Algeria’s Sebeiba Festival Preserves Tuareg Heritage

A centuries-old dance tradition continues to unite the Tuareg people in Djanet, Algeria, where the annual Sebeiba festival drew over 1,000 attendees on July 6, AP reported, citing local officials and participants.

Held in the remote Sahara oasis town near the Libyan border, Sebeiba features a 10-day celebration of peace, culminating in a ritualized dance-off between two neighborhoods. Dancers wield swords and scarves to symbolize war and peace, while women encircle them with chants and drumming. Judges from a third neighborhood choose the winner based on costume, choreography, and poetry. This year, El Mihan prevailed.

Rooted in oral legend, Sebeiba commemorates either the Biblical Exodus or a historic local truce. It coincides with Ashoura, a sacred day in the Islamic calendar, and was recognized by UNESCO in 2014 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Algeria is increasingly promoting Sahara tourism through expanded flights and visa-on-arrival access. Around 50 foreign tourists joined this year’s festival, which locals describe as both spiritual inheritance and global cultural treasure.