The second edition of the International Theatre Festival of the South is being held from 13 to 19 May in Guelmim, during which a special tribute will be paid to Mauritanian playwrights.

Organised under the theme "Theatre and the question of development", this international cultural and artistic event is initiated by the Douar association, which is attempting to revitalise theatrical activity in the Kingdom's Saharan provinces.

The festival, which has chosen the South for its identity and aims to be a space for exchanging theatrical experiences, will see the participation of several foreign troupes from Libya, Mauritania, France, as well as other Moroccan cities such as Agadir, Casablanca, and Khenifra, who will compete for five days in movement, meaning, metaphors, costumes, lights, texts, and performance. The opening evening, attended by Abdelfettah Lebjioui, Wali of the Guelmim-Smara region, was marked by a show of music, songs, and dances in several tableaux performed in their native languages by the troupes invited to this edition.

During their stay in the city of Guelmim, the young festival-goers will participate in theatre workshops themed around theatrical improvisation, body language, forums on their respective plays, and round tables on theatre and education, led by Moroccan and foreign professionals. Festival-goers will also have the opportunity to attend the book signing of "Sémiotique du théâtre" (Semiotics of Theatre) by art critic and researcher Ahmed Belkhiri.

For the organisers, this international festival offers students an opportunity to discover and love theatre and to nurture their talents, but also to cultivate the values of openness, tolerance, and understanding between peoples, and constitutes a hymn to reading, song, and comedy.

According to them, this meeting is an opportunity to bring together all theatre practitioners to jointly celebrate the National Theatre Day and pay a vibrant tribute to iconic figures of local theatre, including Lahbib Oureli, while allowing enthusiasts of this art to discover and appreciate different experiences in the field of artistic creation in Morocco and around the world, through a careful selection of plays.