fuck ben ali

i had heard rumours about the existence of a burned villa on the outskirts of hammamet, overlooking the sea. during the revolution the villa was ransacked and today, it sits as a charred shell, filled with shards of bullet proof glass and graffiti. rubbish fills the swimming pool. 

we met an elderly neighbour in the grounds of the villa removing some chicken wire.

the gabsi family used to grow vegetables on this land. they grew tomatoes, paprika and jute. i remember the smell of the freshly baked bread they would eat during lunch. bread with grilled paprika. they used animals to draw water from the well.

bourguiba [the first president of tunisia] took the land from the gabsi family. he gave it to the husband of shirley maclean. i forget his name.  bourguiba gave it to him because he helped his son. something to do with las vegas. the nefew of ben ali bought the land in 2005 and built the villa.

when the villa was looted, i noticed some plants has been pulled out of the ground.

the plants now grow quietly in his garden, apparently without protest.