African High-Ranking Officials Hail HM King Mohammed VI’s Efforts to Consolidate South-South Cooperation, African Development
HM King Mohammed VI’s efforts to consolidate South-South cooperation and development in Africa were hailed by ministers of culture and heads of delegations of African countries who signed the Rabat Declaration for strengthening cultural cooperation between African countries. The declaration, issued at the end of the African Ministerial Meeting on Culture, held Monday in Rabat and aimed at reflecting on the necessary mechanisms for the development of a joint cultural action at the service of the present and the future of African citizens, also highlighted the Kingdom’s leadership in the fight against violence, extremism and separatism, and the establishment of peace and security in Africa. The Declaration, read out by the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, also stressed the strategic role of culture in building knowledge societies, strengthening rapprochement and contributing to global efforts and sustainable development in Africa, welcoming the choice of Rabat as African Capital of Culture for the year 2022-2023. The event “Rabat, Capital of African Culture”, organized for a year under the high patronage of HM King Mohammed VI, was marked by a rich program of cultural events in the fields of literature, poetry, plastic arts, music, theater, cinema, street arts, dance, digital arts, fashion shows, photography and folk art, storytelling and circus arts, in addition to various forums and intellectual meetings. As part of this program, historical sites, public squares and neighborhoods in the city of Rabat hosted various cultural events, some of them initiated by civil society with the participation of various national public institutions related to the cultural field. Supported by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Africa, as well as numerous national institutions, this event aims to promote the Kingdom’s cultural influence on the continent and internationally.