Thursday September 27, 2024, the seminar room of the National School of Trades and Arts of Tétouan hosted a thematic workshop on “Tiles of Tétouan” in the presence of several local and national officials from the traditional crafts sector, as well as as representatives. of the Mohammed V Foundation and the Ministry of Culture, as well as numerous researchers, artisans and community actors interested in traditional heritage.
During this workshop, organized at the initiative of the Regional Directorate of Traditional Crafts, the interventions of those responsible underlined the importance of protecting the tiles of Tetouan as a distinctive artisanal heritage within the framework of the development programs of traditional industry supervised by the ministry. They stressed that the program for the preservation of traditional craft products, particularly clay, constitutes one of the priorities of the ministry to protect these traditional crafts from extinction.
Participants also called for strengthening efforts to promote and protect Tetouan tiles as an integral part of the national heritage, noting the need to protect them from unfair competition and imitation. They stressed the importance of passing on this profession to future generations through professional training programs.
The workshop, which aroused wide interest from local stakeholders, highlighted the unique character of Tetouan tiles with their geometric characteristics and unique natural colors. Participants discussed ways to protect it, including legal protection through the “distinctive brand” system, which will be registered with the Moroccan Industrial and Commercial Property Office and the competent international organizations.
The workshop also addressed the measures taken by Morocco in recent years to protect this “human treasure”, where technical and legal efforts were reviewed, including the establishment of a distinctive brand for tiles from Tetouan and other traditional industry products.
The workshop ended with presentations presented by a specialized design office on the design specifications for Tetouan tiles, including the geometric design proposed as a distinctive feature, in addition to discussing its advantages compared to other types of tiles. traditional Moroccan tiles.
It should be noted that, as part of the initiatives aimed at protecting the zellij crafts of Tetouan, a training program was launched last year for the benefit of vocational training graduates from the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region. , in accordance with the cooperation agreement. concluded between the Ministry of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy and UNESCO, which aims to protect the intangible cultural heritage associated with traditional crafts.
In conclusion, it was underlined that the tiles of Tetouan constitute an authentic Moroccan heritage which must be protected from theft and attempts at attribution to other countries, including Algeria.
The participants expressed their appreciation for this initiative which highlights the importance of zellige in Moroccan cultural identity, calling on all parties concerned to intensify their efforts to protect this traditional art from any form of imitation and cultural theft, with an emphasis on consciously promoting the authenticity of this heritage and its ancient history.
