Algerian Radio
Minister of Culture and Arts, Malika Bendouda, oversaw this Monday afternoon in Batna the opening of the performance hall of the "Dr. Salah Lombarkia" Regional Theater in the wilaya capital and inspected its rehabilitation works.
Accompanied by the head of the local executive, Riyad Ben Ahmed, the Minister—after inspecting the hall, which has been renamed after the late playwright Kamal Zerara (1967–2026)—listened to a presentation by the theater director, Mounir Boumerdas, regarding the rehabilitation and equipping of this cultural facility, which dates back to 1899.
Ms. Bendouda, who watched a segment of a new play produced by the Regional Theater this year titled "Khataf Al-Arayes" (The Bride Snatcher), expressed her satisfaction with the rehabilitation works, which preserved the facility's original character.
Prior to this, she visited the first edition of a regional exhibition of traditional costumes from eastern Algeria at the "Cherif Merzouki" exhibition gallery in the Cultural and Sports Pole of the Kechida neighborhood in Batna. On this occasion, she listened to a presentation on the "Zenith" Grand Performance Hall project, which is currently under study and expected to be built in the municipality of Oued Chaaba on a 6-hectare area with a capacity of 5,300 seats. In the same complex, she also inspected the music education school that opened in recent months.
In a statement to the press, the Minister of Culture and Arts stated that she was keen to attend the closing of the Timgad International Cultural Festival this evening, which holds symbolic importance as one of the oldest international festivals in Algeria and has provided great visibility to the region, which is rich in diverse cultural heritage.
She added that she took the opportunity of her visit to this wilaya to inspect several cultural facilities, including the music education school for adults and children, which has been attached to the "Mohamed Laïd Al Khalifa" House of Culture and Arts in Batna city. This school is part of the music education program through workshops at cultural houses, which also falls under the ambitious project overseen by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, regarding the international philharmonic orchestra.
According to Bendouda, the visit was also an opportunity to hear a presentation on the study for the Grand Performance Hall, which "will be an asset not only for Batna Wilaya but for the entire region, especially as it falls within the strategy initiated by the President of the Republic to construct large performance halls in major wilayas across the country."
This evening, the Minister will oversee the closing of the 43rd edition of the Timgad International Cultural Festival at the new open-air theater adjacent to the archaeological site in Timgad.
