Dialogue between Sabri Louatah and Najat El Hachmi

Is it possible to go beyond intermingling and cultural exchange when thinking about society and contemporary culture? Population flows are the pattern in a globalised world in which identities are being diluted and superimposed, and in which a mosaic is being constructed, contributing towards collective enrichment everywhere. However, they are also giving rise to tensions and fears which are sometimes translated into politics of exclusion and even closing borders. In a world where identities are multiple and undergoing a continuous process of transformation, where migration and movement affect millions of people, thinking about coexistence would seem to be an essential task.

Contradictory feelings of belonging are a phenomenon well known to thousands of Europeans of North African origins. Najat El Hachmi will speak about this with the French writer Sabri Louatah, who has made a major contribution to the inexhaustible, never-ending debate on identity and integration in France and Europe.

Following this dialogue, which will conclude the event “Dialogues for Thinking about Diversity”, the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) has organised a concert by Yacine Belahcene. His music is filled with sounds from the different parts of the Mediterranean, brought together naturally and freely in each song in an electric, vibrant performance.