Tunisia

Tunisia is a North African country
Bordering on the Mediterranean Sea,
Algeria and Libya and not far from Italy
Rich with cultural diversity because of its history

Tunisia has existed for millennia
Its roots grew deep in every era
And attracted every mania
For expansion and eudaimonia

It fascinated the people of Phoenicia
Who founded the cities of Carthage and Utica
That neighbored the land of Numidia
And flourished solely in the whole area

Carthage became the envy of the Roman Empire
That waged in three Punic wars and set the city on fire
Then garnished the entire area with Roman attire
That has stood still for centuries and refused to expire

Other civilizations succeeded to the land of Tunisia
The Vandals came and so did people from Arabia
Then the Ottoman Empire usurped the area
And retained it until the French colonial era

A resistance was born to struggle for national liberation
Seventy-five years needed to become an independent nation
Habib Bourguiba led the independence generation
To build the nation focusing on public health and education

The prospect of enjoying democracy was but a dream
The first leader started a well-tailored autocratic regime
After thirty-one years, a new tyrant burst on the scene
But overthrown by the oppressed population’s piercing scream

The Jasmine Revolution brought relief and liberty
And has inspired the whole world of the possibility
Of change and overturning any tyranny
And become the masters of their own destiny

The prospect of democracy is likely to become a dream
Despite the chaos, we still see a gleam
Of hope…