Algiers — President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune chairs the awarding ceremony of President of the Republic Award for Young Creators "Ali Maachi," at the International Convention Centre in Algiers, on the National Artist Day.
The ceremony was marked by the presence of senior State officials, members of the government and many artistic and cultural figures.
During the ceremony, the President of the Republic and senior State officials awarded the prizes to the winners in the three following artistic genres: novel, poetry, theatrical performance, playwriting, music, choreography and dance, cinema and the visual arts.
The President of the Republic held talks with a number of artists and writers from several provinces, including novelist and former minister Zhor Ounissi, actor Hassan Benzerari, poet Zineb Laâouadj and singer Abdallah al Menai.
The great family of arts and culture paid tribute to President Tebboune by presenting him a contemporary painting by the famous Algerian artist Hamza Bounoua, exploring the aesthetics of Arabic calligraphy.
The painting was given to President Tebboune by two leading figures in Algerian cinema and theatre, Fatima Hlilou and Sid Ahmed Agoumi, on behalf of the artistic family.
The President of the Republic also visited an exhibition of photographs of the artistic troupe of the National Liberation Front (FLN-1958-1962), organized by the Algerian Agency for Cultural Outreach (AARC), which included several archive photos of the artists of the troupe and their meetings with the leaders of the Glorious Revolution, as well as their militant artistic tours in several countries around the world, including Tunisia, China and Yugoslavia.
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In her opening speech, Minister of Culture and the Arts Soraya Mouloudji announced the launch of "several projects relating to health and social care in favour of artists," in addition to a project to build "a medical and rehabilitation centre for artists."
The Minister mentioned a number of projects relating to investment in the film industry and the preservation and digitization of film archives, highlighting "the special interest shown by the President of the Republic in the cinematographic arts."
She also praised Algerian artists for the enactment of the executive decree to create the National Higher Institute of Cinema.
Celebrated every year on 8 June, National Artists' Day is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of the martyr Ali Maâchi, lyricist, musician and performer executed by colonial forces on 8 June 1958 in Tiaret.
The Ali Maâchi Prize of the President of the Republic for Young Creators is an annual award for the best literary, poetic, plastic, cinematographic, musical, theatrical and choreographic works by talented young people, to encourage and support them.
