In the Summertime, when the weather is high...

One of the best things about Ramadan in Tunisia (besides the brik à l'œuf every single night - no joke, on the fourth day, I realised I had eaten one every single day so far and had to take a vow of abstinence against those little critters) is the Festival of Carthage, a big, international music festival hosted at the Roman Amphitheatre in the suburb of Carthage.

On Saturday night, we trotted along to see the American band, OneRepublic. For me, as a non-fan, it's surprising that it was not actually my first time seeing them, I'd already had the pleasure in 2008 at the One Big Weekend in Kent. Back then, they just had one song. Now they have a load more, and a load of International fans. Who'd have thought that five years later, I'd be watching them in North Africa, in an outdoor Roman Amphitheatre, in the rain? The moment was not lost on me. Stop and Stare indeed.

Then, last night, it was the turn of the Jamaican, reggae artist, Shaggy.

Oh, hello Shaggy!

There is a gigantic mosque in Carthage that I run past on every single running day. It used to be named after Tunisia's no-longer-popular-at-all, former president, but his name has now been scrubbed out on all of the direction signs. Ramadan dictates that people break fast at home, and then can go along to Tarawih (this is an Arabic word that my colleagues make me practice after I mispronounce it every morning) prayers, which usually last about two hours. Following this, families tootle down to the theatre with their cushions to sit on, and a sing-along spirit. Perfect, perfect.

So yesterday Shaggy popped along to deliver us some tasty, Caribbean beats, as we sweat it out, dancing in the hot, African night air.

And The Worst Moment? As Mr Boombastic flowed into Oh Carolina, my friend who is always late to everything, but whose ticket I was holding, arrived and I had to run like Usain Bolt, out of the stands and back to the entrance to let him in. Missed it. Balls.

But The Best Moment? The banter.

Thank you Tunisia!!! Shout out to all the Tunisians in here tonight!!! (Mad applause)

And I know we have some Africans in here!! Is anyone here from Africa?!?

Ahh, the age old: Tunisia is a country and Africa is a country and Tunisia is not in Africa. Dynamite.

Well, Shaggy, get yourself an education. Africa was the name that the Romans gave to Tunisia once they destroyed Carthage at the end of the Third Punic War in 146BC. The Afri tribe was the Latin name for the Carthaginians, so naturally Africa mean "Land of the Afri".

And in Africa, in the remains of the seats of the Carthaginians and Romans, we all sat, stood, clapped, danced, cheered and sang:  

"...But she caught me on the counter..."

It wasn't me...