Carthage Magazine
  • Home
  • Things to Do
  • Food & Drinks
    • Taste Tunisia
  • People
    • No Sugarcoating
  • Style & Travel
  • Local History
    • Museums
    • Monuments
    • Heritage Sites
    • Historical Figures
  • Education
  • Tech & Startups
  • Editors’ Picks
  • About Us
  • Readers Write
  • Our People
Carthage Magazine
  • Home
  • Things to Do
  • Food & Drinks
    • Taste Tunisia
  • People
    • No Sugarcoating
  • Style & Travel
  • Local History
    • Museums
    • Monuments
    • Heritage Sites
    • Historical Figures
  • Education
  • Tech & Startups
  • Editors’ Picks
Editors' PicksPeopleVideos

Emel Mathlouthi’s Group Cover of Revolution Anthem Went Viral

By Editorial Staff January 16, 2021
Written by Editorial Staff January 16, 2021
Emel Mathlouthi
  • 7
    Shares

Emel is a firebrand Tunisian singer, songwriter and composer. She rose to fame when her song Kelmti Horra (My Word is Free) was adopted by the Arab Spring revolutionaries and soon became an Anthem throughout the region, in particular among young people yearning for change.

Now in her thirties, Mathlouthi started her music journey while she was still a child growing up in Tunis. By the time she was in Middle School, she was heading a metal band.

She then started to write songs that were deeply critical of the regime of the then-president of Tunisia, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

In 2008, she took the decision to leave the country and moved to France, convinced that she would not go far in her career if she stayed in her home country.

Emel knew that she was running right up against a whole regime by herself but she persisted — and kept right on singing about Tunisia and about oppression.

Years before the Tunisian Revolution took place, Emel had already been singing “Kelmti Horra”, a song that tipped her over the edge, every chance she could get — she ended every concert with it in both France and Tunisia, to which she returned occasionally, performing at underground shows while her music spread largely on social media.

She then had already been prohibited from performing at music festivals in Tunisia, and “Kelmti Horra” was banned outright.

Emel was in Tunisia when the despairing street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi, set himself on fire on Dec. 17th, 2010 — a pivotal moment that sparked what became first Tunisia’s Revolution, and then, in a string of regional uprisings, the Arab Spring.

On one remarkable day in January 2011, just weeks after Bouazizi set himself on fire, Emel stood up in a crowd of demonstrators along the packed Avenue Habib Bourguiba to sing her iconic song. Within days, Ben Ali and his family had fled the country.

That one song made Emel Mathlouthi an international star; four years later, she was invited to sing it at the Nobel Peace Prize concert.

Eight years later, Emel Mathlouthi has resurrected the spirit of the Tunisian Revolution and the Arab Spring, with an epic group cover of the track, for which she recruited 53 artists from 22 countries.

The group cover went viral on last January 14th, which marked the 10th Anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution.

A gathering of 53 artists and musicians from 22 different nationalities singing “Kelmti Horra”.
  • Emel Mathlouthi’s official website.
  • Facebook: Emel
  • Twitter: @MathlouthiEmel

If you would like to comment on this article or anything else you have seen on Carthage Magazine, leave a comment below or head over to our Facebook page. You may also message us via this page.

And if you liked this article, sign up for the monthly features newsletter. A handpicked selection of stories from Carthage Magazine, delivered to your inbox.

  • 7
    Shares
0 comment
1
FacebookTwitterEmail
Editorial Staff
Editorial Staff

Editorial staff account at Carthage Magazine, Tunisia's premier English lifestyle magazine with thousands of page-views per month and over 200,000 social media followers.

previous post
Tunisian Stuffed Peppers: “Felfel Mehchi”
next post
“Domaine Oued El Khil”, Your New Favorite Eco-Farm Stay Accommodation in Tunisia

Related Articles

Tunisian Mloukhiya, Your Grandma’s Favorite Dish (& Likely...

