Fatiha Berber Arab Youth Theatre Days, Boumerdès

The Théâtre de la Jeunesse in Boumerdès hosts the third edition of the Fatiha Berber Arab Youth Theatre Days, from 9 to 14 December 2026. The event is organised by the El Manara cultural association of Corso, chaired by director and journalist Walid Abdellahi, with the support of ONCI, ONDA, and the local directorates of Culture and Arts and of Youth and Sports.

This edition has an Arab dimension, with the participation of several countries in the region. It is held in honour of the great actress Fatiha Soultane, after whom this edition is named.

As in previous editions, a national competition for young graphic designers has been launched to create the official poster, with a prize of 100,000 DA presented at the opening ceremony.

The days pay tribute to Fatiha Berber, whose real name was Fatiha Blal. She was a native of the commune of Legata in Boumerdès, but was born at La Casbah of Algiers on 11 February 1945.

She began her career in song in 1954, before being discovered by Mahieddine Bachtarzi, who brought her into theatre. A guiding figure of Algerian theatre, she died in 2015 and remains a reference for a generation of actors.

The programme includes a competition between troupes from Algerian wilayas and Arab countries, and technical workshops led by theatre professionals covering dramatic writing, direction, monodrama, improvisation and mime. Out-of-competition performances and ceremonies honouring figures of the cultural and artistic world are also planned.

The awards carry the names of living Algerian artists: the Ahmed Rezzak prize for best direction, the Youcef Taouint prize for best text, the Nidhal El Djazairi prize for best actress, the Hakim Dekkar prize for best actor, and the Hamza Djaballah prize for best direction. The Grand Prix bears the name of the late Fatiha Berber.