2024-04-23 00:07:17
This conference, organized by the Chamber of Crafts of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region in partnership with the Heritage and Arts Club and in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO), is part of the debate on the history, origin and evolution of this heritage, characterized by beauty and creativity, and underlines the contribution of the Kingdom to its preservation, taking into account the specificities local events in which artisans from all Moroccan cultural backgrounds took part.
The symposium, attended by government representatives, academics and artisans, aims to highlight the traditional zellige and the Moroccan caftan as an artistic, utilitarian and cultural heritage, which is intended to be a symbol of Moroccan cultural identity .
In a statement to the press, the president of the Chamber of Crafts of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, Abderrahim Zemzami, affirmed that the theme of the conference is of particular importance because it concerns the nation in general and the traditional artisan in particular, emphasizing that its main objective is to highlight the rich heritage of Morocco with its different components, spanning 12 centuries.
Recalling Morocco’s esteem for the work of UNESCO and its missions to protect the cultural heritage of different countries around the world, Mr. Zemzami indicated that this conference will be crowned by recommendations which will be submitted to this UN organization.
The president of the Division of the General Inventory of Heritage under the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication (Department of Culture), Abdessalam Amarir, underlined, for his part, that the zellige and the caftan represent key elements of Moroccan intangible cultural heritage.
“Zellige is a purely Moroccan product and the result of experiences spanning several centuries,” Mr. Amarir underlined in a statement to the press, adding that the same goes for the Moroccan caftan.
“The design of the caftan as a costume or dress is of Moroccan origin,” he asserted, noting that zellige and Moroccan caftans are not only found in museums and archaeological sites, but are elements living things on which artisans work until today, with socio-economic, symbolic and cultural functions that reflect the authenticity of Moroccan identity.
And to conclude that Moroccan heritage, in particular the zellige and the caftan, is a common heritage requiring the concerted efforts of all actors and stakeholders for its preservation and promotion.
For his part, the president of the Heritage and Arts Association, Noureddine Dinia, indicated that this meeting is an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of the Kingdom’s heritage, in particular the Moroccan caftan and zellige, and to formulate recommendations for their preservation.
He stressed that heritage is an integral part of Morocco’s cultural identity, emphasizing the need to mobilize all stakeholders, notably administrations, professionals and civil society, to publicize the richness of Moroccan heritage.
The conference was marked by scientific and technical presentations from professors, experts and traditional artisans experienced in crafts and heritage.
2024-04-23 00:07:17