Morocco seeks to recover the splendour of the Great Cervantes Theatre in Tangiers

Morocco has regained ownership of the Great Cervantes Theatre in Tangier following the agreement reached with Spain in this regard.

During the colonial period, Tangier was divided into protectorates or managed zones belonging to various countries such as France and Spain. The Moroccan city was divided into cultural and social departments, each with its own indigenous peculiarities, one French, one Spanish, one Italian-influenced and even one with British ancestry.

The Great Cervantes Theatre had a great heyday in the 1950s, but was abandoned to its fate. In the current handover agreement to the Kingdom of Morocco, it is stipulated that the North African country must restore and rehabilitate the cultural centre that enjoyed a great cultural moment more than 70 years ago. It was once the largest and best-known theatre in North Africa, but from the 1970s onwards it fell into oblivion and serious deterioration due to the abandonment and disuse of its facilities. 

The engineer in charge of rehabilitating the theatre, Taoufik Murabet, told Reuters that "the restoration requires very high capacities and skills". "We will do everything we can to preserve the privacy of this theatre and preserve its cultural character. The theatre was neglected for 50 years and it is difficult to return to its former state without change," he said, also reported by Al-Arab. 

Tangier's Great Theatre was built by the famous Spanish architect Diego Jimenez; it was designed in a major engineering style in the 19th century, called Art Nouveau or Modernism, as a continuation of classical architecture, but with an eye to the future. Modernism or Art Nouveau is the term used to designate a current of artistic renewal developed at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, during the period known as the "fin de siècle and belle époque". In this movement, the intention was to create a new, young, free and modern art, which represented a break with the dominant styles of the time, both those of the academic tradition (historicism or eclecticism) and those of the breakaway styles (realism or impressionism). In the new aesthetic that was sought to be created, inspiration from nature predominated, while at the same time incorporating novelties derived from the industrial revolution, such as steel and glass, overcoming the poor aesthetics of the iron architecture of the mid-19th century. 

The engineer and architect Diego Jiménez used reinforced concrete for its construction, which was in the process of being tested at the time. And he used a combination of plaster and ceramics with high craftsmanship.

The Spanish Council of Ministers had already donated the ownership of the theatre to Morocco in 2019, but it is now that the recovery of ownership by the Moroccan kingdom has become effective.  

Tangier's Cervantes Theatre was inaugurated in 1913 and donated to the Spanish state in 1928, when the Tangier city was divided into protectorates controlled by various European countries, as noted above, including Spain. For many years, it was of great importance in Morocco and in North Africa in general as a theatrical and cultural centre of reference in the region.  

After the serious deterioration it has suffered, it is now considered a building of important architectural, heritage and cultural value that requires significant investment for its rehabilitation.  

The Moroccan government undertook to restore and manage the Great Cervantes Theatre in Tangier in exchange for the transfer of ownership, and the aim now is to restore it to a condition similar to that which it enjoyed during its best years.  

This episode in the cultural sphere is also part of the good moment in diplomatic relations between Morocco and Spain, endorsed by the High Level Meeting held recently in Rabat with the presence of the Spanish President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Moroccan Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch. A summit in which many agreements were sealed in various sectors beneficial to both nations.