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Curatorial Statement - DzFest 2025
Welcome to the third edition of DzFest
A stepping-stone in our ongoing mission to celebrate and raise awareness of contemporary Algerian culture in the heart of the UK.
This year, DzFest 2025 invites you to journey into “The Sahara” — our bold and inspiring theme exploring the rich, diverse, and often overlooked cultures of Algeria’s majestic south: the Great Sahara.
DzFest 2025 marks a significant step in restoring Algerian culture to its rightful place on the global cultural map.
Algeria — with its ancient, complex, and beautifully diverse heritage — is at the heart of everything we do at Culturama. Our mission is to honour both the deep-rooted traditions and the contemporary expressions of Algerian identity.
THE GREAT SAHARA
The Algerian Sahara — the largest desert in the world — is more than sand and silence. It is a mystical and magical landscape, steeped in ancestral knowledge, oral storytelling, music, and ritual. Home to Amazigh, Arab, and Sub-Saharan African communities — over 90% of whom identify as Black Africans — the Sahara carries within it an extraordinary cultural richness.
Often marginalised and overshadowed by Algeria’s northern cities, this region offers powerful musical traditions like Tuareg rhythms, Tindi, Gnawa, and Diwane; stunning craftwork; spiritual depth; and a fiercely unique identity.
While UK audiences may know of occasional Tinariwen concerts, few have encountered the fuller spectrum of Saharan cultural expression.
Through DzFest 2025, we aim to change that — unveiling the beauty, resilience, and mystery of this awe-inspiring region.
BRIDGING GENERATIONS & CULTURES
Come and experience the Sahara — not as a distant land, but as a source of wonder, creativity, and deep cultural connection.
We look forward to welcoming you to DzFest 2025 — a compact but meaningful edition where Algeria's essence will be vibrantly alive, inspiring, and accessible to all.
This edition is also an homage to the late Hasna EL BECHARIA who passed away last year [May 1st, 2024]
Artistically yours,
Rachida LAMRI
Creative Director, DzFest