February 26, 2021

Lablebi: One of Tunisia’s Most Popular Street Foods

February 22, 2021

Tunisia’s Traditional Mini Doughnuts: Kaa’k Yoyo

February 16, 2021

5 Mind-Blowing Facts about the Tunisian Arabic

February 12, 2021

North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial in Tunisia

February 9, 2021

Tunisian Sefseri: Symbol of Modesty & Elegance

February 8, 2021

Tunisia’s “Challenge ONE” First Homebuilt Satellite to Launch...

February 2, 2021

5 Tips to Remember When Selling Your Car...

January 31, 2021

Tajine El Bey: Tunisia’s Finest Appetizer

January 26, 2021

Basmati: Incentivizing Giving Culture within Gabes

January 24, 2021

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Flavors of Tunisia

Tunisian Food Recipes

Want more top stories?

Carthage Magazine Newsletter

Sign up today and you’ll get our latest stories delivered straight to your inbox.

Quizzes

QUIZ: Think You’re a Know-It-All? Try Naming These...

Quiz: How Well Do You Know African Countries...

Just For You

  • 1

    Tunisia Might Lead F-35 Maintenance in the Region

    January 5, 2021
  • 2

    5 Mind-Blowing Facts about the Tunisian Arabic

    February 12, 2021
  • 3

    Tunisia’s National Dish: COUSCOUS

    January 3, 2021
  • 4

    Tunisia’s “Challenge ONE” First Homebuilt Satellite to Launch in March 2021

    February 2, 2021
  • 5

    Lablebi: One of Tunisia’s Most Popular Street Foods

    February 22, 2021

Latest

  • Tunisian Mloukhiya, Your Grandma’s Favorite Dish (& Likely Yours, Too!)

  • Kbayroun: Helping Kids to Learn While Having Fun

  • Tunisia to Host “African Lion”, Africa’s Biggest Military Exercise

  • Lablebi: One of Tunisia’s Most Popular Street Foods

Sections

  • Editors' Picks
  • Education
  • Food & Drinks
  • Local History
  • News
  • No Sugarcoating
  • People
  • Quizzes
  • Real Estate
  • Style & Travel
  • Tech & Startups
  • Things to Do
  • Videos

E᙭ᑭᒪOᖇE

Carthage Magazine

We’re on a mission to create content that inspires people about experiences, places, products and people in Tunisia!

 

— About Us

— Adverstising

— Transparency

— Contact Us

Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Youtube

ᗯᗩᑎT ᗰOᖇE TOᑭ ᔕTOᖇIEᔕ?

Carthage Magazine Newsletter

Sign up today and you’ll get our latest stories delivered straight to your inbox.

ᔕᑭᖇEᗩᗪ TᕼE ᗯOᖇᗪ

Spread the word

Our goal is to get these stories out in the public arena, and by doing this, keep promoting Tunisia and changing attitudes towards the MENA region.

 

— Ambassadors

— Readers Write

— What You Can Do to Help

EᗪITOᖇᔕ’ ᑭIᑕKᔕ

  • Tunisian Mloukhiya, Your Grandma’s Favorite Dish (& Likely Yours, Too!)

    February 26, 2021
  • Lablebi: One of Tunisia’s Most Popular Street Foods

    February 22, 2021
  • Tunisia’s Traditional Mini Doughnuts: Kaa’k Yoyo

    February 16, 2021

© 2019 - 2021 Carthage Magazine. Privacy Policy

Carthage Magazine
  • Home
  • Things to Do
  • Food & Drinks
    • Taste Tunisia
  • People
    • No Sugarcoating
  • Style & Travel
  • Local History
    • Museums
    • Monuments
    • Heritage Sites
    • Historical Figures
  • Education
  • Tech & Startups
  • Editors’ Picks
© 2019 - 2021 Carthage Magazine. Privacy Policy

Read alsox

10 Tunisian Road-Trip Snacks

March 16, 2020

Tunisian Breakfast for Champions: “Zamit” with Pomegranate

October 1, 2020

Trailer: UNESCO World Heritage Site Status Application...

January 10, 2020