MOROCCO, June 2 – The celebration of Rabat as the capital of African culture was officially launched at a press conference held Wednesday at the headquarters of the Maghreb Arab Press Agency (MAP), in the presence of the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid.

Initiated under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the launch of the program of this event, which takes place from June 2022 to May 2023, was given in the presence of the Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa), Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi, and the Mayor of Rabat, Asmaa Rhlalou.

Speaking on this occasion, Bensaid said that the granting of Royal Patronage to this cultural event reflects the particular interest of His Majesty King Mohammed VI about the cultural issue, recalling that in His speech to the sixth European Union-African Union Summit, HM the King said that education, culture, vocational training, mobility and migration “are the priorities of my action, whether it is in Morocco, in Africa or in the framework of our partnership with the European Union.”

The Minister added that the Sovereign had kindly named Rabat in 2014, City of Lights and Cultural Capital of Morocco, a city rich in cultural facilities and infrastructure thanks to the enlightened Royal Vision and royal projects aimed at achieving the urban, cultural and tourist development of the capital of the Kingdom.

Rabat lives to the rhythm of important cultural events that carry the African dimension, reflecting the commitment of the Kingdom to work for the African continent, he noted, adding that the 27th edition of the…