Tunisian Ambassador Gives Public Lecture At UIN Jakarta On Culture And Diplomacy

JAKARTA International relations expert DR Teguh Santosa assessed that culture has a close relationship with the resilience of the nation and state. Only the nation and state are able to develop culture in order to face challenges that are not easy times that can survive on the world map.

This was said by Teguh when closing the 'Culture and Diplomacy Talks' public lecture with speakers from the Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to the Republic of Indonesia Mohamed Trabelsi at the FISIP campus of the State Islamic University (UIN) Syarif Hidayatullah, Jakarta, Monday, November 4.

"In this connection, culture is not just in the form of dance and singing, but more than that is a way of life or a way of life that grows in society and is inherited and continues to be developed from generation to generation. Culture, in this case, is the spirit of struggle and copyright that can move a nation to remain strong," said the General Chair of the Indonesian Cyber Media Network (JMSI).

This public lecture was attended by more than 100 students of International Relations of FISIP UIN Syarif Hidayatullah who took the course of 'HI and Culture' in the third semester. Also present in the public lecture was the Dean of FISIP UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Prof. Dr. Dzuriyatun Toyibah and Chair of the FISIP HI Study Program UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Robi Sugara, M.Sc.

Three students were selected as spokespersons who accompanied Ambassador Trabelsi. The three are Nadia Putri Khairan, Athaya Raihan Nasywa Bramoro, and Evan Andhika Suci. While starting the activity, the student dance group Seaflowers presented Tunisian and Middle East dances and stunning singing.

In his remarks opening a public lecture, the Dean of FISIP UIN Syarif Hidayatullah, Prof. Dzuriyatun Toyibah, hopes that this public lecture will be the beginning of a more significant collaboration between the two countries, especially for UIN Syarif Hidayatullah with universities in Tunisia.

In response to Prof. Dzuriyatun, Ambassador Trabelsi said he was also impatient to establish further cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of education.

Relations between Indonesia and Tunisia

In his general lecture, Ambassador Trabelsi explained a number of links between the two nations and the state historically. He introduced the figure of a great painter of Tunisia pride, Hatem El Mekki. Hatem was born in Batavia, May 16, 1918. His father was a Tunisian citizen who lived in Jakarta at that time. While his mother is an Indonesian woman of Chinese descent.

In 1924, Hatem El Mekki and his family moved to Tunisia, the homeland of his father who is currently the French protectorate. Hatem El Mekki passed away in My late childhood, an old city in Tunisia that was east of Lake Tunis, on September 23, 2003. He was remembered as one of Tunisia's great painters until finally his life.

His works were influenced by the visualization of Indonesian tropical forests and various batik cloth motifs.

In addition to the story of Hatem El Mekki, Ambassador Trabelsi also told the story of the friendship between the two countries in the decolonization era after the Second World War. In 1951, the leader of the Tunisian resistance movement, Habib Bourguiba, came to Jakarta to meet President Soekarno.

During a meeting in Jakarta, President Sukarno promised to provide support for Tunisia's efforts to escape from French colonialism. Tunisian representatives were also present at the Asia Africa Conference (KAA) which was held in 1955. A year later, Tunisia succeeded in ending France's occupation.

As a tribute to President Soekarno's services for Tunisia's independence, on June 6, 2024, President Soekarno's name was immortalized as the name of a street in a prestigious area in Tunis, Les Berges du Lac.

History Of 3,000 Years

Another thing that also needs to be noted is that Tunisia's history began long before the end of the 19th and mid-20th centuries.

The history of Tunisia, said the Ambassador of Trabely, came at least 3,000 years ago. In 814 BC Ratu Elissa or Dido from Punisia founded death, followed by the Punic War which took place three times in 264-241 BC, 218-201 BC, and 149-146 BC. At this time, Tunisia's power had expanded throughout the Mediterranean Sea, the southern side of Andalusia, the Alps Mountains, to the south of Italy including Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica.

The Third Punic War brought destruction to death. One of the Roman Senators at that time, Marcus Porcius Cato used the slogan 'Carthago Delenda Est' which means 'control over' to burn the spirit of the Roman army.

Last May, while celebrating its 40th birthday, Meta and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wore a t-shirt with a sentence Tunisians considered an insult. Mark Zuckerberg was attacked by Tunisian netizens and forced to apologize.

Under the rule of the Romans,iri was placed as a province with the name Africa or Africus which means a country of homes. After the Romans were defeated in the 5th century, Tunisia entered the Vandal Era of 429-532 AD which was marked by the presence of the ruler of the German people.

After that the Romans returned to power in the Byzantine Era. The new Roman actually moved away from Tunisia after Tunisia entered the period of Islam since the 9th century AD, beginning with the Aghlabid or Aghlabiyyah Dynasty (800-909), Fatimid or Fatimiyah Dynasty (909-972), Sanhajjah Dynasty (972-1160), Almohades or Muwahiddun Dynasty (1160-1228), Moravid or Murabithun Dynasty (1228), Hafsid or Hafsiyun Dynasty (1228-1448).

It was during this Islamic period that Tunisia recorded a revival in the field of science. Ez Zitouna University, for example, which was founded in the late 7th and early 8th centuries, contributed to various developments in Tunisia at that time.

In addition, one of the scientists and historian from Tunisia, Ibnu Khaldun, who was born in 1332 in the next era was widely known in various parts of the world as the founder of Islamic social science and economics.

Selanjutnya Tunisia memasuki era Ustmaniah dari 1228 sampai 1881 saat Perjanjian Bardo yang menjadikan Tunisia sebagai protektorat Prancis ditandatangani pemimpin Tunisia saat itu, Bey Muhammad As-Sidiq.

After independence in 1956, Tunisian independence fighter Habib Bourguiba was sworn in as Prime Minister and a year later as President until 1987 when doctors declared himself sick and unable to continue power.

President Bourguiba's declining health condition prompted Prime Minister Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to take power as President. He led the country until a revolution that took place in 2011 at a time called the Arab Spring Movement.

Now Tunisia is led by President Kais Saied, who on October 6, 2024, was re-elected for the second term.

Ambassador Trabelsi also added, in the contemporary era, Tunisia played an active role on the international stage on a number of important issues.

Tunisia, for example, began a relationship with the People's Republic of China (RRT) while following KAA in Bandung. The diplomatic relations between the two began in January 1964. In 1971, Tunisia supported the resolution of the 2758 UN General Assembly which recommended that the RRT replace the Chinese Republic at the United Nations.

Tunisia is also on the side of the Non-Aligned Movement, strongly condemning apartheid politics in South Africa, and is one of the main supporters of Palestine's independence.