The President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, received, this Tuesday, July 18, 2023 at the Palais de Carthage, the Minister of Cultural Affairs, Hayet Guetat.
The meeting focused on the activities of the ministry and in particular on festivals. And to the Head of State to remind the Minister that these festivals were created with the aim of promoting culture.
He recalled the objectives for which festivals have been created in Tunisia in the last sixty years like the Carthage, Hammamet, JCC, etc. festival, etc. in order to disseminate culture.
The Head of State, thus specified that the choice of artists, who participated in the festivals of Carthage and Hammamet, was very meticulous for years. He recalled that the theaters of Carthage and Hammamet, in particular, were only open to committed, creative artists, and that none of those who had nothing to do with art or culture set foot on the scenes of these two theaters.
Kais Saied thus returned to what happened during the laughter evening in Carthage, Sunday July 16, calling it a crime punished by law in reference to the sketch of the French humorist Az (Azedine Benjellali).
“How can the one who publicly affects good manners or public morality, be rewarded by around 26 thousand euros when he is supposed to be punished with imprisonment and fine? He asked himself.
The Head of State also said that what is happening in Tunisia, especially in the cultural field, can no longer last.
Recall that the sketch of the French humorist AZ, raised a lively controversy, because of a passage evoking a big word in the Tunisian dialect.
As such, the director of the 57th edition of the Carthage International Festival, Kamel Ferjani, presented, yesterday, during a press conference, his apologies on behalf of the whole organizing committee following what happened during this laughter evening in Carthage.
The comedian AZ comedians on stage shocked the public. Ferjani assured that he regrets what happened despite the precautions claimed to have warned the producer of the show to avoid any subject affecting the beliefs and customs of society.
He explained that the producer respected his commitment and that he attended with members of the organizing committee in preparations, one night before the show.
No overtaking had been recorded but the night of the show, the actor Az decided to make a detour of text.
For his part, AZ apologized during a press conference: “I don’t know much about Tunisian culture and the use of the term was involuntary. I apologize to anyone who was offended by my use of this word, it was not my intention during my stand-up ”.
