The 26th edition of the Carthage Theatre Days (JTC) launched Monday its International Theatre Forum today, gathering a constellation of playwrights, directors, and academics from Tunisia and abroad for a three-day dialogue centered on a pressing theme: “The Theatre Artist, Their Time, and Their Work.”
The forum, running until November 26, aims to collectively examine the role of theatrical art through a dual lens: the artist as a witness to their era, and the challenges of positioning art within a specific social context. Following an opening address by the event’s artistic director, Mohamed Mounir Argui, the stage was set for a profound and questioning keynote from a titan of the Arab stage.
Fadhel Jaïbi: A Master’s Sceptical Interrogation
The opening session was dominated by the celebrated and often controversial Tunisian director and writer, Fadhel Jaïbi, introduced by academic Abdelhalim Messaoudi as a figure with a “career of over 50 years of engaged theatre.”
Jaïbi immediately set a challenging tone, questioning the very foundation of the art form. “Our primary concern is to be witnesses to our time,” he began, citing the enduring relevance of Sophocles and Shakespeare. “But the question we must ask today is whether theatre can change our profound self, our unconscious, our animality?”
In a candid and sobering assessment, Jaïbi argued that while theatre can awaken consciousness, it is powerless against humanity’s baser instincts. “I tell you no. Theatre can awaken a certain awareness, but it can do nothing against our inner animality. We must stop pretending it can change it,” he stated, leaving the audience to ponder his subsequent question: “So why continue? Perhaps for a cathartic, therapeutic reason…”
He concluded by framing our era as a radical transition comparable to the European Renaissance, marked by moral crises and consumerism. “So, why make theatre? It is an essential question from an anthropological point of view, and I pose it to you,” he said, leaving the question hanging in the air.
A Call for a Pan-African Cultural Network
The forum then shifted to a more pragmatic perspective with Abdramane Kamaté, a cultural manager from Côte d’Ivoire and director of MASA, Africa’s largest platform for the performing arts. Presented by Ali Bennour, Kamaté brought a rare managerial voice to the discussion.
He critiqued the continent’s unstable cultural ecosystem and its lack of long-term strategy, calling for a decisive break from often ill-adapted European models. “We must decentralize our gaze and draw inspiration from other experiences in the Global South, like Indonesia, Rwanda, and Brazil,” he urged.
Kamaté emphasized the urgent need to bridge the gap between North and Sub-Saharan Africa, noting the 53 Tunisian applications to MASA as a sign of vibrant artistic potential. His central thesis was a call to action: “The priority is to create a solid African cultural network, capable of structuring a real economy for the performing arts.” He concluded with a powerful affirmation: “Our natural resources may run out, but our creativity will not. It is up to us to transform it together into a force.”
Voices from the Stage and Academy
The forum also heard from a prominent Moroccan actress, director, and film-maker, who now leads a public drama institute in Rabat. Introduced by Professor Saïd Karimi, she championed a vision of art built on “plural and diverse thought,” nurtured by a constant process of construction and deconstruction—a mindset she links to her own nomadic childhood.
She highlighted the symbiotic relationship she shares with her students, stating, “I learn a great deal from my students; their freshness and new perspective inspire me.” Despite acknowledging the doubts and obstacles artists face, she affirmed her unwavering commitment: “I insist on being here, now and forever.”
The first day concluded with an homage to Professor Mohamed Massoud Driss, presented by Youssef Mesbah Mars, shedding light on an eminent career dedicated to cultural research, management, and a prolific scientific output, rounding out a day of deep reflection on the past, present, and future of theatre.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Douha Essaafi)
