Tunis — Under the high auspices of Mrs. Leila Ben Ali, wife of the President of the Republic and Arab Women Organisation (AWO) chairwoman, a reception was hosted, on Monday evening at Dar Hssine, in the Tunis Medina, in honour of the Arab theatre women who are taking part in the 14th edition of the Carthage Theatre Days, with attendance of Culture and Heritage Preservation Minister Abderraouf el Basti and Mrs. Aziza Htira, National Tunisian Women Union (UNFT) chairwoman.

The reception provided the occasion to convey regards of the Head of State's wife to the participants in the 14th edition of the Carthage Theatre Days which coincide this year with the celebration of the centenary of the Tunisian theatre.

On behalf of Mrs. Leila Ben Ali, Mrs. Neziha Zarrouk second deputy-Speaker of the Chamber of Advisers read out an address in which Tunisia's First Lady underlined the particular attention she granted, as part of her presidency of the Arab Woman Organisation, to Arab women creators in the different artistic and cultural fields, given the deep awareness of the key role of cultural issues in achieving modernity and prosperity for the benefit of Arab societies.

The Head of State's wife asserted, in this address, that meetings organised with the Arab women creators and tribute paid to their role, be in theatrical work or in active life, testify of the strong conviction and faith in theatre's social and cultural mission. It is a matter, she went on saying, of a deep awareness of the aptitude of women creators and women of theatre to rid Arab societies of outdated social traditions and obstacles on the way of women's action and to denounce forces of regression.

She added that nobody could lose sight of the role of arts, in general, and theatre in particular, in changing the mindsets and incite societies to wipe out under-development and dogmatism, asserting that the issue of women has been present in all arts, particularly in theatre, which voiced very early in Tunisia and the Arab world women's will to achieve emancipation and equality.

She reviewed the conferences and workshops, held as part of the national consultation on the Tunisian theatre, which helped highlight the deeply entrenched theatrical presence in cultural life and its privileged position in the societal project lived through by Tunisia. Mrs Leila Ben Ali pointed out that, given the cultural and social life of theatre, Tunisian women have never been absent from theatrical scene, be they as actors, creators or spectators. She insisted that women found themselves at a given moment in the history of Tunisian and Arab theatres facing themselves, revealing their capacities to both express themselves and create.

Besides, she stressed the Tunisian women's pride at the gains made in all fields in Tunisia, especially in the theatrical field insofar as, today, in Tunisia, there are women creators who have always demonstrated excellent talents in the fourth art as managers, players, directors and critiques.

Several theatrical works testify today to the great influence of an elite of Tunisian university graduates from specialised institutes, which contributed to deep-root the radiant image of the Tunisian fourth art, she underlined.

Several women creators and theatre persons from Tunisia, Libya, Jordan and Syria, then, took the floor to voice the pride they take in participating in this session which has provided them with opportunity to make encounters and share their diverse experiences. They spoke about their theatrical careers, their diversity of their experiences in writing, directing and playing.