The Organization of the Islamic World for Education, Science and Culture (ICESCO) has been forced to protect the caftan, which has become yet another target of cultural appropriation by Algeria.
A source within the Regional Organization, indicated that it took an official decision concerning the registration of the Caftan in the Moroccan intangible heritage.
This decision comes after a new offensive by the Algerian regime to appropriate Moroccan cultural elements and register them in the name of Algeria before UNESCO. Indeed, Algeria has introduced the Moroccan caftan in its Mlehfa and Gandoura registration file with UNESCO.
The Moroccan Ministry of Culture presented before ICESCO several elements of Moroccan intangible heritage to be included in the list of heritage sites and cultural elements, before the Islamic World Heritage Committee of the organization.
ICESCO has just registered 26 historical and cultural sites belonging to Moroccan heritage, including tangible and intangible elements.
Since ICESCO counts among its members the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), including Algeria, this means that this country has recognized that the caftan is Moroccan, indicates the same source.