The relationship between Alicante and Oran takes center stage again at Casa Mediterráneo with the second edition of the Alicante-Orán Week, running from September 22 to 27. These six days will feature a comprehensive program including music, history, cinema, gastronomy, literature, and cooperation, aiming to celebrate and highlight the connections between these two Mediterranean cities.
The program kicks off on Tuesday, September 22, at 10:30 AM with the opening of the exhibition "Miradas sobre Orán" (Glances at Oran) at the Sala Aifos of the University of Alicante. This exhibition, a collaboration between the University of Alicante, Oran 1 University Ahmed Ben Bella, and Casa Mediterráneo, will display 14 original works by students from the Institut des Beaux-Arts of Oran 1 University. The artworks, viewable until September 25, offer a personal perspective on Oran and other Algerian landscapes, featuring emblematic sites, architecture, daily life, and traces of Spanish heritage in Oran.
On the same Tuesday, Raï music, a popular Algerian genre representative of Oran, will be the focus with two sessions led by José Carlos Cabrera, director of the radio program Ruta Mediterránea. The first session will be at 12:00 PM at the University of Alicante, and the second at 7:00 PM at Casa Mediterráneo. Both events are open to the public until full capacity.
On Wednesday, September 23, at 7:00 PM, literature takes the stage with a conference titled "Literary Links between France, Algeria, and Spain: A Reading from Saint-Exupéry to Kaouther Adimi", presented by Josefina Bueno, Professor of French Philology at the University of Alicante. The session, open to the public, can also be followed online.
On Thursday, September 24, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, a seminar will be held on the relations between Spain and Algeria, organized in collaboration with the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed) and the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CEARC). Specialists will discuss the challenges and opportunities of this relationship in the Mediterranean context. Access will be by invitation.
On the same Thursday, at 6:00 PM, a guided tour of "Oranese Alicante" will take place, lasting approximately two hours, led by historian Belén Cuenca from the University of Alicante. This tour, also repeated on Sunday, September 27, at 10:30 AM, will explore the shared history between Alicante and Oran. Places are fully booked.
On Friday, September 25, the program moves to the recently restored Torre Sarrió. Between 9:30 AM and 12:30 PM, in collaboration with the Alicante City Council, a talk will be held on defensive architecture and coastal watchtowers, open to the public.
On Friday evening, cinema returns to Casa Mediterráneo with a screening at the Ágora at 7:00 PM as part of the Cineclub Mediterráneo. The film "Lo que el día debe a la noche" (What the Day Owes the Night, 2012), directed by Alexandre Arcady and based on the novel by Yasmina Khadra, will be shown in its original version with Spanish subtitles. The nearly three-hour film traces Algerian history from the 1930s to independence. Admission is free.
The weekend will feature more activities. On Saturday, September 26, from 5 PM to 9 PM, the Algerian Association El-Djazairia will offer culinary workshops, Arabic calligraphy, henna art, and dance performances to introduce Algerian culture.
Through this program, Casa Mediterráneo highlights the historical relationship between Alicante and Oran, twin cities sharing memory, trade, migration, and human connections, extending beyond their geographical proximity.
