Carthage Music Festival returns with focus on Tunisia’s local talent

TUNIS, Tunisia — The Carthage Music Festival has returned to the cultural calendar of the Tunisian capital with its 11th edition, following a hiatus of nearly two years.

The festival placed particular emphasis on Tunisia’s music scene. A total of 26 groups were selected from 378 applications linked to participants from 15 countries, with Tunisian artists making up at least 60 per cent of the line-up.

The audience was mainly young, with performances spanning rap, heavy metal, traditional North African sounds, Arabic music, electronic music and pop.

VIPA performs ‘OBOS’

Tunisian rapper Kaïs Kekli, who performs under the name VIPA, presented songs from his latest album, OBOS, alongside 20 musicians at the Théâtre de l’Opéra.

The performance took place before a full 1,800-seat auditorium. Reflecting on his music, Kekli described one of his projects as a collective effort that also depended on the audience.

“‘One Band One Sound’ is a collective album, a group project where we were missing one member from the line-up, the audience,” he said.

Saharage unveils new show

Tunisian band Saharage brought its combination of heavy metal and traditional North African sounds to the festival. The group’s bassist and lead singer, Zaher Ben Abdallah, presented its new show, Apex Africa.

Abdallah said the project combines distorted guitars with African sounds and tells a story set in an imagined future shaped by both technological advancement and decline.

“Through our songs, we tell the story of a somewhat imaginary, apocalyptic future in which there has been a step backwards, whilst at the same time being technologically advanced,” Abdallah said.

He added that the narrative follows the Saharage tribe as it returns to traditional beliefs and confronts invaders.

“The so-called Saharage tribe is holding out, returning to Voodoo beliefs and all things traditional. The story tells of the journey of this particular tribe as it fights off all invaders,” he said.

Aouij draws on Tunisian roots

Singer, dancer and actress Molka Aouij also appeared with Back To My Roots, a production combining Arabic music, electronic and pop music, dance and a visual narrative.

Aouij, who is known to the public for roles in television series, is the daughter of Tunisian diva Amina Fakhet. She said the show was inspired primarily by Tunisia and sought to highlight local creative ability.

“My inspiration comes mainly from Tunisia, from our roots. I’ve tried to showcase and really highlight our artists, our potential, and our outstanding performers,” Aouij said.

Through its selection process and programming, the 11th edition underlined the festival’s confidence in Tunisia’s local music scene while also bringing together groups selected from applications connected to 15 countries.