Carthage- le 18 avril

Today we went to Carthage. It was really neat to see and touch things that have existed for centuries. Sometimes I have a hard time imagining that the Romans built these monuments- it's really extraordinary. We don't have things like that in the States. It's was being in Carthage that made me realize just what it means when people say "the United States is a young country".

While on the tour of Carthage, we learned the history of the Carthaginians and how they were beaten several times by the Romans. I had studied this stuff in high school, but since I don't use it, it took a little time for it all to start coming back to me. We also talked about the what "Punic" and "Carhtaginian" mean. Punic is the mix between the indigenous people in Tunisia and the Romans, just fyi.

In Carthage, we went into the Cathedral of St. Louis. It was enormous with byzantine art that was really pretty. Unfortunately, when Tunisia won its independence, most of the catholic churches were closed or turned into administrative buildings. I find that absolutely saddening because it's as if the state prohibits the practice of certain religions. I imagine it must be difficult to a Catholic in Tunisia. Let's say, for the sake of argument, there were a family that wanted to live in Tunisia, but this family also happened to be really religious- namely, really catholic. I don't think they would be willing to pay the price of giving of their religion in order to move. This whole closing of the churches thing also makes me feel that there is a lack of tolerance in Tunisia. We talked to guide about homosexuality, and he told us that homosexuals were treated in a "disagreeable manner". I found that astounding, because even in the States people at least pretend to be tolerant, and hold their tongues... What's more is that in Tunisia, it's not just the people who are intolerant- it's the government!

Tonight, we went to a show in the Cultural Center of Carthage. There, one of our professors had a part in the play. The play was about the walls that we build that just foster more misunderstandings between countries- the Berlin wall, the one they want to build between Cali and Mexico, etc. But, I also saw other "walls"- the one between men and women, the one between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, and the one between the people and the government. It was a really interesting play especially since I like to analyse those kinds of things.

After the play, we were invited to a celebration because it was opening night for the show, and they wanted to celebrate its success. Well, what I think was supposed to be a small celebration was transformed into a big dance party- typical of Americans (and Tunisians, I suppose). In any case, it was a really great night! Everyone was really nice and welcoming!