The Spanish ambassador to Morocco emphasises the excellent bilateral relations at the presentation of the cultural programme for 2025
The Spanish Embassy in Morocco and the Cervantes Institute presented the annual programme of Spanish cultural activities in the country for this year in Rabat
‘The outstanding cultural cooperation between Morocco and Spain is part of the strategic relations that both countries maintain in various fields’. These are the words of the Spanish ambassador in Rabat, Enrique Ojeda Villa, during his speech on 30 January in the Moroccan capital, on the occasion of the presentation of Spain's cultural agenda in this country.
Ojeda added that this cultural cooperation also forms part of ‘the relations between South and North, and between Africa and Europe through a cultural and human dialogue characterised by common values of peace’.
The ambassador also referred to the shared history between two neighbouring and friendly countries such as Spain and Morocco, which is especially visible in the past of Andalusia.
Cultural programme 2025
The programme of cultural activities prepared by the Instituto Cervantes aims, in the words of Luis García Montero, to ‘strengthen cooperation with local institutions through participation in events in fields such as literature, music, film, video art and dialogue, with the aim of strengthening the cultural fabric in the cities where the Instituto Cervantes is present’.
According to the programme, the Instituto Cervantes has planned numerous collaborations, with the Fez Festival of World Sacred Music; the Casablanca Video Art Festival (FIAV); the Nador International Festival of Shared Memory; the Marrakech International Festival of Contemporary Dance ‘On Marche’; the Boulevard Festival (Casablanca); the Visa for Music Festival (World Music Festival) in Rabat; the Tangier Film Festival, ‘Cap Spartel’; and, of course, the African Film Festival in Tarifa, whose next edition will be held in Tangiers.
Promotion of publishing activity
The Cervantes Institute will also continue to collaborate with the Spanish Embassy in Morocco, as well as with the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and its delegations in Tangier, Tetouan, Fez and Meknes; with the National Council of the Union of Architects; and with the Council of the Moroccan Community Abroad.
According to the programme prepared for 2025, the Institute and the Spanish Embassy will work to encourage participation in events related to publishing and the promotion of reading, such as the SIEL International Book Fair, as well as projects that promote translation between Spanish and Arabic, highlighting linguistic and cultural diversity aspects.
The objective for this year is to strengthen Spanish-Moroccan dialogue through projects centred on shared cultural aspects such as Andalusia, flamenco, Sephardic heritage and shared historical heritage, through exchange activities.
Integration of women and young people
The integration of women creators was also present in the programme, with special attention paid to women specialists, scientists and entrepreneurs, as the Cervantes Institute is going to organise a series of conferences and workshops within the framework of the programme ‘Spanish, a Language with Values’.
The Institute also aims to achieve ‘a culture for young audiences’ by ‘integrating reflection on environmental challenges into cultural programming, addressing issues such as resource scarcity, climate change and biodiversity loss’, and promoting activities that link culture with sustainability, such as thematic exhibitions and workshops.