Culture plays a pivotal role in bringing people together and spreading the values of dialogue and openness to others, something that Morocco has firmly established in recent years under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, which has made this soft power an effective mechanism at the service of the influence of the Kingdom on the continental and international levels.
If, at the international level, Morocco continues to mark its presence in various fields, particularly with regard to peace in the world, the fight against violent extremism and immigration, culture has, for its part, largely contributed to the consecration of the influence of the Kingdom and the enhancement of its image as an authentic and rich country through its tangible and intangible heritage.
This role of culture in the remarkable presence of the Kingdom at the international level is manifested through two observations. The first lies in the choice of Rabat as the capital of culture in the Islamic world for the year 2022 by ICESCO, and whose celebration under the High Patronage of King Mohammed VI included a set of programs and activities aimed at to highlight the cultural and civilizational status enjoyed by the capital of enlightenment, as well as its tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
The second event concerns the choice of Rabat also as the capital of African culture (June 2022 – May 2023), an event that reflects the image of a Morocco proud of its civilization and culture, and of a country that represents the civilizational and cultural diversity of the African continent with all its material and immaterial aspects.
The two choices reflect the place occupied by the capital of the Kingdom and testifies to the development it is experiencing, particularly on the cultural level, thanks to the Royal project “Rabat, city of lights and cultural capital of Morocco”, which has enabled this city to equip itself with important infrastructures, qualifying it to host various international cultural and artistic events.
This Royal desire to promote the cultural image of the capital, accompanied by various Royal initiatives aimed at bringing cultural structures (museums, theatres, etc.) closer to citizens in the different regions of the Kingdom, go hand in hand with other laudable efforts , set up under the High Patronage of the King, in terms of optimal management of the cultural diversity of the Kingdom and its linguistic, religious and ethnic tributaries.
The consecration of this cultural diversity was also manifested through the presentation, before the King at the end of the work of the Council of Ministers held on July 13, of a presentation on the measures drawn up, in application of the High Royal Instructions, concerning the organization of the Moroccan Jewish community.
“These measures are based on the supreme responsibility incumbent on His Majesty the King in His capacity as Amir Al-Mouminine and guarantor of the free exercise of worship for all Moroccans, all religious denominations combined, and come to devote the Hebrew tributary as a component of the rich Moroccan culture of its multiple tributaries”. In addition to Morocco’s successful model in the field of cultural diversity management, there are other aspects of culture’s contribution to the influence of the Kingdom at the international level, the most important of which is the growing presence of the Kingdom in international cultural events such as film festivals, museum exhibitions, book fairs and literary forums, organized in Morocco or abroad.
Indeed, this cultural openness to the outside constitutes for cultural diplomacy an ideal opportunity to enhance the image of the Kingdom as a country carrying the values of dialogue between cultures and peoples, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI who stressed in His speech at the 6th European Union (EU)-African Union (AU) summit the importance of “to restore cultural cooperation, in order to relaunch the sector – a real lever for rapprochement in Africa, Europe and between Africa and Europe”.
With regard to the rapprochement between continents and peoples, the King has never ceased to surround with His high concern the members of the Moroccan community residing abroad, considered as “ambassadors of their country” in the host countries, which present an ideal image of a country whose sons are attached to their national identity and disseminate the values of openness and tolerance which marked their upbringing.
Furthermore, it should be noted the growing presence of Morocco, through its heritage sites, in the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as the increase in the number of elements of Moroccan intangible heritage in the lists of the ICESCO. These achievements confirm Morocco’s image as a privileged destination for cultural tourism worldwide.
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