I know that the Republicans and weak-kneed Dems want to keep it operational for ever. But at some point, when sanity and self-interest eventually prevail (this is America and that takes a long long time) this obvious self-inflicted black eye for the US will have to be shut down. And here's a brilliant improvisational idea from Tunisia for what to do with it – turn it into an improvised art gallery:
The police station in the Tunis suburb of La Goulette stands deserted at its posh location near the seaside boardwalk, its walls blackened by smoke and fire and windows smashed.
For many Tunisians, this place was a symbol of Ben Ali's repressive regime and the old guard — a place where bad things happened. That's why it was torched during Tunisia's popular uprising against Ben Ali, guide Wassim Ghozlani told Babylon & Beyond.
The exhibition is put on by a collective of Tunisian artists and photographers called Artocracy in Tunisia who are aiming to bring the voices of the people back to the streets of the country, breathe new life into places like the police station in La Goulette and shed old images of government repression through a photography project called "Inside Out."
According to [guide Wassim] Ghozlani, one of the aims of the project is to change people's perception of street imagery in Tunisia and to disseminate the opinions of ordinary citizens. And, of course, to show their faces. For many years, the majority of portraits many Tunisians saw in the streets were those of ex-President Ben Ali and his predecessor Habib Bourguiba.
So the idea was born to put up portraits of 100 Tunisians from across the sociopolitical spectrum and ask each one of them what they want for the future of their country. According to a press release by Artocracy in Tunisia, portraits will be put on display in four Tunisian cities in public areas and in places that either played an important part in the uprising or are considered symbols of the repression. Not surprisingly, the heavily guarded Ministry of Interior in Tunis is a top spot for the photographers to hang their portraits.
The Dish 