(Image Source: Flickr/cjb22)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY

Saturday marked the one-year anniversary of a Tunisian street vendor setting himself on fire in protest after authorities confiscated his fruit cart. His act of protest is seen as a catalyst for the wave civil unrest known as the Arab Spring.

Here’s euronews with a recap.

“Mohamed Bouazizi, an unemployed university graduate, died in hospital over two weeks later. His death unleashed angry protests against President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali – anger that had built up during his 23-year authoritarian rule. The protests spread across the country and Ben Ali eventually fled to Saudi Arabia on January 14.”

The protests weren’t contained to Tunisia. A writer for the National Post explains how Bouazizi’s act of defiance tapped into the resentment many Arabs already felt toward their governments.

“Mr. Bouazizi’s death unleashed a wave of pent-up anger across the Arab world; inspired a dozen copycat self-immolations in Arab capitals from Cairo to Algiers; and spawned protests that shared techniques of civil resistance involving strikes, demonstrations, marches, rallies and the use of social media to organize and raise awareness.”

The region has now seen three toppled regimes: in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, while Yemen’s president has transferred his powers to the deputy, agreeing to resign by February next year. In Syria, bloody clashes between protesters and authorities continue. (Video: BBC)

But has anything changed in Bouazizi’s hometown, where the BBC reports that a statue has been unveiled in his honor?

Al Jazeera says no. A reporter returned to the scene of the incident that started it all -- and found that not much has improved.

“Protesters gather outside the governor’s office in the Tunisian city of Sidi Bouzid. They are young, poor and very angry."
Protester: “People in Sidi Bouzid are marginalized. Some of us are farmers, the others are smugglers. If we go to Libya we might be killed, if we complain here they dismiss us. Nothing’s been achieved. No roads built, no running water, no factories, no job opportunities.”

Analysts now speak of the onset of an Arab Winter that follows the Spring—referring to the slow pace of change in the region. But on CNN, one Middle East expert says the seasonal distinctions are misleading.

“Many seasons will come and go in the transformative years that lie ahead for the Arab world. Revolutions take time to settle. The transformation of societies takes even longer. The colored revolutions of Eastern Europe, two decades on, are still developing. It took centuries for democratic systems to be refined in Europe. We cannot expect democracy in the Middle East to be solidified in only one year.”

Tunisia installed its interim president -- Moncef Marzouki -- last week. He has proposed a six-month political truce and suspension of protests, vowing to step down if no progress is achieved within that period.