Sirine opens "Musicians from Tunisia" festival

2009-05-28

The "Musicians from Tunisia" festival strives to bring together musical genres from across the Maghreb. Young people are increasingly interested in discovering this music, noted Tunisian singer Sirine.

By Mona Yahia for Magharebia in Tunis – 28/05/09

[Mona Yahia] Musicians from Tunisia feature artistic genres of Maghreb heritage, said Mourad Sakli, festival director.

The third "Musicians from Tunisia" festival kicked off on Friday (May 22nd) at the Arab and Mediterranean Music Centre in Baron d'Erlanger Palace in Tunis, with the participation of young musicians from all over Tunisia. The artists will present different genres of music from those seen in commercial venues.

The opening soirée of the festival included the show of "Magharebiat" by Tunisian artist Sirine Ben Mousa, in which she sang a group of songs of Maghreb heritage, such as maalouf, malhoun, and Algerian chaabi music.

A large audience who came especially to discover the original Maghreb music attended the show.

"It's a one hundred percent Maghreb show," said Sirine. "I chose this because the Maghreb genre suits my voice and it's closer to us than the Mashreq genre. We possess the same traditions and heritage, and therefore, must give it the attention it deserves."

This genre of music used to be restricted to a certain elite of people, Sirine explained. "However, I have noted increasing interest among the young people in these shows."

"The artist performed the Maghreb genre with excellence," said concertgoer Zeineb. "We enjoyed the show."

Sirine presented Tunisian, Moroccan, and Algerian rhythms, with lyrics from the Maghreb, such as "kan fi omri eshrin" from Morocco, "belhawa qalbi" from Tunisia, and "haramet beik noaasi" from Algeria.

Sirine Ben Mousa studied music in Tunisia and France, and in 2007 and 2008 she participated in the closing ceremony of the Andalusian Music Festival in Algiers by joining the Great Maghreb Choir led by Rachid Qerbas.

The Musicians from Tunisia festival, which will run until May 31st, allows Tunisian musicians, whether composers or performers, to showcase their music and introduce their audiences to various genres and styles.

"The event enables the Tunisian audience to discover certain types of music not circulated in the commercial venues, Arab, or Tunisian media," said Mourad Sakli, the director of the festival. "It seeks to present these sorts of music in Tunisian and Maghreb dialects."

A documentary exhibition about the rich artistic career of late Tunisian musician Abdelhamid Ben Aljia will also be held in Ennejma Ezzahra, before being shown in other Tunisian provinces.