Closing of the 17th Edition of the National Cultural Festival of Ahellil with the Awarding of Winners

The 17th edition of the National Cultural Festival of Ahellil concluded Saturday evening in the "Red Oasis" of Timimoun with the awarding of prizes to the winning artistic performances of the various competitions.

Speaking during the closing ceremony, held at the open-air theater in the presence of a large audience, the Wali of Timimoun, Souna Benamar, highlighted the importance of this cultural event in the preservation of Ahellil—classified on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity—and in strengthening the region's cultural identity.

On this occasion, he praised the efforts of the organizers and all actors who contributed to the success of this edition.

The results announced by the jury awarded the first prize to the "Popular Folklore Association" of the commune of Timimoun, while the second and third prizes went respectively to the "Taoumet Cultural Association" (Timimoun) and the "Tigourarine Cultural Association" (Ouled-Saïd).

Regarding the competition for the best player of the two traditional instruments "Tamja" and "Bangri," used in the performance of Ahellil, the first prize was won by Boudjemaa Agmassine, ahead of M’hamed Dahmi, who placed second.

Organized from December 23 to 27, this Festival included musical evenings hosted by the competing bands and folklore shows, in addition to an exhibition of traditional handicraft products. This offered local artisans the opportunity to showcase and sell their goods during a time of year marked by significant tourist flow.

Participants in this event—organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and Arts and held under the slogan "Ahellil, the Ancestral Chant of Gourara: Solace of Souls," in tribute to the late Mohamed Bakada, known as "Babihi," one of the emblematic figures of Ahellil—seized this opportunity to call for the creation of an interactive and multilingual digital platform designed to document Ahellil lyrics.

Furthermore, they pleaded for strengthening the role of this heritage in promoting national culture on the international stage, as well as the development of cultural twinning programs.