L’Etoile du Nord is a new performance space and café situated right in the heart of the Tunisian capital, Tunis. It is one of the most dynamic arts centres in one of the most vibrant cities in the Arabic world. For a week in March, it hosted a unique collaboration of musicians and visual artists from the UK and Tunisia. The participants gathered in the theatre on 11 March for three days of creativity and intensive rehearsals leading to two full multi-faceted shows of music and visuals on the 14 and 15 March.

The aim of the project was to explore new ways of presenting and enjoying music across the cultural divide.

UK artists were chosen by British Council UK project managers, and Tunisian artists in Tunisia with the help of Nizar Chaari, Sfax based Tunisian DJ and Noureddine El Ati, Manager of Etoile du Nord.  Recordings were exchanged between UK and Tunisian musicians/DJs.  Tunisian students of arts also did some word-based works and sent it to the UK VJs.

Sam Fenwick, member of the Teachning Centre staff, who taught Walid Gharbi in a Beginners class before the event, said: 'I never thought he would be jumping around the stage of a venue as well organised as the one I saw on Saturday the 15 March'

The UK contingent of The London-Tunis World Party consisted of musicians, DJs and VJs with a proven interest in exploring cultural influences from far and wide. Justin Adams, with his group The Desert Rogues, has toured internationally with the British Council, and has been called the UK’s answer to Ry Cooder. Max Reinhardt and Rita Ray, two veteran DJs and among the most energetic cross-cultural activists in London, have established The Shrine as the best regular music night in London to hear new and uncompromising music from all over the world. Your Mum, Kelly Budge and Ben Brett, are ‘visualists’ and VJs, a new breed of artist whose aim is to enhance the sensory pleasure of performed music with a lush array of still, moving and dancing visual images.

The Tunisian partners were Raksh, which means ‘variegation’ or ‘multi-colouration’ in Arabic, a group of supremely talented instrumentalists who take the native Arabic and Berber traditions of their Tunisian homeland and open them up to an influx of fascinating musical influences. They use instruments like the rabab fiddle and venerable square-shaped bendir drum, together with the qanoun or Arabic zither and the flute to create a richly coloured, deeply rooted and spiritual acoustic sound. Also playing were qanoun player Slim Jaziri, flautist Yassine Ayari and vocalist Jamila El Haggi.

'An unprecedented music event in Tunisia ... An unforgettable and unique music show. Artists, musicians , DJs and VJs from the UK and Tunisia performed side by side in the Tunis London World Party, undoubtedly the first show of its kind in the country'

Tunis Hebdo (24/03/03)