Tunisia Celebrates First Anniversary of Arab Spring

The first anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution and Arab Spring was celebrated at the Kennedy Center on Jan. 9 with the performance of Hannibal Barca, the symphony composed by former interim Tunisian Minister of Finance Jaloul Ayed. The historic gala evening brought together the new leaders of democratic Tunisia, dignitaries from throughout the Middle East and North Africa, American and multilateral officials, and business and finance leaders for a truly heartwarming event. Ann Stock spoke on behalf of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The former minister equated the courage of the young Hannibal so many centuries ago to that of the young Tunisian vegetable vendor who by his self-immolation lit the spark that started the “Arab awakening.” Twenty-five Tunisian musicians joined members of the Washington orchestra. It was an extremely uplifting ceremony of which Tunisians can be justly proud.