Announcing the program, which runs from July 19 to August 21, 2025, Hend Mokrani, Director of the Festivals Establishment (ENPFMCA), stressed that the Carthage International Festival represents an opportunity for cultural and artistic exchange, as it is a universal language that transcends borders and reflects the spirit of any era through this festival. She also pointed out that the festival is carried out with a budget of 3 million dinars, coming from a number of state-allocated funds, revenues and sponsorship as resources.
At the same time, the festival’s management reaffirmed Tunisia’s unwavering commitment to the Palestinian people’s struggle for the restitution of all their rights and the establishment of their independent state with Al-Quds as its capital, while mentioning that it had ensured that this edition would include performances in support of Palestine and its people, in tribute to their resistance and resilience, and in defense of their right to life and freedom. Hence the controversy surrounding Hélène Segara.
The opening show by composer Mohamed Garfi features a scene recounting Tunisia’s support for the Palestinian cause since independence.
Artist Riadh Fehri, in turn, pays tribute to the children of Ramallah in his show, and the voice of Palestinian singer Nai Barghouthi will be heard in artist Karim Thlibi’s show Imagine ton âme écouter.
The program also welcomes two emblematic Palestinian artists, renowned for their commitment to their homeland and for denouncing the atrocities of the occupation through their art: Mohammed Assaf and Saint Levant.
Already announced two days earlier, the 59th edition of the Carthage International Festival ( July 19 – August 21, 2025 ) includes twenty shows in all.
Nine Tunisian shows are on the program, including:
– Opening night with Mohamed Garfi’s “Men kaa el khabia”: a show featuring the Tunisian Symphony Orchestra, the Tunis Opera Choir and the Troupe Nationale Tunisienne des Arts populaires, with Hamza Fadhaloui on vocals, Chokri Omar Hanachi, Jamel Madani and Chedly Hajji as guest of honor.
– “Tapis Rouge 2” by Riad Fehri scheduled for July 20 with Sakaya Katsuki, Marcello Biondolillo and Brennan Gilimore.
– “Binomi S+1” by Aziz Jebali, on July 22, the only play scheduled for this edition.
– A show by Latifa Arfaoui on July 25 to celebrate the Tunisian Republic Day.
– Another Tunisian evening on July 28: 16 renowned singers under the baton of maestro Youssef Belheni.
– La Nuit des Chefs” on August 01.
– Karim Thlibi’s “Imagine” on August 8.
– A show by Sofia Sadok on August 13 to celebrate National Women’s Day.
For the rest, the shows are as follows:
– Ibrahim Maalouf & ; The Trumpets of Michelangelo on July 26.
– Mohamed Assaf on July 27.
– Nassif Zeytoun on July 30.
– Nancy Ajram on August 2.
– A show by Chantal Goya on August 3.
– Marwan Abdelhamid alias Saint Levant on August 5.
– Najwa Karam on August 9.
– An evening of ballets folkloriques du monde on August 11.
– Ky-Mani Marley on August 17.
– Egyptian singer May Farouk on August 16 for a special Om Kalthoum concert.
– Adam on August 18.
– Ahlem on August 21.
TunisianMonitorOnline (CBR)
