(Photo: Courtesy of Agora)
The third edition of the Bab ElBahr Festival is scheduled to take place between 14 and 16 July in Sousse, Tunisia, with a second round scheduled for September in Egypt.
This year’s festival aims at “promoting cultural tourism and embedding culture in the daily life of the individuals, while also countering violence and extremism from a cultural perspective,” according to a press release issued by Agora, the festival's co-organiser and an Alexandria-based cultural institution.
Agora was founded in 2011 to “provide an outlet for creative community involvement through education, dissemination and production of arts and culture.”
Bab ElBahr is also organised by group We Love Sousse, which was established in 2011 with the objective of “improving the quality of life in the city of Sousse.”
“The festival features discussions, debates, workshops and exhibitions as well as a festive day with public space performances in Tunisia and Egypt,” reads the press release.
Egypt is due to have a vibrant role in the three-day festival. On 15 July, Alexandria-based El-Madina for Performing and Digital Arts will give theatre workshops.
Also scheduled for the same day are a seminar titled Creative and Social Entrepreneurship/Cultural Management by Reem Kassem, Agora’s founding director; a photography exhibition from Egypt and Tunisia, as well as a stage performance titled Lost and Found by Egypt’s Al-Darb Al-Ahmar Arts School (DAAS).
On 16 July, El-Madina for Performing and Digital Arts will bring to Sousse their Street Carnival, a street theatre initiative that seeks to showcase marginalised and minority cultures through street theatre performances.
A concert by Egyptian singer Shereen Abdo is also scheduled for the same day.
Bab Elbahr is supported by a number of entities, including Tunisia’s Ministry of Culture, The Culture Resource, Agha Khan Trust for Culture and Alfanar.
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