7 people died and 32 were injured during a stampede at a Star Academy concert in Tunisia. The crowd was made up of young people under 20.
What struck me is the nasty readers' comments on various news sites heaped on the heads of those who died . The dominant sentiment is gloating: they deserve to die because they are silly. They are guilty for being fans of a trivial program that is western influenced and is not seeking to liberate either Palestine or Iraq. It would have been much better if they died in a stampede to pray (wait for the next Haj). Their death is a fair punishment for their transgression etc. etc.
Young people are allowed to be silly and trivial all over the world. Except in the Arab world. We expect them to carry the nation on their back, to be fodder for wars, to inspire revolutions, but we grudge them two hours of escapist pleasure. Not only that: we curse them to eternal damnation for it.
7 comments:
Very true and sad!
I have always felt this way when I hear people cursing our youth for having fun but never been able to put it in words like you did.
I add my voice to yours.
I very much sympathize with your thoughts Amal. When Tunisia organized the African Cup of Nations and won in 2004, it was also in Sfax that Tunisian police attacked and killed Algerian spectators, an event that still muddies the waters between Tunisia and Algeria.
As someone from Tunisia, this is not really about youngsters going crazy over Star Academy: this is about the persistent fanaticism for/of Sfax--a city that continues to consider itself the heartbeat of Tunisia and its inhabitants act with a sense of independence from the country. Sfax is the Quebec of Canada!
Anyhow, I think the reporter got it wrong, it was Imed who was from Sfax and not Marwa (who is from Tunis) and who came second. Anyway, Sfax is chaotic and is adamant to supersede Tunis in everything. The ceremony took place in Tunis and nothing happened, but in Sfax there you have it--something is got to happen to mark some difference. For me this is just another instance of "Regional Envy" within Tunisia, and does not demand grandiose theorizing about the insignificance of Arab culture and the Arab world, or of Arab youth. But, should it become so, we must ask ourselves, why is that youth identify with Star Academy and not with other more crucial issues? Also, the fact that youth identify with Star Academy does not mean that they are not nationalist or would not identify with Arab causes: it is not either or--it's both at one and the same time. If Star Academy is stupid, then, we have to confront the fact that we are falling into stupidity rather than suggest it's something alien...
I have more to say about this: I think I should just put on paper and spare reading it now in a chaotic way...
A+
or you can say rather Sfax is the Quebec of Tunisia!
if people are not doing wrong then they should be entitlled to enyoy themselves.
the observer,
yes, it's very sad. our public discoures is becoming so polarized that people grudge saying allah yer7am to each other.
ng,
my condolences. I don't know anything about this town. And what you say about it is interesting. I don't know why the stampede happened. It could be because of what you said or because of bad organization and security. These things happen. What I'm struck with as I say above is the lack of charity or just plain decency towards these victims. I can only attribute it to polarization and a general attitude to youth that want things from them but does not care to give back.
as to the reporter making a mistake about the woman: an interesting slip. Having the crowd pushing to see a woman makes them guiltier since women entertainers are usually the ones made responsible for the degradation of the nation and the umma. I'd be interested to see what you write about it.
Jamal,
define wrong! Some people are convinced that going to a concert to listen to watch young women singing and dancing in provocative clothing wrong. Should we damn them and gloat over their death because we disagree with their idea of fun?
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