Year: 2017

International Festival brings different cultures to Marshall

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Students and restaurants representing at least 30 countries around the world attracted what organizers hoped to be upward of 2,000 people Saturday evening to Marshall University’s 54th annual International Festival at the Memorial Student Center. The event was free to attend, but guests could purchase tickets to sample foods in the first-floor lobby from different international restaurants throughout the Tri-State, such as Chateau d’Italia, El Ranchito, New China Garden Buffet, The Cellar Door and Marshall Dining by Sodexo. Flags from different countries lined the walls of the Don Morris Room…

The Rise Of The African Woma

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In March, the MasterCard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) report was released and it contained good news. Uganda has the highest percentage (34.8%) of women business owners in the world. The East African country led in various key components of the survey; the highest percentage (90.5%) of female entrepreneurs in the world borrowing and saving money to start a business, highest (93.9%) labor force participation rate and a 100% women entrepreneurial activity rate, meaning women are as likely as men to start a business. Notably, cultural perceptions of female entrepreneurs…

Tunisian olive oil output to reach record levels this season

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Tunisia expects its olive oil output to triple in the November-December season to a record 280,000 tons, which will boost exports, a minister said on Monday. Tunisia is among the world’s top exporters of olive oil, in which both consumers and investors are showing a growing interest. “Olive oil output is to reach record and exceptional levels this season… It will reach about 280,000 tons for this first time, against only 95,000 tons last year,” Agriculture Minister Samir Bettaib said. The olive oil industry relies on 70 million olive trees…

How A Tunisian Town Helped Me Combat My Burnout

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It took me 5 months of physical pain, dozen medical tests, and visits to many doctors to realize I was suffering from a burnout. For some reason, I was in a state of denial. I wanted it to be something physical because I knew it would be more difficult to overcome stress and pressure. I reached a stage when every try to relax would result in pain around my eyes, so I would get up and do something, and there was always something to do. My friends advised me to…

28th Carthage Film Festival kicks off in Tunisia

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The 28th Carthage Film Festival (JCC) kicked off in Tunis on Saturday. Some 180 films will be screened among different competition categories namely the official competition, the official selection out of competition, and parallel selections. The official competition includes 51 films from 27 countries in addition to 14 feature-length fictions, 15 short fictions and 8 short documentaries. The opening ceremony was marked by the screening of the film “Writing on the Snow” by Palestinian director Rashid Mashrawi. “The proposed films of this year’s festival will focus on many themes such as…

Tunisian art festival gives voice to younger generation

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While this year’s festival attracted about 1,500 visitors, it won the respect of prominent Tunisian artists. An art festival for aspiring Tunisian artists shed new light on the country’s al­ternative art scene. Tunis Scene Libre, which took place for the first time in October, was touted as one of the first festivals devoted exclusively to young artists. “The festival is an initiative to promote the alternative cultural scene,” said Ghassen Labidi, one of the festival’s founders. “This has been a lifelong dream that started years ago as we contributed to…

WTM 2017: Brits increasingly open to Tunisia trip

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One in five British holidaymakers say they may visit Tunisia, now that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has relaxed its travel advice, according to research by World Travel Market London. A poll of more than 1,000 Brits who have taken a holiday in 2017 asked: “The UK government has recently removed its advice against travelling to Tunisia. How likely are you to visit the country in the future?” Almost one in ten per cent said ‘somewhat likely’; seven per cent said ‘quite likely’; and four per cent said ‘extremely likely’…

China made 10% of tourists visiting Africa in 2016

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he massive influx of Chinese tourists to Africa has in the recent years made a buzz, and it is for all possible reasons. After seven consecutive years of annual double-digit growth in spending, China continues to lead global outbound travel, reaching US$ 261 billion of Chinese travelers’ expenditure in 2016, a 12% growth since 2012. Approximately 135 million Chinese outbound tourists travelled in 2016, out of which 10% were bound for Africa up from 3% in 2008. As at the end of Q1/2016, China’s economy stood at an approximate $11.3…

Could running be the key to living longer?

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s New York limbers up to host the world’s biggest marathon on Sunday, runners around the world will be picturing its storied finish line to push for that extra kilometer (mile). But is running actually good for your health? Yes, say experts, as long as you are careful. Running for a longer life Runners are 30 percent less likely to have a premature death and 45 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than non-runners, according to a US study published March in the journal Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.…

Tunisia best in Arab world for gender equality

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Gender equality in the Middle East and North Africa is at its best in Tunisia and the country is currently ranked 117th out of 144 countries surveyed by the latest Global Gender Gap Index. After ten years of progress, the gender gap is widening for the first time in almost a decade and the gap between men and women in the areas of health, education, politics and employment is further accentuated, according to the latest report on gender equality prepared by World Economic Forum. Tunisia has improved slightly with a score of 0.651…