In June 2018, the first edition of the Kerkennah#01 international festival was held, a festival dedicated to photography and visual arts on the Kerkennah archipelago, off the coast of Sfax in Tunisia.
From June 22 to 27, on the Kerkennah Islands, eleven IESA arts&culture students in total immersion contributed to this event: Julien Barbe, Louise Barranger-Léonard, Morgane Cerveaux, Morgane Delaby, Camille de Sancy, Alia Euchi, Jin Huang, Inès Lecointe, Chloé Loango, Basma Otmani and Martin Simand.
Six of them arrived ahead of the public opening and got to know the Tunisian students, the artists and the six exhibition curators. They set up and installed all the artistic installations (photo, video, installations) presented during the festival at three main sites: the shipyard at El Attaya, the marabout house with the Ghaya Gallery, and the Ouled Kacem school at Ouled Kacem, the Ramla photographic exhibition.
The opening day took place on June 21 and began on the ferry as soon as it left Sfax for Kerkennah. During the crossing, a panorama of all the traditional Tunisian dances accompanied by a traditional orchestra was presented. The delighted participants were then magnificently welcomed at the Grand Hôtel de Kerkennah by musicians of the Hadra el Ataya troupe, dressed in their traditional costumes. A first visit took place to the various exhibition venues in order to take them in. The evening began around a sumptuous Tunisian buffet, again accompanied by the Hadra el Ataya orchestra, and continued very late with a concert by the Franco-Tunisian group Tree 9.
Kerkennah #01 then opened to the public the next day and ran until June 27. IESA arts&culture students were present every day at the exhibition venues to provide cultural mediation for the public. Every day, a program of workshops, discussions, meetings and screenings was offered to the public.
The evenings were dedicated to music: Afro-jazz, soul-funk, traditional Tunisian music, and DJs.
Our students were dazzled and enchanted by the welcome and kindness of the Tunisians; the exchanges with Tunisian students, exhibition curators and artists were intense, powerful and formative, with the festival organizers making it a point of honor to make their stay unforgettable and pleasant, as they were able both to learn from cultural figures, discover a culture through exchange with foreign students, exhibition curators and artists (South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, etc.), and finally to relax in the paradise that is the Kerkennah archipelago, enjoying the beaches!