When Algiers Tries to Claim the Caftan: A Festival Serving Political Ambitions
- A festival of culture… or of politics?
- Heritage as a soft power tool
- Politicization that raises questions
- When culture becomes a battlefield
Fashion shows, competitions for young designers, museum exhibitions… the rich and carefully crafted program carried a clear message: to assert loudly that the caftan belongs to Algeria’s heritage. A message that comes at a significant moment, just as Morocco has secured UNESCO recognition of the Moroccan caftan as part of its intangible cultural heritage.
A festival of culture… or of politics?
On paper, the event aimed to promote the transmission of traditional know-how by showcasing embroidery, weaving, and sewing. Yet behind this cultural façade, the political undertones were unmistakable. The slogans, official speeches, and even the staging of the event insisted on the theme of the “Algerian caftan, witness of an ancient heritage.” The rhetoric appeared less directed at the local public than at the international stage, as if to send a message: the caftan is not exclusively Moroccan, but the expression of a shared history — or, according to some officials, specifically Algerian.
Heritage as a soft power tool
For years, the rivalry between Rabat and Algiers has stretched beyond the diplomatic or security arenas into the cultural domain. From popular music to culinary traditions, every international recognition is closely scrutinized — and sometimes contested. The caftan, an icon of Maghrebi refinement, has become one of the most hotly disputed symbols.
By submitting to UNESCO its file “Moroccan Caftan: Art, Tradition and Know-How,” Rabat achieved the culmination of a long process of heritage recognition. The festival organized in September reads as a direct counter-move — even a communication strategy — designed to blur the line between the Moroccan caftan and the so-called “Algerian caftan.”
Politicization that raises questions
Many observers note that politicizing the event may undermine the genuine appreciation of Algeria’s own traditional costumes. The country boasts a rich and diverse wardrobe: the gandoura, the Algiers karakou, the Tlemcen blousa, the Kabyle burnous… original garments that testify to the plurality of regions and local cultures. Why then make the caftan the focal point of a national festival, unless the intention is to engage in an identity tug-of-war with Rabat?
This strategy raises a broader issue: in trying to appropriate a symbol already recognized elsewhere, is Algeria not at risk of diminishing its own cultural wealth in favor of a sterile political confrontation?
When culture becomes a battlefield
The Algiers festival highlighted an active campaign of cultural appropriation: its insistence on brandishing the caftan as an identity flag leaves a bitter aftertaste. Rather than affirming the diversity and uniqueness of its own sartorial traditions, Algeria has chosen to transform a cultural celebration into a tool of geopolitical rivalry.
