Djerba World Heritage Day 2027

Djerba World Heritage Days (DWHD) is a mobile, participatory cultural program born in 2024 on the occasion of the first anniversary of Djerba's inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List. More than an annual festival, DWHD is a territory-wide caravan that transforms heritage into a shared, circulating, and lived experience. It is conceived, produced, and executed by the Zomita Collective, a multidisciplinary local community of young architects, designers, photographers, musicians, anthropologists, and cultural mediators, in partnership with the Association pour la Sauvegarde de l'Île de Djerba (ASSIDJE).

The name Zomita, echoing a local blend of ingredients, embodies the collective's philosophy: a creative alchemy nourished by experimentation, constructive critique, and the pursuit of cultural impact. DWHD is not a spectacle about heritage; it is a collective practice of heritage, where inhabitants become authors, youth become transmitters, and ancestral knowledge becomes a living resource for the future.

Three Editions, One Trajectory

DWHD 1.0 - September 2024 | The Foundation

The inaugural edition was a leap of faith. With no precedent on the island, the collective built the festival from scratch, driven by a simple observation voiced by Naceur Bouabid: "The inhabitants of Djerba have never had the opportunity to celebrate this recognition, nor to understand what was actually inscribed."

Over three days - preceded by pre-events from August 12 - DWHD 1.0 gathered 500+ participants, 70% of whom were under 25, through 12 participatory workshops (silkscreen printing, visual art, 3D modeling, etc.), 3 circuits (bike ride, urban walk, treasure hunt), 2 artistic residencies (photography and architectural modeling), and a festive closing ceremony. The event generated 10 press articles, 5 podcasts, and a vibrant social media footprint.

DWHD 2.0 - September 2025 | The Refinement

The second edition refined the model into nine core activities: sensitive cartography, guided Menzel tours, Walk & Talk, pottery circuit, artisanal printing, earthen architecture exhibition, cycling, treasure hunt, and discussion panels. This edition deepened community engagement and diversified partnerships (local sponsors via ASSIDJE, institutional support), while confirming the need to decentralise activities and extend impact beyond three days.

DWHD 3.0 - September 2026 | The Expansion

The third edition marks a qualitative leap. With activities including the Aquarelle Workshop, Ciné-Patrimoine Artistic Residency, Cook Talk, Lino Print Cards, Creative Station, Mémoire de Djerba & Nadhoor projections, Patrimoine en Dialogue roundtables, Café Talk, Bin Jwad Discovery trail, Bahbeh Bike Circuit, and the Closing Ceremony, DWHD 3.0 consolidates the festival as a multi-site, multi-format, intergenerational platform.

Philosophy - Heritage as a Common Good

The Zomita Collective approaches heritage not as a monument to be contemplated, but as a living practice to be transmitted, questioned, and reinvented. This philosophy rests on three pillars:

1. Radical participation. Every activity is designed as a co-construction: inhabitants, artisans, youth, and artists are not audiences but actors. From sensitive cartography to participatory restoration sites, DWHD transforms heritage into a shared authorship.

2. Intergenerational transmission. Ancestral techniques - earthen restoration, pottery, paper-making, oral songs, culinary knowledge - are passed from elders to youth through immersive, hands-on workshops. The festival is a space where knowledge circulates, not a museum where it is frozen.

3. Territorial equity. Heritage is not concentrated in a single site. The caravan model reaches every village of Djerba - Guellala, Ajim, Mahboubine, Hara Sghira, Midoun, Houmt Souk - and extends to other Tunisian heritage regions (Medenine, Tataouine), ensuring that no community is left behind.

Impact & Community

Across three editions, DWHD has:

• Mobilised 1,500+ cumulative participants, with a majority of youth under 25.
• Engaged 30+ volunteers and 12 permanent collective members per edition.
• Produced 10+ podcasts, 20+ video capsules, and an open-access digital archive.
• Generated 15+ press articles and a strong social media community (@DjerbaWorldHeritageDays).
• Created synergies between associations, artists, artisans, and local authorities, including Destination Djerba, CRAterre, Club88, and ASSIDJE.

The festival has also become a training ground for young professionals: graphic designers, mediators, photographers, and cultural managers who have honed their skills through DWHD and gone on to paid opportunities.

Looking Ahead

DWHD 4.0 (2027) will deepen the caravan model, with artistic residencies focused on inclusive governance and human rights, participatory restoration sites certified by CRAterre, and itinerant caravans in Medenine and Tataouine. The collective is also preparing a dedicated funding dossier for institutional and international donors, ensuring the festival's sustainability and its capacity to empower the next generation of heritage guardians.

Djerba World Heritage Days is not just an event. It is a movement - a caravan of memory, creativity, and shared futures, led by the youth of Djerba, for Djerba and beyond.