Music and The Rebels

This film tells the story and the history of two generations of activist musicians who belonged to the Tunisian left-wing movement, which has existed within the communist party since French colonisation. What allowed this movement to become ever more existent and lively was the music that accompanied the main events and attempts of rebellion at that time. Awled El Manajem (the sons of the mines), “Bahth El Mousiki” (musical research from Gabes), Jamel Guella and Lazhar Dhaoui are militant musicians who belong to the movement of the Tunisian left-wing. They archived all the events and all the riots through protest songs, not forgetting to pay tribute to the martyrs of this movement (the 1978 riots, the 1984 bread riots). These musicians are very different compared to others (classical musicians), notably by their poverty and their origins (most are from the less-favourable areas of Tunisia); they spent their lives between jail and the stage, giving concerts in universities (organized by the UGET) or in the premises of the UGTT. They were strictly forbidden from performing in the rest of the public or private places, the simple fact of listening to that kind of music at home, or having a tape or CD of Awled El Manajem was considered a crime and could get you arrested by the police…