The Powers that Be in Tunisia

It's impossible not to know who the President of Tunisia is, his face is everywhere: the vegetable market, the cafes, the festivals, even sitting behind dish detergent on the shelves of grocery stores. At the Sahara Desert Festival the crowd chanted his name during the opening ceremonies.

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is 74 years but you'd never know it from photos that portray him as a young, vibrant, dynamic leader. In October he was re-elected by a majority vote continuing his term of 22 years in office to perhaps life.

His political party is called the Constitutional Democratic Rally and many credit the safety and economic stability of Tunisia to Ben Ali. Others claim it comes at a price, specifically freedom of the press.

The one thing you'll notice here is that security is extremely tight, especially in the Capital of Tunis. On street corners you'll see police authorities checking drivers for proper registration while others question media presence.

Our NY-based camera crew were trying to videotape the Tunis clock tower landmark when we were stopped repeatedly. Patience is critical when dealing with the police but more important is having a respected tour guide to translate the language and show the proper video taping permits.

Censorship of the internet is another control that the government routinely uses. I couldn't access popular video-based websites like YouTube and Dailymotion and was told that even social websites like Facebook are routinely blocked. The main news media is also managed by the government directly.

Fortunately, the BBC is available and much appreciated, especially by news junkies like myself.

Still, Tunisians are "free" in every other sense of the word insists my travel guide. By the looks of things she might be right. Tunisians share a fabulous health care system, a thriving tourism sector, good roads, fabulous cuisine and a deep appreciation for all religious and ethnic backgrounds. Equality and opportunity among genders is also improving.