Istijmam's Tour
Istijmam’s US Tour was organized by Center Stage, a cultural exchange program initiated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and produced by the New England Foundation for the Arts. Conceived as a public diplomacy initiative during the George W. Bush administration, the program launched its first season in 2012. By 2018, Center Stage had brought 29 performing arts ensembles from nine nations to the United States. Center Stage tours include activities ranging from performances, workshops, and discussions to artist-to-artist exchanges, master classes, and community gatherings. The Istijmam troupe was featured in Center Stage’s third season in 2016.
Istijmam’s tour began in Washington, DC with a live-streamed performance of Apples at the Kennedy Center. From there, the troupe traveled to Indiana University, the University of St. Joseph, Yale University’s Pierson College, the University of New Hampshire, the Denmark (Maine) Arts Center, and La MaMa Theater in New York. The tour also included two artist-to-artist residencies with HartBeat Ensemble and Double Edge Theater.
Living Communication
Istijmam developed what they call “Living Communication” (they use the English phrase even in Algeria) as a live musical forum to invite people to their performances. When they toured Algeria with “Apples” from 2009 to 2011, they found that Algerians were reluctant to resume leisure activities in the wake of the Dark Decade (a period of intense civil strife and guerrilla warfare during which many lives were lost). So when Istijmam arrived in a new town, they would parade through the streets singing, drumming, and inviting people to their show. They were drawing on the performance practices of the traditional berrah, or town crier. Historically, the berrah walked the streets of a town to share current events or announce invitations, often accompanied by musicians. Istijmam wanted to bring this practice to the United States, so Center Stage scheduled time for them to do Living Communication each time they showed up in a new place. The troupe would don colorful garb, take up their instruments (bendir drums, the stringed guimbri, and guitar), and start to sing and play as they walked, periodically inviting those gathered to attend that night’s performance and passing out flyers that Center Stage had supplied. At one stop along the tour, they were overheard rehearsing and were invited to do a full musical show (Elmer’s, Ashfield, Massachusetts).
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Tour Galleries
On the Road
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Connecticut
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Indiana
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Maine
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Massachusetts
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New Hampshire
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New York
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Washington DC
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