Resistance Cultures Festival Algeria-Ireland

Musicians, dancers, artists, students, scholars, and friends are warmly invited to the upcoming Algeria-Ireland Resistance Cultures Festival on Algerian and Irish Musical Encounters.

The festival features an exciting programme of events that are free and open to all (Monday 2 June at the Sugar Club). The programme includes unique screenings and panel discussions on oral traditions and resistance by Algerian and Irish women. A screening of the Irish-Algerian documentary El Gusto (2012) will uncover the moving story of Jewish and Muslim musicians from Algiers who reunite 50 years after their separation in the wake of Algerian independence in 1962. A focus on traditional Irish music will also explore important contributions by the Traveller community.

Tickets for Monday’s free events are available here on Eventbrite.

A highlight of the festival is an evening concert by Algerian artist Akli D (Monday 2 June, Sugar Club) whose protest music fuses chaabi and Algerian folk with reggae, blues and jazz influences. A key artist on the Kabyle and World Music scene, Akli D. has been touring the world's greatest stages and festivals for over 20 years. A unifier, Akli D. sings of exile, peace, youth, freedom, and hope. He will collaborate with Irish artists Niamh Dunne, Paul Harrigan, Dermot Sheedy, and Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain to explore the connections and similarities between Algerian and Irish music. Tickets for Monday evening’s concert are available from €8, plus a booking fee, from the Sugar Club (https://thesugarclub.com/)

The festival forms part of the third phase of an ongoing collaborative project on Algeria and Ireland and is co-organised by Dr Aoife Connolly (French, TU Dublin), in partnership with colleagues from the University of Sussex, Mary Immaculate College, the University of Limerick, and Maynooth University. While this year’s festival focuses on music, performance and narratives, chapter one explores the intersection of the 100th anniversary of the Irish state and the 60th anniversary of Algerian independence, and chapter two shines a light on the neglected roles of women in resistance movements in both countries.

Tickets for Monday’s free events are available here on Eventbrite.