TUNISIA / Television programmes during Ramadan

Every year during Ramadan, Tunisian television channels renew their programmes to ensure good ratings.

Attessia TV’s “El Masque“

In a press conference, Elyess Gharbi, chair and managing director of Tunisian Television, announced the budget for this year’s Ramadan schedule was 4.5 million dinars.

New Tunisian productions

Among the new local productions, the major public channel, Wataniya 1, is offering El Dawama, (The Torment) a serial by Naim Ben Rhouma about the friction between two families, both of which have hidden secrets. On the same channel, in a lighter vein, the sitcom El Hajema (The Hairdresser) by Zied Litayem is about the adventures in a hairdressing salon. Lemnara, on the private channel El Hiwar Ettounsi, has built up expectations because it is made by Atef Ben Hassine (famous for his role in the series Maktoub).

Polemics around hidden cameras

And of course programmes made with hidden cameras. This year there will be El Masque and El Clinique. In El Masque (Attessia TV), actors disguised as President Essebsi and Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Ennahdha Party, trap guests. The masks used to imitate the two political leaders cost nearly €18,000.

The second programme, broadcast on Hannibal TV, has already made its mark. A well-known person is told that one of his or her relatives, or themselves, has had a serious accident – a deliberate lie. Internet users have reacted strongly to the humorous limitations of this type of programme. Consequently the Tunis regional medical council (Conseil régional de l’ordre des Médecins CROM) has opened an investigation.

Renewal of programmes and opening up to the Arab world

There will also be new seasons of series such as Bolice 3 or Flash-Back 2 (Attessia), Denya Okhra, Wled Moufida (El Hiwar Ettounsi), and Nsibti Laaziza (Nessma TV). Popular cookery shows are also scheduled, with El Koujina (Wataniya 1), Harek Tanjra (Attessia), Couzinetna hakka (Nessma TV).

Finally, Tunisian viewers can watch the much awaited Saudi series, Black Crows, from the MBC group about the terrorist organization Isis. Also on offer are series from Egypt (Halawet Eddonia – The Sweetness of Life), Syria (Nizar Kabbani on Wataniya 1) and Turkey (Kattousset Ermed on Nessma TV), all dubbed into Tunisian dialect.

Sources: JeuneAfrique, Huffpostmaghreb