Cote d’Ivoire Reggae singer Alpha Blonde, Nigeria’s CKay, and K-pop band BIG are among the stars at the Tunisia’s Carthage Music Festival on Thursday after a two-year COVID break. One of North Africa’s most prestigious music events, the 56th International Carthage Festival is back with the slogan “We are resurrected and breathing art.”
The 2020 and 2021 editions were canceled as the pandemic struck Tunisia, but the festival returned with 33 shows at the Roman Amphitheater in Carthage, which can accommodate 12,000 spectators. Thursday night kicks off with a musical comedy by Tunisian film director Abdelhamid Bushnak. It will also feature the famous Iraqi oud player Naseer Shamma, Tunisian singers Saber Levi and Balti, and Egyptian pop star Sirin.
“The return of the festival means the return of energy to our lives,” said Youssef Rakchem, head of the Government and Cultural Institution of Tunisia. A year after President Kais Saied took a dramatic seize of power at the birthplace of the Arab Spring Uprising, the festival was named a coup by opponents and the festival was held for a referendum on July 25. I will take a rest for 2 days. – AFP
