11-NOV-2008
The pledge, Tozuer, Tunisia, 2008
The president of Tunisia is often portrayed with his hand over his heart – the universal symbol of a pledge. I cropped this huge poster in my camera, keeping only the hand in the frame, and relating it to a sweeper cleaning the street in front of Tozeur’s governmental building. The scale incongruity and resulting contrast speak of those who lead and those who toil. Tunisia, a country of one-man, one-party rule, has seen only two presidents in 53 years. (Since this image was made, Ben Ali's autocratic rule has ended. He was driven into exile by a revolt that erupted in January, 2011.)
07-NOV-2008
Respect, Hammamet, Tunisia, 2008
The thousand-year-old walls that enclose the medina of Hammamet symbolize timeless authority, an appropriate site for this large poster celebrating the twenty-one-year reign of Tunisia’s second president, Ben Ali. Unlike many of the other posters I saw featuring Ben Ali, this one shows him in formal dress, wearing his decorations, and standing next to the national flag. He is not smiling here – he demands respect, rather than friendship. Facing us through the ancient walls of Hammamet, Ben Ali seems to be establishing his credentials and authority, an authority that would end in a bloody revolt in January, 2011, forcing him to flee to Saudi Arabia.
08-NOV-2008
Doubts, Sousse, Tunisia, 2008
This portrait of Tunisian president Ben Ali, clasping his hands in pleasure while surrounded by cartoon figures of worshipful children, reminds me of a Soviet era propaganda poster. It was the most primitive example of political iconography I saw during my visit to Tunisia. The poster was badly crinkled, and by shooting it from the side, I’ve found incongruous reflections that create a surreal image, more fantasy than reality.
(Looking at this image a few years later, after Ben Ali was driven from power in a January, 2011 revolt, it appears even more ominous and a portent of things to come.)
11-NOV-2008
Moonrise, Tozeur, Tunisia, 2008
I link political iconography to a force of nature in this image of a flag bearing a drawing of Tunisian president Ben Ali, illuminated with the light of a rising full moon. In doing so, I contrast the authority of nature to the authority of man. The flag is but thin cloth, the drawing merely an ink sketch. Nature, by light of its moon, sees right through it.
(Viewing this image in hindsight, two years after I made it, I now see this transparent banner as a portent of things to come. The president of Tunisia seems to appear as insubstantial, something close to vanishing. And that is exactly what came to be in January, 2011, when Ben Ali was swept out office and into exile by a popular but bloody revolt.)
