On Friday, March 27, Tunisia put for the first time a bank note in honor of a woman, Tawhida Ben Cheikh, an emblematic figure of the country.
It's new! For the very first time, a Tunisian bank note bearing the image of a woman has just been put into circulation. It is Tawhida Ben Cheikh, doctor, pediatrician then gynecologist but above all the first Muslim woman in the Arab world to exercise these professions.
The director of the Treasury of the Central Bank of Tunisia, Abdelaziz bin Said, announced last year that she would be honored on the new 10 dinar bill in order to "to honor Tunisian women"The appearance of this new ticket in the middle of a health crisis is therefore pure coincidence. Nevertheless, Abdelaziz bin Said declared that its circulation was coming"at an opportune time to honor health professionals who are on the front line in Tunisia's fight against the new coronavirus ". The back of the ticket tribute to the craftswoman with illustration of Berber pottery and jewelry.
Tawhida Ben Cheikh is a true pioneer in her field in North Africa. In 1928, she became the first woman to obtain a bachelor's degree. She then studied medicine in Paris, becoming the first female doctor of modern medicine in Tunisia. She then specialized in gynecology and launched several campaigns around access to contraception and abortion.
This notably led to the legalization of abortion in 1965. However, this right was only granted to married women with more than five children and only with the approval of their husbands. Eight years later, the country allowed abortion in the first trimester for all women, regardless of their husband's permission.
Tawhida Ben Cheikh was also the first female doctor to sit on the National Council of the Tunisian Medical Association. She was also vice-president of the Tunisian Red Crescent and founded the first family planning clinic in her country. An emblematic figure, she died at the age of 101 in December 2010.
According to a 2017 study, only 15% of the world's banknotes honor women. Tawhida Ben Cheikh, however, is not the first woman to appear on a bank note in the Arab world. She replaces Dido, also known as Queen Elissa, Phoenician princess. Moreover, the 500 Syrian pounds note is in the image of Zenobia, a third century queen of the Palmyrian Empire who led a revolt against the Roman Empire.
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by Sarah Chekroun