Tokotom

Country: Tunisia
Production: Mohamed Hidri Theatre Association – Béja
Text & Direction: Nawres Abassi
Scenography: Safwen Kochbati
Music: Fathia Amri
Performance : Samar Jaouadi, Aya Jalalli
Language : Tunisian
Duration: 60 minutes

Synopsis

“Tokotom” refers to a popular rhythm deeply rooted in Tunisian collective memory, symbolizing an exhausting slowness with heavy psychological and social consequences.

On a dimly lit stage—amidst a garbage skip, soft lighting, and a chaotic accumulation of waste—a symbolic and philosophical backdrop emerges, reflecting the socially, economically, and politically polluted reality Tunisia has endured since the revolution of December 17, 2010.

The play tackles a wide range of issues: unemployment, marginalization, poverty, isolation, symbolic violence, and environmental degradation. All these problems pile up on stage like waste in a dumpster, reminding us that real solutions never come from above.