15 December 2008
Tunis — The re-editing of a book by Fatma Ben Becher, on the rich history of the Tunis Municipal Theatre, sheds new light on the life of a building which has become one of the main embodiments of the Tunisian cultural scene.
The book which was initially published in 1998, by Finzi Creations in Tunis, was lately re-edited.
The new edition which showcases the building's new restoration projects, is also a fine tribute to a place which has witnessed the presence of a spate of immense artists on its scene.
The photographs by the Tunisian- born photographer Jacques Perez, also the author of a magnificent photography album on La Ghriba, add to the book's vividness and emotional weight.
Following its official opening in 1902, the building which was designed by the famous architect Jean -Emile Resplendy, the Tunis Municipal Theatre, welcomed in turn, Sacha Guitry, Yehudi Menuhin, Colette, Louis Jouvet, Danielle Darieux, Les Freres Jacques, Habiba Msika, Chafia Rochdi and Aly Ben Ayed, to name but a few of the glories who performed at one time or another,on its stage.
The author, a scholar and the president of the Tunis cultural association, as well as a founder of the Tunis Medina Festival, has meticulously sought to describe the people making the official and urbane Tunis who made a point in wanting to be seen frequenting the place, French literati but also members of the Italian community and Tunisian 'beldis' (word describing the original dwellers of the capital) dressed in western clothing and donning the Turkish red 'chechia', for whom the 'Theatre' was one of the rare places where they could mix together.
She also examines the various restoration projects the building has undergone, noting that the latest, very recent one, definitely opts for rich and lasting materials which make no room for temporary and cheap alternatives like stucco and processed wood and metals.
This very rich art book, which also offers a cultural journey in contemporary Tunisian history and architecture, is prefaced by a former minister of culture, Mr Chedly Klibi.
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