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The activities of the Cultural Week of Morocco in Mexico kicked off on Friday evening in Mexico City, during a ceremony that saw the participation of Moroccan artists and creators representing various artistic and heritage expressions of the Kingdom.
The opening ceremony of this cultural event, organized until January 31st by the Kingdom's embassy in Mexico City in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts, Social Economy, and Solidarity, and the Chamber of Handicrafts of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, was marked by the presence of a number of figures from the worlds of culture, art, diplomacy, and sports, as well as members of the Moroccan community in Mexico, in particular. The ceremony featured performances by the "Abidat Rma" group, a Moroccan caftan fashion show, an exhibition of traditional crafts, and Moroccan culinary arts and zellige, embodying the diversity of artistic and heritage expressions of the Kingdom. The Moroccan Ambassador to Mexico, Abdel Fattah El Labbar, said that this is the second edition of this event, which comes in the context of the momentum that the Kingdom is witnessing, under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, especially at the cultural, sports, and diplomatic levels. El Labbar pointed out, in a statement to the Moroccan News Agency on this occasion, that this event is an opportunity to promote the richness of Moroccan culture and highlight the similarities and fusion with Mexican culture, especially in terms of cuisine, folklore, and traditional crafts, which contributes to achieving cultural rapprochement between the two countries despite the geographical distance. For his part, the President of the Chamber of Handicrafts of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region, Abd al-Rahim Al-Zamzami, affirmed that the participation of a number of Moroccan traditional craftsmen in this event aims to introduce the diversity and richness of Moroccan craft products, especially since the program of this cultural week includes traveling between different regions of Mexico. Al-Zamzami continued, in a similar statement, that this participation also includes presenting Moroccan caftan shows, in the context of the recent inclusion by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) of the Moroccan caftan on the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as a culmination of the continuous efforts made by Morocco, under the King, in the field of preserving and safeguarding Moroccan cultural heritage. The program of the Cultural Week, which is hosted in its first phase by the capital, Mexico City, includes organizing Moroccan cuisine shows, folkloric music evenings, as well as Moroccan classical music concerts, and photographic exhibitions that highlight the richness of Moroccan civilization, in addition to Moroccan caftan fashion shows and a traditional crafts exhibition. Starting from January 26th, this cultural event will also move to the state of Tabasco, where a series of cultural and artistic activities will be organized at the Villahermosa Cultural Center, which reflects the richness of the Moroccan heritage and the diversity of its tributaries. In its final phase, the Moroccan Cultural Week will arrive in the state of Sonora, where Morocco participates as the guest of honor at the Alonso Ortiz Tirado Festival, one of the most prominent cultural and artistic events in Mexico, through organizing artistic and cultural performances that highlight the distinctiveness of Moroccan culture in the fields of music, culinary arts, traditional crafts, and traditional fashion. The Moroccan Cultural Week concludes with the closing ceremony of the Alonso Ortiz Tirado Festival in the state of Sonora, in a station that confirms the strength of the cultural relations that unite Morocco and Mexico, and the role played by culture as a lever for rapprochement and dialogue between peoples.
