Dr Aoife Connolly (French), in partnership with colleagues from the University of Sussex, Mary Immaculate College, the University of Limerick and Maynooth University, co-organised the Performing Resistance Cultures: Algeria-Ireland Festival (30 May- 2 June 2025). The festival forms part of an ongoing collaborative research project which aims to produce a non-traditional publication that reflects the inclusive approach taken, with colleagues across disciplines and outside of academia, and to build lasting connections between the Algerian and Irish creative industries. While this year’s festival focused on music, performance and narratives, chapter one explored the intersection of the 100th anniversary of the Irish state and the 60th anniversary of Algerian independence, and chapter two shone a light on the neglected roles of women in resistance movements in both countries.
This year’s festival featured an exciting programme of events in Limerick and Dublin. On Monday, 2 June, at the Sugar Club, Leeson Street, unique screenings and panel discussions highlighted oral traditions and resistance by Algerian and Irish women. A screening of the Irish-Algerian documentary El Gusto (2012) uncovered the moving story of Jewish and Muslim musicians from Algiers who reunited 50 years after their separation in the wake of Algerian independence in 1962. A focus on traditional Irish music also explored important contributions by the Traveller community.
A particular highlight of the festival was a highly-anticipated sold-out evening concert by renowned Algerian singer-songwriter Akli D. The concert featured special guests Niamh Dunne on vocals on violin, Paul Harrigan on the uileann pipes and Dermot Sheedy on bodhrán, facilitating a truly unique collaboration that soon had the audience on its feet, and that put some of the theories explored throughout the day’s discussions into practice by showcasing connections between Algerian and Irish music, culture, and history.
The Embassy of Algeria in Ireland, the University of Sussex, the Irish Centre for Transnational Studies, MIC, Maynooth University, and the Arab-Irish Chamber of Commerce supported the event.