Ahlem Gharbi, director general of the French Institute of Algeria and advisor for cooperation and cultural action, detailed this Wednesday, January 11 the cultural program concocted by her organization for 2023.
Ms. Gharbi detailed this program during a meeting with the press at Artissimo Hub Créatif in Algiers.
The first resolution for this New Year is to organize cultural events outside the five branches of the French Institute in Algeria by going to the south of the country and to Batna where collaborations with cultural partners are underway.
Environment, gastronomy, and Francophonie
The new year 2023 starts with a bang in January with the traditional “night of ideas”. “The key theme of our cultural activities will be in relation to the environment with film screenings and debate meetings around this subject. This will lead to a large forum in February which will bring together African and European participants on environmental issues”, announces Ahlem Gharbi.
Another unmissable time of February: spotlight on French and Algerian gastronomy. “We will welcome famous chefs for master classes,” says Ms. Gharbi.
The month of March is placed under the sign of the Francophonie. “Cultural activities, debates, screenings, and meetings will be organized through all the branches of the French Cultural Institute. We will celebrate the Francophonie with our French-speaking partners, here in Algeria, in particular with the French-speaking embassies and the French cultural centers”, explains Ms. Gharbi.
Celebrations around International Women’s Day are also on the menu for the third month of the year.
Artissimo, creative hub
For her part, Zafira Ouartsi presented the Artissimo creative hub, which she has held for two decades, “a multidisciplinary place that houses cultural exchanges: conferences, exhibitions, concerts, exhibitions, master classes, debates on ideas, literary encounters”.
Zafira Ouartsi will focus on the “Artissimo desks which deal with 60 years of Algerian independence through meetings with the public around various themes such as architecture, comics, cinema, literature, theater…”
On the sidelines of this friendly meeting, we wanted to know which regions in Algeria have most fascinated the director of this institute:
“During the two years I spent in Algeria, I visited several places. I find that Algeria has very pretty sites. I recently discovered the Roman ruins of Timgad in Batna and Djemila (Sétif). I also fell in love with Djanet and Tamanrasset, which I have visited several times. I explored the Tassili n’Ajjer plateau. This region is magical!”.
Ahlem Gharbi hopes for a full resumption of the activities of the French Institute in Algeria which has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic:
“I am not a fan of resolutions but if I can hope for anything for 2023, it is really to resume a program that we had before the Covid. The health crisis has slowed down many things. My wish is that we get together, discuss and share cultural moments with the Algerian public and with our Algerian partners. That’s what I want!”
