt.)

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Phil Douglis29-Nov-2008 04:48
I don't think Ben Ali and his strategists think this kind of self advertisement is boring at all -- remember that Tunisia is a very youthful country. Most of its people were either young kids or not even born when he first took office 21 years ago. The small children I saw singing his praises were doing it out of love and respect -- like the Russian children once did for Stalin. We have to see this iconography through the eyes of the intended audience in order to appreciate its effect.
Alina29-Nov-2008 00:25
After 20 years of ruling this kind of self advertisement had to be boring for everyone even Ben Ali :)
Great shot with nice back light and busy street.
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