Tunis, April 13, 2014 – Three years after the Arab uprisings, Tunisians are to debate whether a strong, stable economy is worth more than human rights.
The event, organised by the New Arab Debates (NAD), a high-profile regional platform, will argue the motion:”Prosperity and stability are more important than freedom”. Both debates will be recorded at 7 pm at the Tunis Grand Hotel in El Manzah VII, Ariana, Tunis.
British journalist Tim Sebastian, who founded the NAD in early 2011, will moderate the English session on Wednesday, April 16, with Selim Moussa, financier and founder of the American Business Group, arguing for the motion against Amna Guellali, Human Rights Watch Tunisia Director.
A day later, Egyptian TV presenter Mai El Sherbiny will present the Arabic version with Walid Haddouk, economist and member of the secular Congress for the Republic Party of President Moncef Marzouki arguing for the motion against Mounir Benhenia, a politician from the islamist Ennahda Party.
Sebastian hopes the debates will show whether Arabs, caught up in the unpredictable turmoil in the region, are re-thinking their priorities.
“The Arab Spring brought, however fleetingly, some new rights and freedoms. But were they enough to set against all the economic difficulties – unemployment, rising prices, lack of infrastructure? Some people may now feel that freedom should take a back seat until the economies are fixed. I hope our debate will reveal just how widely that opinion is held,” he says.
The project encompasses an extensive outreach campaign in schools and universities, aimed at encouraging young people to participate in political life. It is funded by the Norwegian and British governments.
The debates will be transmitted for the third successive year on Deutsche Welle TV in English and Arabic along with its global and regional network of partners including Egypt’s ONTV, Ro’ya TV in Jordan, Hanibal in Tunisia, and Watan TV in Ramallah.