Oral history interview with Nebil Chemek, 2015

Biographical Note

Nebil Chemek was assistant to the Tunisian minister of communication technologies and digital economy in the Habib Essid cabinet (2015-2016). In 2014, Nebil Chemek was elected director of Afek Tounes's election campaign. Chemek is a manager in a multinational company specializing in software publishing. He served as regional campaign director during the 2011 elections

Scope and Contents

Nebil Chemek discusses Tunisian politics and his own goals as special assistant to Noomane Fehri, the minister of communication technologies and digital economy in the Habib Essid cabinet. Before the 2010-2011 revolution, Chemek did not participate in national or local politics; he devoted his time to environmental associations and sports teams. Following the revolution, he joined the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) and, later, Afek Tounes. He describes the Ministry of Communication Technologies' major goals for 2020, which include digitizing governmental communications and primary and secondary school learning resources, and increasing national Internet access. He examines the trajectory of Afek Tounes, suggesting while Afek Tounes has merged with other parties and separated again in recent years, Chemek maintains that these changes do not reflect political instability. Instead, he is optimistic about Tunisian politics. He believes that the government will continue to move towards transparency and stability, since the country has a tradition of tolerance. He ends with an analysis of challenges that Tunisia faces for the future

Subjects

• Arab Spring, 2010-
• Bearman, Peter S., 1956-, interviewer.
• Chemek, Nebil--Interviews.
• Information technology--Tunisia
• Interviews
• Oral histories
• Revolutions--Tunisia.
• Tunisia--Officials and employees--Interviews
• Tunisia--Politics and government--2011-

Access Conditions

Copyright by the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, 2015