From Proselytisation to Intellectual Dialogue

​​The Institute with the old-fashioned sounding name, domiciled in a beautiful house on the edge of the Old City of Tunis, originates from the time when Tunisia was governed under the French protectorate.

Many people are of the opinion that the Institute is one of the most valuable things to have survived from this era, which may have given the country a new infrastructure but also caused a lot of suffering.

The centre on the Rue Jamaa el Haoua was founded in 1926 by friars of the "Pères Blancs" order, which had devoted itself to the conversion of North Africa. Yet even from the very beginning the friars had a particular interest in learning and communicating the local culture and language that were, to them, so foreign.

They believed that only in this way might it be possible to familiarize the local population with the Christian message.

Monks from many different European countries were thus given a solid introduction to the Arabic language and to Tunisian culture.

From proselytisation to intellectual dialogue

Soon, however, the IBLA began to focus on goals quite different from missionary work. On the one hand it aimed to establish a place where Christian Europeans and Muslim Tunisians could meet and exchange ideas. On the other hand, those in charge at the IBLA set themselves the goal of documenting the many-faceted reality of their guest country.

This, then, was also the birth of the Revue de l'IBLA, the first edition of which was published in 1937 and which has astonishingly survived all the storms of time that have swept over it in the intervening years.

​​In the beginning, the Revue was just a modest bulletin, copied and collated on loose-leaf pages. It was read mainly by French colons, who wanted to understand better the world of their Tunisian agricultural labourers or employees.

As early as the 1940s, however, the Revue became increasingly open to the ideas of the Tunisian nationalist movement, and this led to repeated tensions with the colonial authorities. During this period the Revue was accused of trying to "implant" bad ideas in Tunisians' heads.

However, the people in charge at the IBLA refused to be put off, and their Revue continued to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas. They also documented faithfully all the publications and periodicals that were published on Tunisian soil.

The post-colonial period

This orientation allowed the IBLA to continue to operate in Tunisia even after the country achieved independence. The fact that Tunisians had worked on the Revue right from the very first number published in 1937, as well as the significance that the IBLA had long since acquired as both a library and a centre for study, guaranteed its continued existence.

It also soon became apparent that the independence the IBLA and its Revue had shown towards the colonial authorities was also useful under the new government.

Thus the Revue would frequently discuss books or scientific studies, the content of which was not approved of by the Tunisian censorship authorities. The editorial board, however, stuck to its high ethical and scientific standards.

Today the Revue de l'IBLA is not only the oldest but also the most renowned journal in the country. It is understood that anyone in Tunisia who wants to have an academic career in the arts or human sciences must have published something in the Revue.

Literary, historical and sociological themes

Today the Revue's editorial board consists of seven Tunisian academics, among them four women, a Spanish nun, and two "Pères Blancs" from the IBLA. The roughly 200-page journal appears twice a year. Some of the texts are written in Arabic, some in French, and occasionally some are published in English.

​​They constitute on the one hand scientific studies on literary, historical or sociological themes, and on the other extensive reviews of new publications. In most cases the texts are related in some way, directly or indirectly, to Tunisia. December of this year will see the publication of the 200th edition of the Revue.

The "positive neutrality" it has been practising for decades is perhaps one of the secrets of the success of both the IBLA and its Revue, according to Jean Fontaine, the long-time head of the IBLA.

By this, Fontaine means the strict avoidance of any meddling in Tunisian politics, but also the maintenance of a clear distance from any attempts by either political parties or the authorities to monopolize it.

Jean Fontaine

In Tunisia, however, it is an open secret that the IBLA's excellent reputation is primarily the work of Jean Fontaine. Born more than 70 years ago in northern France, the monk originally studied mathematics. Later, however, he devoted himself increasingly to the Arab world and studied its language and literature extensively.

Following some periods of study in the Middle East, Fontaine has now lived for more than 45 years in Tunisia, his adoptive country to which he feels strongly attached. The versatile monk's primary area of study was modern Tunisian literature in Arabic, and he has written many of the standard reference books on this subject.

Fontaine is also considered to be one of the best-informed people in the country. Many authoritative sources we spoke to agreed that no other foreigner in Tunisia is as familiar with the daily lives and worries of the people, as well as with the general conditions in the country.

In spite of his age, Jean Fontaine still makes a very lively contribution to public debate, writes articles, and lectures regularly. He no longer assumes an official function at the IBLA, but he is still committed to its work and remains a presence in the background, giving a warm welcome to anyone who approaches him for information.

Beat Stauffer

© NZZ/Qantara.de 2007

Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins

This article was previously published by the Swiss daily, Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

Qantara.de

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