brief news from tunesia: choucha-protests, wsf, caravan-project..

dear all,
as we have been with a small delegation in tunesia "between the 
years", we want briefly report on at least 3 topics:

- choucha-refugee-protest and support!
the background and the call for solidarity with the (unhcr-rejected) 
choucha-refugees was also send to this mailinglist, and in our 
meeting in choucha on 31st of december 2012 and through some ongoing 
telephone-contact we learned, that the last plans of the protest- 
commitee of choucha is to go with a lot of affected refugees (perhaps 
100..) to tunis (500 km distance from choucha) and to organize a 3- 
days (or even longer) protest in the capital of tunesia for their 
demands. this protest will probably start at 21st of january and we 
should think about a transnational wave of solidarity in these days 
by support activities and also fundraising. our activist friends in 
tunis will be for sure very challenged and overloaded by providing 
infrastructural support and if more people from Europe can imagine to 
go to tunis (usually a 2 or 3 hours flight!) to help in this week, 
would be very welcomed! (but 21st of january has still to be 
confirmed, probably next days...)

- world social forum in tunis
as probably most of you know, the wsf will take place in tunis from 
26th to 30th of march 2013. of course the wsf is an ambivalent event, 
on one hand a certain podium and opportunity on the other hand a 
movements "supermarket with reformist dominance". but as it is 
explicitly repeated by the carrying and organising groups in tunis, 
that migration will be one of the most important topics in this wsf 
and as our migrationrelated networks have the boats4people-experience 
from last year and in the meanwhile even more contacts and the plan 
for a caravan (see next topic), we think, it would be important and 
useful to be present with many activists from our networks trying to 
use the space of wsf. we (as persons from welcome to europe and 
afrique-europe-interact) have started to register some workshops and 
we think about a permanent info-tent on migration and perhaps 
screening films.... so would be nice to hear, if more people are 
interested to join?!

- bus-caravan through tunesia
the idea was born in last meetings in monastir/tunesia in july 2012 
during the boats4people-project: to organize a bus-tour through 
various tunesian cities in order to get in more direct contact and 
communication with (would be-)harragas (illegalized tunesian boat- 
migrants), their families (active mothers/relatives of disapperaed 
and died migrants) and transitmigrants from susaharian africa. during 
the delegation-tour in the last two weeks this idea was developed to 
a first proposal with 7 stations in coastal cities of tunesia but 
also in some cities of the (revolting) hinterland. the caravan should 
be composed by activists at least from tunesia, morocco, mali and 
various european countries and it should last about 2 weeks (two days 
for each station) probably in the first two weeks of september 2013. 
the project is still in its beginning and it is intended but open, if 
it will be organized under the roof of boats4people. but it will take 
place for sure, the net of contacts has grown a lot and it should be 
stabilised and extended mainly through a preparation-infotour in 
march and also with our presence during the world social forum. we 
will report about next steps on the action2-mailinglist, but if more 
people are interested to join the preparations or already can imagine 
to participate in the caravan in september, let us know!

best greetings,
hagen