أمل الهذيلي

The Arab Theatre Institute selects Tunisian theatre pioneer Tawfiq Al‑Jabali to deliver the 2027 Arab Theatre Day address in recognition of his influential creative legacy, his founding of El Teatro as a major independent artistic space, and his extensive contributions to contemporary Arab theatre. Statements from officials highlight the significance of his vision, while the article reviews his major works, intellectual contributions, and role as a leading figure among Arab theatre innovators. His speech will open the seventeenth Arab Theatre Festival hosted in Amman in January 2027.

The text links the film Life Is Beautiful to contemporary suffering, especially in Gaza, showing how imagination and protective deception serve as a final form of human resistance against senseless violence. It highlights the contrast between the film’s symbolic fatherly lie and real acts by parents shielding children from trauma amid modern warfare. The analysis frames imagination as a political and moral tool that preserves dignity when physical defeat is inevitable, arguing that the true battle is for the human mind’s resilience against nihilism.

A Tunisian poem-turned-song created by Hassan Thabet uses artificial intelligence to amplify the environmental suffering of Gabes, transforming local grievances over industrial pollution into a widely shared cultural statement. Blending heartfelt lyrics with AI-generated vocals and music, the piece spread rapidly across social platforms, revitalizing the long‑standing Stop Pollution movement. Its symbolic imagery highlights the destruction of the oasis environment, the health impacts of chemical factories, and decades of governmental neglect. The song demonstrates how technology can reinforce artistic expression and help draw renewed regional attention to persistent ecological injustice.

A fatal accident in Sidi Bouzid claims the life of agricultural worker Berniya Kefaya, highlighting ongoing unsafe transport conditions for rural women in Tunisia. Despite a 2019 law meant to regulate agricultural worker transport, enforcement has been largely absent, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries over recent years. Sidi Bouzid remains the most affected region, with systemic neglect, poor infrastructure, and weak oversight contributing to repeated tragedies. Protests by female agricultural workers demand safe transportation and an end to symbolic political reactions. The incident underscores deep social and economic marginalization and calls for urgent enforcement of transport regulations to protect rural women.

The Tunisian play Ash, directed by Aman Allah Al‑Ghazal, uses absurdism and symbolic settings to explore social compliance and collective psychology, drawing on Solomon Asch’s experiments to examine how individuals distort personal truths under group pressure. Set in a fictional world governed by illogic, the production follows the staff of a surreal newspaper as they dissect societal contradictions, turning journalism into a study of human behavior. Emerging from a creative journey that began in Jordan, the play invites viewers to question the structures that shape perception and challenges them to reclaim individual awareness amid collective narratives.

The film depicts early-stage dementia through slow pacing, fragmented narrative structure and emotionally restrained performances that emphasize the erosion of memory and its impact on personal identity and intimate relationships. It follows a husband’s gradual withdrawal from reality and a wife’s simultaneous experience of losing a partner who remains physically present, confronting societal stigma and denial surrounding dementia. The work rejects melodrama and conventional resolutions, opting instead for a contemplative portrayal of psychological disintegration and the silent tragedies embedded in everyday life.

A theatrical work by Essam Al-Ayyari and Yusra Amouri explores desire, generational tension, and gendered perceptions through a blend of choreography, music, and philosophical dialogue inspired by Kierkegaard and the myth of Don Juan. Set in backstage space, the performance exposes conflicts between artistic integrity, ego, and societal taboos, culminating in a confrontation that blurs performance and reality as themes of consent and power dynamics come to the forefront.

Tunisia’s newly approved Artist and Artistic Professions Law introduces mandatory professional cards, contractual protections and social security mechanisms intended to formalize artistic work and provide economic and social stability. Supporters, including union representatives, describe it as long‑overdue recognition that secures artists’ rights and structures the sector. Opponents, led by prominent director Tawfiq Al‑Jebali, warn it imposes administrative control, threatens artistic freedom and risks creating a system that divides state‑recognized professionals from unregistered creators. The law has intensified broader concerns about increasing regulation and shrinking freedoms in the country.

A controversial diet known as the Tayyibat System spreads widely in Tunisia, promoting pseudoscientific food restrictions and relying on religious framing and conspiracy narratives. Health professionals warn of severe medical risks, highlighted by a near-fatal case involving a diabetic woman who abandoned her treatment after following the regime. Content creators help amplify the trend, with some promoting it for visibility while others face backlash for criticizing it. The Tunisian Health Ministry issues a formal warning urging citizens to rely on medical professionals and verified information. The phenomenon reveals vulnerabilities in public scientific awareness and highlights a broader struggle between institutional medical authority and emotionally driven misinformation.

A theatre event at Tunisia’s Teatro space showcases short performances under 15 minutes that prioritize creative essence over length. Director Tawfiq Al‑Jabali emphasizes the artistic value of brevity, framing time constraints as a catalyst for clarity and innovation. The festival blends newcomers and experienced artists, fostering what he calls a new theatre generation grounded in experimentation and independence. Relying on volunteer-driven production, the initiative promotes artistic autonomy and disconnects creativity from financial limitations. Plans include selecting standout works for a unified future production, highlighting the event’s role in countering superficial digital content with focused, idea‑driven performance.

