The resignation of the organizing commission of the Boukornine Festival in the southern suburb of Tunis and the accusation it has leveled against the local authorities of ignoring the violations committed by the Revolution Protection Leagues (RPLs) have resparked the debate about how much influence the Islamic Ennahda government has had on culture and society in general.

The resignation of the organizing commission of the Boukornine Festival in the southern suburb of Tunis and the accusation it has leveled against the local authorities of ignoring the violations committed by the Revolution Protection Leagues (RPLs) have resparked the debate about how much influence the Islamic Ennahda government has had on culture and society in general.

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Leila Toubel

Theatre actress and Director of the Boukornine Festival, Leila Toubel, announced her withdrawal from managing the 34th Festival and the resignation of all members of the organizing commission due to pressures, obstacles and difficulties caused by “some parties that have no relationship whatsoever to the cultural festivity, yet enjoy powers invested in them by local and official authorities.”

In a press conference held in Tunis in mid-June, Toubel underlined that even though she had given up organizing the Boukornine Festival, she would not give up the cultural and intellectual project she was defending in post-revolutionary Tunisia.

RPLs are to blame

Known for her secular orientation, Toubel accused RPLs of directly threatening the commission’s members, demanding the changing of some shows and integrating others like those of religion-based groups and Sufi manifestations; otherwise, they would not allow the visitors to have access to the festival.

Toubel suggests that the regional authorities backed by the Ministry of Culture (MoC) have purposefully decided to organize the Al-Madina Festival, which is dedicated to the month of Ramadan, so as to coincide with the Boukornine Festival. What is worse and more cunning, she says, is that entrance will be free.

The Culture Directorate has requested that the commission share the 15,000 Dinars (US $8,900)the former gives the latter in support of the festival with Al-Madina Festival, a dangerous step to thwart the Boukornine Festival and replace a cultural project with another that seeks to “Islamize society,” according to Toubel.

Toubel had previously announced on her official Facebook page that the organizing commission decided to cancel the 34th Festival scheduled from July 11 to August 6, 2013. The MoC has, however, issued a statement to confirm that the festival will take place as planned.

MoC’s decision to organize the festival, says Toubel, “following the same schedule we have prepared proves that it has problems with certain people, particularly Leila Toubel.” She explains that once the commission announced its resignation, the MoC rushed to support the festival having previously refused to do so by refraining from granting it the allocated money. The festival was allocated 50,000 dinars (US $29,8000) last year. Toubel claims that up until June 20, the festival only had 196 dinars in its bank account.

“It has become clear that the battle is political. The minister of culture has always complained about my opinions, stances and statements which criticize the cultural policy adopted by the government. I believe this is one of the main reasons behind their disapproval of me,” she added.

Toubel stresses that she has always adhered to certain principles, ideas and goals she has been trying to crystallize in cultural projects aimed at utilizing the cultural and social atmosphere to uplift the individual and lead them to cultural and intellectual development away from any party agenda or ideology.

Toubel says it is MoC to be blamed for the troubled cultural atmosphere since it has not interfered to resolve certain issues and has contributed to marginalizing and excluding intellectual and creative people while supporting certain alternatives proposed by Islamists.

MoC denies and clarifies

After Toubel’s resignation was made public, the Cultural Directorate made a statement in which it expressed regrets over the decision of Toubel and all the members of the commission. The statement says MoC is not entitled to prevent any cultural event since this violates the right of all Tunisians to be involved in cultural life, and that the directorate encouraged practicing such a right and invited civil society to effectively contribute to enriching this domain.

The statement also says Toubel chose to work and prepare for the Boukornine Festival without coordinating with the regional authorities or the directorate and “in isolation from any civil society groups in the region.”

According to the statement, the last years have witnessed the emergence of a new generation of cultural events coinciding with the Great Month of Ramadan, namely Al-Madina festivals which happen in most regions in the country. It says the people of Hammam-Lif, the city hosting the Boukornine Festival, are entitled to an Al-Madina Festival in their region, which however should not be at the expense of the ancient Boukornine Festival in terms of neither support nor funding, contrary to what Toubel says.

Regional authorities have underscored their commitment to distancing cultural events and festivals from all tensions that have nothing to do with cultural affairs.

Artist boycott

The authorities have also announced that the director of culture will organize the festival with the help of some officials of his directorate.

Spokesman for the MoC says that the MoC transferred the allocated funds to all festivals, including the Boukornine Festival, on June 20. It was the governor of Ben Arous, he says, who appointed the commission headed by Toubel in light of the programs that were presented; talking about wishing to exclude Toubel particularly, therefore, had no real foundations, he claimed.

The spokesman, furthermore, stressed that the festival would be organized according to the program prepared by the resigned commission, yet not denying that some shows might be changed.

A number of artists, including singer Leïla Hjaïej and actor and rapper Mohamed Ali Ben Jemaa, have decided to withdraw from this festival in solidarity with Toubel and the members of her commission.