High up in Kabylie, the mountainous region where locals have doggedly resisted Algeria’s various colonizers over millennia, a clump of white-walled houses clings to a rugged hillside. This is the tiny hamlet of Sahel, Bouzeguene, whose population swelled last week with thousands of guests — among them painters, musicians, storytellers, magicians and poets. 

The occasion was the 16th edition of Raconte-Arts, Algeria’s wildly popular community arts festival. Each year, a different Kabylie village hosts the week-long event. The official schedule includes concerts, poetry recitals and panel discussions on contentious topics. The true beauty of Raconte-Arts, however, lies in its spontaneity.

Two local mothers, glowing in the arrestingly bright hues of their Kabylie dresses, show off to their young children with a karaoke microphone. A hakawatieh — storyteller — finds a quiet alcove, pulls out his drum and starts spinning a bewitching tale. As evening sets in, young Algerians gather in the moonlight to sing ballads about alcohol and fighting for independence.

“At Raconte-Arts, all of us are the raconteurs,” said Souad Hanniz, a psychologist and singer who at a moment’s notice will belt out tunes in the local Berber language of Kabylie, Arabic, French and English.