Mehdi Belhassen

Mehdi will travel to Niger to participate in an exploratory residency to lay the groundwork for the project, At the Sources of Bori, in collaboration with NGO Forge Arts. The residency serves as a foundational phase for a collective creative project scheduled for Autumn 2026. The project explores the connections between Bori music traditions in Niger and Stambali music in Tunisia, approaching them as rituals that belong to the same Afro-Mediterranean historical lineage and that carry the memory of slavery and migration. During the residency, Mehdi will focus on immersing in Bori’s ritual and musical practices, meet with local artists while ensuring fair representation of women, conduct initial musical experiments, and help define the project’s aesthetic direction. The stay also includes logistical preparations for the 2026 collective residency and meetings with cultural institutions and potential supporters. The project embodies a South-South collaborative approach, aimed at highlighting endangered intangible heritage while promoting gender equality within artistic practices.