Dream City, Dream Medina

Dream city, a cultural event held in different spots in the Medina in the Capital Tunis having as a purpose to highlight and promote the hidden beauty of the historical patrimony in the old Medina.

Curiosity took me yesterday to watch some of the shows on the table, one of them was “Amour” by Nour Riahi in the cultural club Tahar Haddad. I arrived a little early, so I seized the opportunity to explore the area that although I had the chance to pass by few times, I never got the idea of exploring its details.

I entered “Dar El Asram – House Al Asram” that now became the venue of the association charged of the maintenance  of the Medina. A historical and architectural masterpiece that hides in its walls’ engravings and ceramic tiles stories and tales of the 19th century. After getting lost in the hallways and the folds of the house fantasizing about the conversations and events that once took place, I headed to the venue where the show is held – Club Tahar Haddad – that once was a warehouse appertaining to Dar El Asram.

The show started, the lights were dimmed, and Nour took us in an emotional journey that lasted 30 minutes. Amour. Love. Not the regular love stories we usually hear. This one was about the possessive love of a mother that ruins her child’s life. A story that reveals the controversy that could raise between parental protection and social status, the rigid view on success of the typical Tunisian parents, in a broader sense, the gap that often exists between the parent and child within love. It was a reflection on parental love that all of us can relate to at some level. Through this piece, Nour managed to engage very deep emotions with the simplest means, and the authenticity and historical aspect of the place boosted it up; A mixture of art and history assured by all the pieces presented in this edition of Dream city.