SÉTIF, Algeria, Oct 1, 2025 – The play Roman Carnival by the Mohamed-Tahar Fergani Regional Theatre of Constantine swept the 3rd Arab Theatre Days in Sétif, taking four of the festival’s six prizes.
Staged under the slogan “Sétif, pole of art and artists” and held from September 27 to 30, the festival honored Roman Carnival, a free adaptation of a text by Hungarian playwright Miklós Hubay. The production won Best Actress (Radja Houari), Best Scenography (Chahinaz Neghouache), Best Direction (Mouni Boualem) and Best Integrated Production.
The Best Actor prize was shared between Tunisia’s Djalal El Saadi, for his role in El Mouhadjirane, and Iraq’s Moustafa Mazen, for El Miftah. The latter also earned playwright Ghazi Mithal the award for Best Theatrical Text.
The closing night was marked by The Resilience of Handala, adapted by Algerian theatre artist Djamel Labidi and performed by a 16-member cast from nine Arab countries: Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Sudan, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine and Algeria. The play, inspired by Naji al-Ali’s iconic Palestinian cartoon character Handala, was presented as a continuation of the work staged at last year’s festival.
Labidi said he chose the text to highlight “the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially the children of Gaza, a wounded city where the barbarity and horror of the Israeli occupier have reached their peak.”
The performance captivated a packed Houari-Boumediene House of Culture, with the audience joining actors in a closing anthem dedicated to Gaza: “This is not merely art, but an artist’s pledge telling you Gaza, you remain forever in our hearts and we will never stay silent.”
The Arab Theatre Days festival was organized by the Art of Creation Association, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Arts and the province of Sétif, with support from the Houari-Boumediene House of Culture, the Algerian National Theatre and other institutions.
