DREAM CITY FESTIVAL

Dream City aspires to mirror the intricate tensions currently faced by Tunisia. Our goal is to merge artistic expression with the pressing challenges of our nation and our era. The interwoven and interdependent crises that confront us, whether they impact Tunisia or the global community, can no longer be disregarded. Our connections with the political and democratic spheres, with nature and the environment, with the ever-evolving human condition, with history and truth, resonate profoundly through the artists, creations, invited works, conferences, and encounters of Dream City. Against a backdrop of worldwide turbulence, Dream City strives to amplify the voices of artists, thinkers, and citizens committed to envisioning an alternative future, if not an entirely different destiny. Artistic gestures and outspoken messages will strive to encapsulate, with both sensitivity and humility, our interlinked realities at a time when borders, whether tangible or symbolic, are being questioned universally and often precipitate violence. This turbulence and dissent infuse the entire festival agenda, which is steered by context-based creation. Participating artists, thinkers, and activists do not profess to possess all the solutions, but they approach their contexts with profound openness. These contexts, both local and gateways to the world, collectively shape a space-time where dedication to others, both human and non-human, reside at the core of all endeavours. In the wake of recent tragic events in Tunisia, such as the expulsion and loss of life of refugees in the Sahara, Dream City stands committed to a fully inclusive and diverse environment. We champion deep and unwavering solidarity among all communities present within our territory and in our programme. Concurrently, we seek to spotlight the adverse repercussions of the exportation of European migration policies during this crisis. In an era where anti-migrant and anti-refugee stances are gaining traction globally, we deem it imperative to reaffirm the principles of respect and tolerance in Tunisian society, and in societies at large. In this context, Dream City aspires to offer a modest contribution to this reiteration. We firmly believe that artistic creation can serve as the driving force behind resistance and the crafting of an alternative future. By fusing intellectual contemplation with tangible action, by melding dance, theatre, music, visual arts, and celebration, and by intertwining contemporary forms with grand popular performances, we aspire to provide a vibrant and enriching experience.

For the entire Dream City team it is very important to show and share some key performances, videos and public talks of the previous three editions of Dream City in Tunis, with an emerging art institution like KANAL-Centre Pompidou, and the superdiverse audiences of Brussels, at the very heart of Europe. Our relationship with Europe, out of Tunis, Africa, and the Arab world, is under increasing pressure, and preserving bridges and exchanges is ever more challenging. At the same time, we have no other option than to continue to speak and exchange together, and we are hoping that these kinds of platforms, and the artists, activists and thinkers that they include, can be critical but positive forces towards that. Of course, in all of these constructive attempts, we can never ignore the ongoing tragedy in Gaza. It has been constantly on our minds and in our hearts within the Dream City team, since we finished our last festival in Tunis on October 8th, 2023. We are hoping that this platform in Brussels in the spring of 2024 will also allow us to express our deep solidarity, out of Tunis and in Brussels, with the terrible suffering of the Palestinian people and the innocent victims on both sides.

Selma & Sofiane Ouissi, Jan Goossens; artistic directors