Kotouf du Sud: A Celebration of Francophone Literature in Djerba
From October 16 to 19, 2025, the island of Djerba will host the "Kotouf du sud" festival, a celebration of literature from the South. A plethora of renowned writers and guests have already arrived on the island, ready to participate in this initiative launched by four committed and determined women of letters. The festival aims to foster dialogue around the writings of the world, particularly those from the North/South perspective.
The Birth of the Festival
The festival's director, Fatma Dellagi-Bouvet de la Maisonneuve, reveals the story behind the creation of the "Kotouf du sud" festival. "I have always been interested in decentralizing thought," she explains. "Our intellectual, literary, and philosophical references are often too Western-centric. As someone from Africa living in France, I realized that in Europe, there are no references to Arab or African cultures. When we talk about Europe, we evoke the West, but we don't mention references from the South, feminist, Asian, Latino, African, or Arab."
Why Djerba?
Fatma Dellagi-Bouvet de la Maisonneuve chose Djerba as the location for the festival because of its unique cultural heritage. "Over time, I thought of making Tunisia a hub where we could exchange ideas on this topic. Our country is adapted to hosting numerous cultures, and we don't showcase our cultures, riches, architectures, archaeologies, museums, and knowledge enough. We live in a crossroads that deserves to be better known, and this literature festival seemed essential to us, with the organizing team, to maintain on this island with ancestral traditions."
The Meaning of "Kotouf"
The term "Kotouf" means "harvest" or "gathering" in Arabic. Fatma Dellagi-Bouvet de la Maisonneuve explains that the festival's name represents the gathering of precious and rare thoughts. "Together, we will proceed to this fruitful harvest. We would like to create an impact, put literature at the center of our life, our existence, with our guests, through our meetings and presentations, exercise our intelligence, dialogue between generations, and address the young people of the island."
The Festival Program
The festival will feature a range of activities, including:
- Solennel tables rondes in an amphitheater
- Intermèdes musicaux with musicians
- Djerbian cuisine
- Malagasy music composition
- Lectures performées and musicales
- A theatrical reading with students
- Guests such as Faouzia Zouari, Hassanine ben Ammou, Nadia Khiari, James Noël, Georgia Makhlouf, Jean-Luc Raharimanana, Emna Belhaj Yahia, Ananda Devi, Tanella Boni, Lotfi Chebbi, Nimrod Bena, Walid Hajar Rachdi, Lise Gauvin, Hafidha Karabiben, Mohamed Mahjoub, and many others
- Sixteen international and national writers, including comic book artists, poets, and novelists, with a consideration for language parity
The "Kotouf du sud" festival promises to be a unique and enriching experience, celebrating the diversity of Francophone literature and promoting dialogue between cultures.