A coordinated smear campaign on social media targeted Tunisian singer Lotfi Bouchnak after a 2021 humanitarian song was circulated with manipulated context to portray him as supporting demographic change in Tunisia. The Arab Institute for Human Rights clarified the song’s original purpose and announced legal action against those spreading false claims. The Tunisian musicians’ union also condemned the harassment and began legal proceedings against accounts involved. The episode highlights how algorithms and digital polarization can amplify misinformation and fuel unjustified personal attacks.

Motorcycles, especially the Forza model, have become a major public safety crisis in Tunisia, contributing to high rates of road deaths and severe injuries, largely due to lack of regulation, helmet use, and administrative oversight. With an estimated two million largely unregistered bikes and growing use of electric scooters, the situation poses both health and security risks, including increased street crime. Proposed solutions include stricter enforcement of licensing and registration laws, improved public transportation, and stronger family involvement to curb risky behavior.

Tunisian audiences relive the impact of Michael Jackson’s 1996 HIStory concert as the biographical film “Michael,” starring his nephew Jaafar Jackson, opens in local cinemas. The article highlights the unforgettable scale of the original event, its cultural significance, and the renewed emotional connection sparked by the film, reflecting a lasting bond between Tunisians and the pop icon.

Aymen Al‑Dabbousi’s literary work is presented as a radical, anarchic challenge to social norms, rooted in his experience as a psychologist and his commitment to portraying marginalised lives. His books, including the controversial “Akhbar al‑Razi,” explore madness, desire and societal hypocrisy through stark imagery and psychological depth. His later works, such as “Black Erection,” “Inqilab al‑Ayn” and the dystopian “Dream of the Snail,” push boundaries by merging philosophical references, dark humour and critiques of authoritarian control. Across these texts, he uses the body, sexuality and mental rupture as tools for exposing social falsity and provoking readers into confronting uncomfortable truths.

Issam Al-Ayyari uses dark comedy in his one‑man show Donald to reinterpret Donald Trump as a Tunisian figure, blending English and Tunisian dialect to expose political narcissism and global absurdity. Through surreal scenes involving figures like Putin and references to Gaza, Al-Ayyari frames humor as a form of resistance against modern power structures. The performance critiques ultra‑Americanism and the moral collapse of global politics while positioning theater as a platform for intellectual and ethical confrontation. The show, whose proceeds support charity, is presented as both an artistic achievement and a humanistic call to self‑reflection.

The play “(al-)Hilm… Dark Comedy” portrays a fragmented Tunisian society through the stories of residents in a decaying historical building threatened by private acquisition. Jellila Baccar and Fadhel Jaibi use black comedy to examine identity, memory, social fragility, and the intrusive reach of authority. Through symbolic staging and tense dramatic structure, the production highlights themes of exclusion, psychological strain, and the erosion of collective dreams while affirming the enduring force of artistic expression and collective memory against oppressive power.

The Sheikh Yusuf bin Issa Book Award announced the results of its first cycle, selecting Nora Nagy’s novel House of Jazz as the winning work for its refined narrative structure, technical skill and exploration of existential themes. The judging committee reviewed 390 submissions and highlighted emerging trends in contemporary Arab fiction, noting recurring motifs of conflict, uncertainty and internal struggle. Nagy’s novel was recognized for its layered storytelling, strong female characters and effective use of metafiction. Background on the author’s literary career and on the cultural significance of the award was also provided.

The film portrays the struggles of Tunisian youth through the intertwined journeys of two characters confronting social precarity, class divides and the lure of migration. Its road‑movie structure highlights Tunisia’s landscapes while exposing systemic obstacles and emotional burdens. The work has earned major regional and international awards, praised for its visual language, music and authentic depiction of a generation seeking alternative paths to freedom and fulfillment.

Hassanein Ben Ammou is portrayed as a leading Tunisian novelist and painter who revitalizes national history through imaginative, highly researched storytelling. His works blend historical documentation, investigative narrative, and Tunisian vernacular to create vivid portrayals of past eras, particularly the Hafsid, Muradid, and Husainid periods. Critics note his unique style, deep commitment to accuracy, and emphasis on Tunisian cultural identity, which has led to significant public enthusiasm and long queues at book fairs. His bibliography spans major historical novels that illuminate political intrigue, social life, and transformative events, while he remains resistant to commercializing his work through low-quality dramatizations. Through his novels, he rekindles collective memory and restores pride in Tunisian heritage.

Tawfiq al‑Jabbali returns to the stage after thirteen years with the performance The Fourth Human, presenting a theatrical manifesto that portrays the end of the human era and the rise of a hybrid, algorithm‑driven being. The work blends symbolic language, social critique, and AI‑themed satire, challenging audiences and redefining the role of theatre as a final space of human resistance. Through fragmented characters, existential humor, and coded language, the performance warns of linguistic erosion, technological domination, and the loss of human agency. Jabbali positions theatre as a last refuge for feeling and identity in a world increasingly shaped by machinery and digital control.