“Lady of Kerkouane” is an artistic scene of a bygone time and a historical mirror of the old Punic city that clung to the Mediterranean cities with its beauty and spirit on the eastern coast of the Cap Bon, and remained steadfast against time to hide its history and treasures in its hollow, chosen by the Ministry of Culture as the opening of the Heritage Month, whose activities were officially launched Saturday evening, and announced by Culture Minister Amina Sarrarfi under the slogan “Heritage and Art, Memory of Civilization”.
Under a clear spring sky and the usual coolness of the night in coastal cities, for 30 minutes, the audience of Karakawan’s guests, diplomats, art and media professionals, as well as the city’s residents, watched the performance, which began with the Birsa boy “Arish” introducing the city, which was one of the brides of the Mediterranean cities, when Carthage was the lady of the Mediterranean and a cradle of science, advanced agriculture, reading and a sophisticated political system.
/Scene
In a vibrant alleyway in Karkouane, the city begins to heal its wounds after the violent invasion led by Agathocles in 310 BC. The audience travels with the sons and daughters of the city on a dreamy sensory journey to the heart of the Punic city, where the smells of spices mingle with the voices of craftsmen, sailors, merchants and chants of ancient beliefs, and the laughter of children and their play in the streets mingle with the heartbeats of lovers and their dreams, as well as the laughter of children and their play in the streets.
Everything in this city indicates tranquility, calm and a life of luxury, and amid this atmosphere stands out the Lady of Carcassonne, a prominent figure of great importance who lived between the middle of the fourth century and the beginning of the third century BC and symbolizes the wisdom and sophistication of the city, but this calm was not long in the third century BC, the Roman legions invaded the city and completely destroyed it and scattered salt on its land, but hope remains in that child who rose from his ashes with wheat in his hand.
After the Roman invasion, Karkouan fell into oblivion for centuries, until fate brought it back to life in the 1950s by chance and discovered that this city contained its treasures and protected it from the ravages of time, and it was officially included on the World Heritage List in 1986.
/ Artistic visualization of the scene
Director of the Dramatic Arts Center in Nabeul, Wajdi Elkaidi, used artificial intelligence technology by evoking the boy of Birsa, Atish, who presented the time period in which the events took place, while the actor and trainer Houssem Sahli directed the play, and the script was written by Amin ElKhamassi from the General Directorate of Heritage (GDH).
The scene was performed by 40 actors and actresses, including professors and theater students, among them, Mariam Al Aridh, who played the role of “Lady Karkouane” by performing hymns in the ancient Punic language that was discovered on excavations and reviewed by Kholoud Bennour. The music, which was also inspired by excavations in which musical notes were found, was composed by Waddah elouni, and the costumes were designed by heritage researcher Shadia Ettroudi.
According to director Wajdi ElKaidi, under an agreement with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, this scene is expected to be transformed into operas depicting the history of Carthage and its greatness, as Kerkouane, and through it Carthage, is a “living dream.”
By choosing the archaeological site of Kerkouane to inaugurate the Heritage Month, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs aims to promote this unique site, which has yet to reveal its secrets, especially the cemetery, which unfortunately has not been fully valued by the authorities, whether in terms of securing and preparing the road leading to it or placing signs that guide visitors to it.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Dhouha Talik – English: NejiMed)
