International Festival of the Sahara

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The International Festival of the Sahara in Douz is an annual festival in Tunisia.

==History The very first festival, called the Camel festival, began in 1910 when Tunisia was under French rule. In 1967 it took on its modern identity according to the will of Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia's first president of the new republic, to become the country's oldest and best-known festival. M'hammed Marzougui, who dedicated his life to making people aware of and appreciate nomadic way of life and traditions, was mainly responsible for the festival's foundation. Since then, every year at the end of December for four days, thousands of people, mostly from all over Tunisia and other Maghrebien countries flock to Douz.

[edit] What to expect during the Festival

After the official opening ceremony, the main events take place in the H'naiech stadium in front of the desert surrounded by Bedouin tents. Camel marathons, fantasia- galloping Arab horses ridden by daring riders, a Bedouin marriage, sloughi desert hunting dogs - catching rabbits are the principal features. In the evening, groups from visiting countries perform popular songs and dances. However, the central event is the annual poetry contest run by the famous desert poet, Abdellatif Belgacem in order to keep poetry alive, which represents the desert's principal communication medium.

Nowadays, the festival has become an important mediatic and touristic event followed by cameramen and journalists from all over the world, thanks to the Douz's website - http://www.Douz.org - which plays an important role in putting the M'Razig people on the global map, thereby maintaining an intelligent balance between tradition and technology.