Today in B7L9: Histories of Music Recording in North Africa
Histories of Music Recording in North Africa returns with Listening Act 2 in Tunis, bringing a new way to experience sound archives. Today May 6, the event takes place at B7L9 Art Centre from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, and it gathers artists, researchers, and listeners around a shared idea. Instead of treating archives as distant history, the project invites the public to engage with them in the present, while a guided tour sets the tone before the lecture performance.
At the center of the project, Mohamed Ali Ltaief explores recordings made in the early 20th century by the Prussian Phonographic Commission. Today, these recordings remain dispersed, yet they still carry strong cultural meaning. Some archives are held at the Berlin Phonogramm-Archiv, while others are preserved at Ennejma Ezzahra. Because of this split, the collection reflects both memory and fragmentation.
Rather than keeping these sounds locked in institutions, Ltaief activates them through performance. He translates lyrics, retraces gestures, and reconnects stories that time has scattered. As a result, the archive becomes something alive and accessible. In addition, this approach links different cities such as Berlin, Beirut, Cairo, and Tunis, creating a dialogue that moves across places and histories.
The event also brings together different voices. For instance, Mounir Hentati joins as a speaker through the Towards Sonic Re-Socialisation project. Meanwhile, Ali Sayari from Dar El-Oud responds from a musical perspective. Together, they connect research with contemporary practice, and they open space for discussion.
Through this format, Histories of Music Recording in North Africa raises direct questions. Who shapes these archives, and who gives them meaning today? At the same time, the project shows that sound is not fixed. Instead, it evolves through listening, performance, and reinterpretation. Consequently, the audience does not just observe the archive but becomes part of its transformation.
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