Dream City 2019
Transe - Amir Elsaffar
The purpose of this project is revive Stambeli practices in the streets of the Medina of Tunis during the period of the Dream City Festival, and to bring this ritual to the streets of European cities in 2020 and beyond. The music was performed by a transnational ensemble consisting of 12 musicians coming from Tunisia, as well as Morocco, Mali and joined by Amir ElSaffar on the trumpet. Although these musicians come from a wide geographical area, the basic musical language and the ritualistic practices bear many similar traits.
This project addresses humanity’s history of slavery and unequal power dynamics, through the collective ritualistic practice open to participation and integration. Thus this project aims to create a unique space for meaningful interactions between Sub-Saharan and North African people, beliefs, histories, and aesthetics, therefore allowing the conditions for a collective healing and re-forming lost connections.