Spain will take part in the 28th edition of the International Publishing and Book Fair (SIEL), from June 2 to 11 in Rabat, with a stand organized by the Spanish Embassy, through its culture department. , and the Cervantes Institute in Rabat.
Over the course of ten days, the Embassy and the Cervantes Institute in Rabat will organize a series of activities to reach different audiences, indicate the organizers, specifying that the program of the show will be articulated around several axes, in particular the exchange between Moroccan and Spanish writers and translators, including Spanish authors of Moroccan origin, and women’s literature.
The program also includes activities aimed at children, with in particular the “Chiquitectos” educational workshop, led by the Spanish architect Almudena De Benito, on June 5 and 6 and aimed at children aged 10 to 12, with the aim of to discover and develop personal skills, to learn and appreciate teamwork.
It is also a question of the organization, on June 3 and 4, of the circus show “Mendo”, with the participation of the company “La pequeña victoria Cen”.
In addition, this great cultural event will start on June 2 with the screening of the film “Regreso a Raqqa” (Return to Raqqa) (Albert Solé and Raúl Cuevas- Spain- 2022). The screening of the documentary film will be followed by a commentary by Spanish writer and journalist Beatriz Mesa, author of the book “Armed groups in the Sahel”.
On the menu of this annual meeting is also a literary meeting, on June 3, around the book “Sea of Alboran. Anthology of contemporary Andalusian and Moroccan poetry”, with the participation of the Spanish poet and literary critic José Sarria and some poets.
This book brings together works by contemporary Moroccan and Andalusian authors, selected by José Sarria and translated by Khalid Raisouni.
On the menu of the Salon’s program is also a literary meeting under the theme “Feminine writings in Spanish”. The debates of this meeting, organized on June 6 by the Cervantes Institute of Rabat in collaboration with the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME), will focus on the literary productions of a generation of emerging Spanish authors from Moroccan origin, as well as on the question of the influence of the evolution of Moroccan immigration on current writing.
The round table, which will be moderated by writer Mohamed El Morabet, will see the participation of writers Meryem El Mehdati, Laila Karrouch and Karima Ziali.
As part of the writing cycle, a first workshop for students aged 12 to 16 is scheduled for June 7, under the theme “The amazing machine for generating short stories”, with the participation of the Spanish writer Jorge Gonsalvo, National Reading Prize 2022.
Similarly, a symposium will be organized on June 7 around the book “Saadian architecture in Morocco from 1554 to 1659”, with the participation of the author of the book, the Spanish architect Antonio Almargo, and the Moroccan architect Faisal Cherradi.
The debate will focus in particular on the analysis of these two architects about architecture in Morocco under the reign of the Saadian dynasty, as well as the models established by the Almohads and the Merinids.
The SIEL program will also be marked by the organization, on the same day, of a writing workshop under the sign “the inhabited character”. Intended for adults, this autobiographical writing workshop will also be led by the writer Jorge Gonsalvo.
Along the same lines, Jorge Gonsalvo will lead another writing workshop on June 8 under the theme “the dinosaur and other fictions”. Aimed at young people, it will deal with questions relating to the genre of micro-news, in particular short stories and micro-narratives.
As part of the fair’s activities, a symposium will also be organized on the same day around the book “Edición y libro español en Marruecos – Breve perspectiva histórica (1860-2020)” (Brief historical perspective of publishing and the Spanish book in Morocco (1860-2020) ), with the participation of the author of the work, the Hispanist professor Mohamed Abrigach and the writer Khadija Karzazi.
On the menu of the SIEL program is also a symposium around the book “Al sur de Tanger. Un viaje a las culturas de Marruecos” (South of Tangier. A journey through the cultures of Morocco). This meeting will see the participation of the author of the book, the Spanish writer and translator Gonzalo Fernandez Parrilla, and the Moroccan writer and literary critic Abdelkader Chaoui.
Another symposium is planned for the same day around the book “El mirador de los perezosos”, with the participation of the author of this work, the Spanish writer Sergio Barce, and the Moroccan writer and anthropologist Karima Ziali.
In addition, a symposium entitled “Armed groups in the Sahel” will be held on June 9, with the participation of the Spanish journalist Beatriz Mesa, author of the book “Los grupos armados del Sahel” (Armed groups in the Sahel), and the diplomat Maximiliano Jara.
This meeting focused on the work of Beatriz Mesa will deal in particular with questions relating to jihadist groups in northern Mali, as well as their criminal economic networks, their kidnappings and drug trafficking.
A concert by the Choir of the Fundacion Tres Culturas will also be organized the same day at the Théatre Mohammed V.
The public will thus have the opportunity to enjoy the performance of the Chœur des Trois Cultures, a choral group made up of members of the Voix du Chœur de Rabat and members of various Andalusian choirs.
The last two days of the Show, June 10 and 11, will be marked by the organization of the show “Titeres: Bag Lady”, with the participation of actress Maglosia Skandera Hernangomez.