At the opening ceremony of Ennahda’s 10th National Congress in late May, Rachid Ghannouchi, founder and president of the moderate Islamist party, took to the stage. The speech, much like the rest of the congress and the media frenzy surrounding it, focused on the party’s rebranding and newly enforced separation of religious and political activity. Ghannouchi also took a moment to touch on something else altogether — culture.

“No human development can take place without a cultural renaissance, without establishing cultural and sports activities in all regions,” he told the 13,000-strong audience.

Tunisia isn’t lacking in cultural icons. Ibn Khaldun, the founding father of modern sociology, was born there, as was Abdul Qasim al-Shabi, the early 20th-century poet whose “Tyrants of the World” was chanted across Egypt and Tunisia during the 2011 revolutions. Cinema is a particularly bright spot in Tunisian culture these days. In February this year, Tunisians won for Best First Feature and Best Actor at the Berlin International Film Festival for “Inhebbek Hedi.” In 2013, French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche snagged the top prize at Cannes for “Blue Is the Warmest Color.” 

The role of culture has recently taken on increased importance, as several thousand Tunisians have left the country to fight with the Islamic State in Syria and Libya, and terrorist attacks have increased across the country. “We believe that the fight against terrorism begins with the support of culture,” Ennahda spokesman Oussama Sghaier informed Al-Monitor by email.