A milestone in the making for the field of journalism, the Assises Internationales du Journalisme de Tunis opened this morning at the Cité de la Culture of Tunis, with the participation of EU Neighbours South.

EU Neighbours South programme is partnering with the assises through SPEAK UP CULTURE!, a region-wide campaign on the theme of culture, whereby it will deliver a series of workshops, debates and ceremonies until the end of March 2022.

“It is a very important moment for us to be able to bring our young aspiring journalists to this EU-funded international gathering. We want to help them find the path they are pursuing and give them a chance to network and discover this brand new world in the best conditions possible,” explains Joumana Brihi, team leader at EU Neighbours South.

 “We are especially looking forward to the closing ceremony of our TANDEM Media Awards, a competition which aims to be a catalyst for young Arabs’ journalistic dreams and aspirations.”

 For its second edition in the Tunisian capital, the event’s opening witnessed the gathering of more than 700 journalists, representatives of media and content creators from more than 30 countries. “This is a crucial and very emotional moment,” said founder of the assises and president of the association Journalism and Citizenship Jérôme Bouvier in his opening remarks.

“The successful attendance to this event is a great proof that we were right to keep believing in our vision despite the circumstances.” Postponed twice due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Assises are the fruit of a collaborative process between a number of editorial partners from Tunisia and the two shores of the Mediterranean, NGOs, EU Delegations, embassies and representatives of the academia.

The Assises will run through three days, under the theme ‘the emergency of journalism”, with talks, debates and various workshops on the environment, women’s rights, freedom of speech, among many others.

By Camille Dupire