The 24th edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World (SLIM) in Tunis featured a rich programme spanning contemporary literature, music, writing workshops, and film screenings. This edition was once again organised by the Italian Embassy in Tunis and the Italian Cultural Institute, thanks to close collaboration with linguistic promotion partners: Tunisian universities, the Italian Ministry of Education and Merit, the Italian Ministry of University and Research, the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Swiss Embassy, the Accademia della Crusca, CePeLL, CGIE, RAI, the Dante Alighieri Society, and Treccani.
The guest of honour was the 2024 Premio Strega winner, Donatella di Pietrantonio. In three events held at Manouba University, the Higher Institute of Languages of Tunis, and the Italian Cultural Institute, the writer from Abruzzo engaged “unfiltered” with Italian students and literature enthusiasts about her latest book, L’età fragile, and her relationship with writing.
A significant focus was given to Italian music: the Turin-based band “Eugenio in Via di Gioia” (winners of the Mia Martini critics’ prize at the Sanremo Festival) performed at the Le Rio theatre, with the special participation of Tunisian rapper Faten Ben Khaled Fbk. On a more classical note, the Palmeri-Sciacca duo (guitar and oboe) presented a concert titled Note fra le righe at the Higher Institute of Human Sciences and the Higher Institute of Languages. Music continued to take centre stage with a recital in Hammamet by tenor Stefano Secco and mezzo-soprano Sarah M’Punga, and the event Italy in Music, also held in Hammamet and organised by Comites-Tunisia, which saw a large turnout from the local Italian community.
In Tunisia, the SLIM event is particularly well-received: the Italian language, in addition to having a strong tradition of being widely spoken among the Tunisian population, is one of the most studied foreign languages in the country. “The strong geographical and cultural proximity between Italy and Tunisia, our shared history, and the intensity of bilateral relations provide fertile ground to continue the dialogue on linguistic and cultural exchanges that have long enriched relations between our two countries,” stated Ambassador Alessandro Prunas.
