Zahw began with a simple idea: to make art and cultural events in Tunisia easier to discover. The platform also wants to make culture more accessible and closer to people.

Created by Mahmoud, Zahw is both an art and cultural events guide and a growing creative platform. It highlights exhibitions, concerts, performances, workshops, and other cultural experiences. It also creates its own spaces for artists and audiences to meet.

A First Gathering

Zahw’s first event was an open and free gathering built around collaboration. Instead of focusing on one art form, the event brought different creative practices together.

Musicians, performers, artists, photographers, videographers, and members of the public shared the same space. Music, drawing, poetry, and live performance became part of one shared experience.

The programme included live performances by Nejia and Leila M. It also featured live drawing, a jam session, and a DJ set by Solis. Together, these activities created an open space for artistic exchange.

Their collaboration brought together artists from different backgrounds. It also added a wider sense of exchange to the gathering.

Leila M also presented poetry. Later, the programme moved into a jam session. This opened the space to music, improvisation, and spontaneous collaboration.

Live drawing added another visual element to the event. Meanwhile, DJ Solis brought a different energy to the gathering through his DJ set.

More Than a Programme

Its first event was an open and free gathering built around collaboration. Rather than focusing on one artistic discipline, Zahw brought together different fields and creative practices in the same space. Musicians, performers, artists, photographers, videographers, and members of the public came together to share an experience shaped by music, performance, drawing, and exchange.

The programme brought together live performances by Nejia and Leila M, alongside a live drawing session, a jam session, and a DJ set by Solis. The variety of activities reflected Zahw’s intention to create an environment where different forms of artistic expression could exist side by side.

The event began with live performances. Tunisian artist Nejia opened the programme with some of her own songs. She was followed by Leila M, who performed alongside Palestinian musician Ahmed Falastini. Their collaboration brought together voices and experiences from different places while keeping the atmosphere rooted in the openness that Zahw wanted to create.

Leila M also presented poetry before the programme moved into a jam session, opening the space further to musical exchange and spontaneous collaboration. Alongside the music, live drawing added another visual dimension to the gathering, while DJ Solis brought the programme towards a more open and informal atmosphere.

This mixture of disciplines was central to the first Zahw gathering. The event was not simply a programme of performances. It was an environment where people from different creative fields could meet, participate, and discover one another.

For Mahmoud, this is an important part of what Zahw represents. Art and cultural events can create spaces where different people come together, feel free to express themselves, and connect beyond their usual circles. The atmosphere matters as much as the programme itself.

That feeling of joy is also part of Zahw’s identity. The platform seeks to highlight cultural experiences that carry a sense of openness and happiness while making them easier for people to find. Its aim is not to make culture feel distant or difficult to access. Instead, Zahw wants to help people discover the creative energy already present around them.

The choice of the name Zahw reflects this intention as well. At the heart of the project is the idea of bringing art and culture into spaces where people can experience them collectively, freely, and without unnecessary barriers.

The first event therefore became more than an opening. It offered a first glimpse of what Zahw could become: a meeting point between artists, different disciplines, and the public.

The Idea Behind Zahw

Joy is also an important part of Zahw’s identity. The platform wants to highlight cultural experiences that feel open, welcoming, and easy to access.

Its goal is not to make culture feel distant. Instead, Zahw wants to help people discover the creative energy around them.

The name Zahw reflects this idea. At the heart of the project is a desire to bring art and culture into spaces where people can experience them together.

The first event was therefore more than an opening. It was a first look at what Zahw could become.

It showed the possibility of a meeting point between artists, creative fields, and the public.

More to Come

There is still much to build from here.

Zahw plans to continue with new events, collaborations, and encounters with artists and creative communities. The project can grow into a wider platform for cultural documentation, original content, artist features, collaborations, and multidisciplinary events across Tunisia.

For now, the first gathering remains a starting point. A space where music met poetry, Tunisian and Palestinian artists shared the stage, drawing met live performance, different creative fields came together, and people simply had the opportunity to be around one another.

Zahw has started.

And there is more to come.

Tunisian Art