Carthage Festival hopes to recapture audiences

09/07/2008

Participants in the International Festival of Carthage revealed the latest program of one the oldest and richest arts festivals in Africa and the Arab world, in hopes of making up for lacklustre editions in previous years.

By Mona Yahia and Jamel Arafaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 09/07/08

[Getty Images] Egyptian singer Shirine performs at the 2007 International Festival of Carthage. Organisers hope this year's edition will be a resounding success.

Artists from the Maghreb, the Arab world and Europe are coming to Tunisia to participate in the 44th International Festival of Carthage, scheduled to run from Friday (July 11th) through mid-August.

This year's festival will kick off with a big youth show entitled "The gathering and gaiety of Tunisia", in which more than 1,000 artists will portray scenes from everyday life in Tunisia, such as the marketplace, the café, the bus, the beach and others in a mélange of acting and singing. According to festival director Samir Belhaj Yahia, the 90-minute show "will comprise a medley of live scenes in a blend of the serious and the absurd."

The scenes will form parts of a dream, continued Yahia, played by actors, musicians and dancers against a backdrop of summer and the month of Ramadan. The show also attempts to capture patriotism and dialog with young people.

When asked about the opening performance's focus on youth, Yahia replied, "Youth form the cornerstone of Tunisian society... it is essential to bring their issues into the spotlight."

Theatre director Slim Sanhaji explained the philosophy in greater detail.

"What the show does not emphasise is even greater," he told Magharebia. "All youth issues will be presented joyfully. It does not mean taking those issues lightly at all; it is merely an artistic approach."

In line with the naming of 2008 as the year of "Dialogue with Youth", the government has conducted surveys across the nation to better understand problems with employment, education and sports young Tunisians face every day.

Festival organisers hope to recapture the public's interest, after widespread criticism of its selection of artists in previous editions.

Dalel Ben Bechir, in her forties, commented on the programme this year, saying, "I might head for Carthage this summer for the festival, since it is featuring big names such as Nour Mhenna and Saber Rebai. But to be honest, I am not really sure I will. The festival lost its lustre years ago when it was thronged by restaurant singers, who are absolute nobodies."

The Carthage audience falls into two classes: those who are out to enjoy music, regardless of the content, and those who will not settle for anything less than fine art. Mokhtar Ben Mna wondered how the festival, "which had previously rolled out the carpet to grand divas of music stooped so low as to let in oriental restaurant entertainers".

In a statement to Magharebia, critic Hacen Ben Hmed said, "I think we can call this year's festival the 'reconciliation round', where the organisers will try to make up with the audience and also make up with real artists."

Ben Hmed called on music lovers to allocate a separate budget for the festival, "because all shows are tempting and will draw all audience of various ages. I think no one will fail to find something to his or her liking in this year's programme, including youth."

The Ministry of Culture has allocated an estimated 1.5 million dinars to support the event, knowing that tickets range in price from eight to twenty dinars.

Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, said on June 15th in a meeting with the culture minister that priority in the festival should be given to Tunisian creative artists in the event, while still "being open to other arts and cultures".

Notable performers on this year's schedule are Saber Rebai, Nour Mhenna, Majda Erroumi and Sean Paul, among many others.