The mountains of the world meet in Semmama
The seventh edition of the Shepherd Festival in Mount Semmama will be held from May 11 to 13 on the theme “Mountains of the World Meet in Semama”, with the support of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Ramburg Foundation.
This event is the only one that celebrates the shepherds in the Arab world that has been largely echoed by foreign media.
World media will come to Mount Semama to cover an event in which the inhabitants of the mountain declare their eagerness and steadfastness in the face of poverty, forgetfulness and terrorism with a culture and messages to the whole world despite the dark period of the Tunisian mountains in recent years.
The shepherd festival was initially scheduled from April 28 to May 1, 2018 but the Ministry of Defense, which monitors this closed military zone, decided to postpone it to its new date.
Despite the confusion of the schedule that has been set for months, the team of the shepherd festival , which is led by cultural activist Adnan Helali placed emphasis on achieving the success of the festival whose organizers and residents refuse to cancel it because it is not just a festival of joy and singing, but a tale of love for the land and attachment to the hills.
The Belgian city of Tournai organized a symbolic opening ceremony for the Tunisian Shepherd Festival on Friday, April 27, in solidarity with the inhabitants of Mount Semmama.
Adnen Helali attended the ceremony and opened the annual Tournai Symposium with a lecture entitled “Resistance with Culture in Tunisia.”
Adnen Helali was also received by France Brel, the daughter of famous artist Jacques Brel, and president of his international institution. 
Adnen Helali handed her a gift from the women of Semmama which consists of a woven fabric called locally « Margoum » bearing a picture of her father Jacques Brel who defended in his art humanitarian issues.
To take part in the festivities of the Shepherd Festival in Semmama, artists coming from different parts of the world namely Argentina, Germany, Poland, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Italy, Palestine, Algeria and Tunisia.
TunisianMonitorOnline (MNHN)
