2024-07-09 11:35:06
Initiated by the Agency for the Promotion and Economic and Social Development of the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom (APDS), this meeting was an opportunity to shed light on the importance of ancient manuscripts in safeguarding Moroccan cultural heritage and to open the debate between the different actors on the contributions and roles of these documents at the national and international levels.
“This meeting aims to raise awareness and engage in constructive dialogue with visitors, as well as with institutional partners and civil society, on the major cultural issues in the southern regions of the Kingdom, particularly the issue of manuscripts,” stressed, in a statement to the press, the director general of APDS, Jabrane Reklaoui.
Mr. Reklaoui also indicated that the manuscripts, a true cultural heritage, highlight the centuries-old relationship between the southern and northern regions of the Kingdom and underline the territorial integrity of Morocco.
In his speech, the director of cultural heritage at the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mustapha Jlok, stressed that manuscripts are part of the identity of a people, a community and a country, explaining that these documents also represent a memory recorded on a medium, relating in particular history, sociology, beliefs and the relationship of man with his environment.
“Manuscripts are an inseparable component of Moroccan identity,” he said, noting that Morocco is full of enormous potential in terms of manuscripts and that this constitutes a real heritage wealth.
For his part, Professor of International Relations and International Law at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Abdelfattah El Belamachi, noted that manuscripts play an important role in the influence and preservation of the depth that Morocco enjoys on a continental and international scale.
“The manuscripts can also be part of soft diplomacy in order to preserve the rights and interests of the Kingdom, particularly with regard to the issue of the Moroccan Sahara and territorial integrity,” he said.
The panelists further presented a set of data and information on manuscripts and private libraries containing very important ancient documents.
Placed under the High Patronage of HM King Mohammed VI and organized by the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication in partnership with the Wilaya of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the Municipality of Rabat, the 29th edition of SIEL saw the participation of 743 exhibitors representing 48 countries, with UNESCO as guest of honor.
2024-07-09 11:35:06