By Habib Toumi
TUNIS: Ten years ago, a Tunisian street vendor set himself ablaze.
Mohammed Bouazizi was one of many young men in the town of Sidi Bouzid in central Tunisia and elsewhere trying to make ends meet by doing odd jobs.
He did not finish high school successfully and without the much-coveted diploma, his chances for securing a steady job requiring academic qualifications were limited. He resorted to use a cart to sell fruit and vegetables.
The local municipality required him to have a license to sell fruit and vegetables, which he reportedly did not possess.
On December 17, 2010, he was selling vegetables off his cart when municipality agents approached him and asked to see his license. As he failed to produce it, one of the agents, Fedia Hamdi, gave him a TD 10 ($6.86) fine. An argument ensued and narratives here differed widely, depending on who is reporting what happened.