The anthem of the Arab Spring

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 29 January 2021

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In December 2010, anti-government protests broke out in Tunisia after a young fruit-seller called Mohammed Bouazizi set himself alight outside a government office in the south of the country. At one of the huge rallies in Tunis, a young singer called Emel Mathlouthi sang a song called "Kelmti Horra" or "My Word is Free". A video of her passionate performance immediately went viral and inspired protestors to take to the streets in other parts of the Middle East in what became known as the Arab Spring. Emel Mathlouthi talks to Witness History.

PHOTO: Emel Mathlouthi performing in 2012 (Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Choosing what to watch night after night the flicking through the endless
0:06.8	searching is a nightmare we want to help you on our brand new podcast off the
0:11.8	telly we share what we've been watching
0:14.0	Cladie Aide.
0:16.0	Load to games, loads of fun, loads of screaming.
0:19.0	Lovely. Off the telly with me Joanna Paige.
0:21.0	And me, Natalie Cassidy, so your evenings can be a little less
0:24.9	searching and a lot more auction listen on BBC sounds Hello and thank you for downloading the podcast of Witness History on the BBC World Service with me Simon Watts. This week we've been looking back at the
0:44.6	momentous events ten years ago that swept across the Middle East and North Africa
0:49.8	and became known as the Arab Spring.
0:52.6	Today we're going back to where it all began, Tunisia,
0:56.0	and the story behind a song that inspired protesters
0:59.3	across the region.
1:07.0	In December 2010, a young fruit seller called Mohammed Wazizi set himself a light outside a government office in a small town in southern Tunisia
1:17.0	after local officials seized his cart and produce. This one event would trigger a wave of popular anger that spread across Tunisia and then the wider Middle East. One of the anthems of the Arab Spring was Kelum Tihora or My Word is Free by a young Tunisian singer called Emil Mathruthi.
1:45.0	It was at one of the big demonstrations in the capital Tunis that
1:53.4	M.L. stood among a huge crowd of protesters
1:56.6	and sang her song.
1:58.2	The song is a tribute to the power of people
2:00.8	when they're united and the desire and the thirst for freedom.
2:06.0	It was just me singing from my heart.
2:10.0	Someone captured Emil's passion on their phone and posted it on the internet.
	...

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