Cameroon’s rich and diverse culture will once again be on the international scene when the National Theatre mounts the stage at the ongoing 25th Carthage Theater Days (known popularly as JTC) at the Tunisian capital, Tunis, this Thursday, November 28.
Cameroon is one of 32 countries participating in this year’s edition of the JTC – one of the oldest theatre festivals in the Arab world and Africa. The festival kicked off on Saturday, November 23 and will run till Saturday November 30. The participating countries are expected to stage 125 theatrical performances with the Cameroon National Theatre to defend the country’s colours.
Holding under the theme: “Theatre is Resistance and Art is Life,” the opening ceremony at the Municipal Theater of Tunis was attended amongst others by the North African country’s Minister of Culture Amina Srarfi, alongside numerous diplomatic representatives, theatre professionals and cultural figures including those from Cameroon.
The Cameroonian delegation to the festival arrived the country well ahead of the official kick off and was treated to a cordial reception from Tunisian authorities, according to a statement by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Arts and Culture, which is ensuring the technical supervision of the country’s participation.
To align itself to the missions of the Ministry of Arts and Culture, which is to promote the Cameroon arts and culture, the directorate of the Ensemble National took the step of boosting its different sections including the national ballet, orchestra and theatre, which has particularly been the organized cultural expression point of Cameroonians since post-independence, the statement said.
The participation of the National Theatre in the international festival comes after several years of non-appearance at such a scene. The team that has been camping in the North African country for three weeks now got the blessings and final recommendations of Minister Bidoung Mkpatt before their departure.
The Arts and Culture Indomitable Lions will be positioning themselves on the world scene in front of experts from around the globe as they defend the image of the country. The unction by the Minister of Arts and Culture, sources say, galvanized them prior to their departure.
“It was therefore with confidence that they all turned their eyes towards Carthage with the same vision, which is defending the Cameroon culture,” the Spokesperson of the Arts and Culture Ministry said in a statement.
Since the arrival of team Cameroon, the word on everyone’s lip is “La Dernière Aimée” (English: The Last Loved One), which is the title of a theatre piece penned by Princess Momafon Rabiatou Njoya of blessed memory. It is the piece that Cameroon will take to the stage on Thursday.
Directed by African theatre icon Ambroise Mbia, the piece focuses on the historical evolution of the status of a woman who today is at the center of culture and constitutes the nod.
The preparation of the team that started last year has been a very rigorous process leading to the selection of the actors, technicians and everything that is artistic and technical, according to the Ministry of Arts and Culture.
