The impoverished countryside of Khadem in Sidi Bouzid Governorate is famously known in Tunisia as the hometown of Mohamed Bouazizi, the desperate street vendor who set himself on fire and began the Arab Spring.

The impoverished countryside of Khadem in Sidi Bouzid Governorate is famously known in Tunisia as the hometown of Mohamed Bouazizi, the desperate street vendor who set himself on fire and began the Arab Spring.

But Sidi Bouzid boasts another heroine with the potentional to change the governorate’s future even more than the legendary “martyr”.  Her name is Hayat Omri and this past February she won the gold medal for Best Inventor in 2012/2013 at the International Inventor Olympiad, which featured 120 participants from 10 countries. The event was organized by the European Inventor Award and held in Tunis.

Omri’s discovery was improving the quality of phosphoric acid, which has significant economic and environmental effects. It is an invention that institutions and foreign countries are striving to get, but Omri said her country was worthier of it.  This is neither Omri’s first award nor is it the first time she has caught the attention of the international science scene.

In 2007, she was honored by Mohammed VI of Morocco after she had participated in an international conference, and in 2008 she was chosen by the European Union as one of the best researchers in the Mediterranean countries.

“I have been honored many times but the initiative of my fellow people in my city, Regueb, and honoring me at my institute is beyond comparison. I will never forget the day I  received the award, ” Omri said of the fateful day last March.      

Gifted from the start

 “Her school bag was bigger than her body,” remembered her first grade teacher Abdulhamid Khaskhoussi, “ but she already seemed promising at that early age.”

After finishing high school in Regueb, Omri continued her studies at the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (NIAST) where she earned a Ph.D. in applied chemistry as well as an MA and an engineering degree in industrial chemistry. She has also taken part in many national and international scientific conferences.

A role model for women?

Omri’s friend, Malika Falihi, wonders why a Tunisian woman with four patents in chemistry has not been honored in her own country? Falili cited obstacles faced by Omri in Tunisia although her friend has been honored and welcomed by many countries and international organizations.

“Many political parties, including Ennahda, tried to honor me but I refused lest my success should be exploited for other purposes,” she explained.

NIAST’s director and a number of Regueb’s residents claimed it is the Islmaist-led government which indirectly places obstacles in Omri’s way through refraining from encouraging and honoring her officially – only a week ago was she honored by President Moncef Marzouki.

They say that the freedom of women has become threatened after since revolution, but Omri was more optimistic. “Tunisian women should not be frightened by anything,” Omri said. “They will protect their rights and remain active partners in the public life.”