By John Owoo
(In Tunis – Tunisia)
The 40th anniversary of Journées Théâtrales de Carthage is being marked with a photo / poster exhibition that is full of history, nostalgia, perseverance and dedication at the Salle 4eme Art in the Tunisian capital Tunis.
It takes viewers on a mute journey through past decades of hard work that has led to the current situation, where over sixty theatre groups and experts from the Middle East, Africa, Europe and beyond are participating in the current festival.
Titled “Douroub”, the show uncovers magnificent productions that have been mounted over the years while revealing the faces and names behind these theatre pieces that have rocked local and international audiences over the past 40 years.
The exhibition equally dilates on the history of photography by showing how it has evolved and contributed to what is available today in terms of equipment and tools. It forcefully reveals how stories can be told through photos while enabling viewers to interpret them on their own volition.
Owing to lack of space, photos on display have been cramped together – nevertheless, they tell the story of a genre that has survived and thrived over a very long period – while inferring on the positive forays into the future.
Undeniably, the exhibition manages to articulate the different narratives that have marked these forty years of theatre – its techniques, aesthetics, metamorphoses and the vestiges that remain as well as the consequent intellectual and cultural issues.
Indeed, these photographs, which tend to immortalize and celebrate the theatrical act, seems to find their way back onstage while bringing to life old productions, their directors, actors, actresses, editors, cameramen and women and many others who contributed to its success.
Without doubt, these photographs have left their mark in the wake of rich history that cannot be erased and will forever be remembered and cherished by academics, historians, theatre practitioners and lovers alike.
