Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, President of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat, chaired on Monday October 14, in Rabat, the meeting of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, in the presence of the Board members.
In Her address, Her Royal Highness highlighted the main achievements of the Foundation for the years 2022-2023.
The Foundation’s Board of Directors approved the financial statements, based on the statutory auditor’s opinion certifying that the financial statements are regular and transparent and, in all material respects, give a true and fair view of the results of operations for the fiscal years 2022 and 2023.
Her Royal Highness noted the Foundation’s continuous work with its local partners in the culture and national education sectors in primary schools and junior high schools, to sensitize learners to the rich heritage of their city and the need to preserve it, by designing educational tools that facilitate access to the concepts of cultural heritage and employ a flexible and comprehensive approach.
Her Royal Highness also presented the model of the Foundation’s innovative activities that are adapted to the geographical and historical context, as is the case with the educational programs implemented in the city of Taroudant.
Her Royal Highness recalled the efforts of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat in promoting international cooperation, noting the partnership with UNESCO, which praised the Foundation’s work to promote the role of culture, art and education within educational institutions.
In Her speech, Her Highness also emphasized the Foundation’s commitment to promoting research in cultural heritage sciences and raising public awareness of the importance of cultural heritage. Through its cultural mediation initiatives, the Foundation seeks to encourage the creation of a dynamic for safeguarding and transmitting cultural heritage, involving experts, institutions, civil society, and the public.
The year 2022-2023 has been a rich one for the Foundation, in line with its missions of education, awareness-raising, and uniting the efforts of various actors in the following areas:
- Education: The Foundation continued to implement its two educational programs, “I Draw My Heritage” and “I Discover My Heritage”, thus enhancing the presence of heritage in educational processes. As for the “I Draw My City’s Heritage” program, in its second edition, participants worked on the theme of heritage and climate, while intangible heritage was the subject of their artistic and literary creations in the third edition of the program. Primary school learners participating in the program benefited from exploratory visits to World Heritage sites in Rabat, under the supervision of experts in the field. As for the “I Discover My Heritage” program, its pedagogical toolkit has been developed in terms of activities, visual content and through exploratory visits that allowed high school learners to get to know heritage sites closely, with the aim of facilitating their access to heritage, within a new educational approach based on artistic and cultural education.
- Awareness-raising: As part of its “The Digitization of Heritage” program, the Foundation digitized the Qasba des Oudaïa and launched an exclusive virtual visit to the Qasba des Oudaïa. In addition, the Foundation organized the exhibition “The art of the Rabat carpet” as well as a travelling urban exhibition “Rabat: A Heritage for Humanity”. It also produced podcasts that focus on documenting collective memory, most notably “the Qisas Rbati” podcast.
- Federating: The Foundation organized 5 expert meetings, bringing together dozens of local and international actors who addressed various topics related to cultural heritage, including “Heritage and Climate Change” which was the theme of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP28), where the Foundation held two side events in the UN-managed Blue Zone.
On this occasion, Her Royal Highness thanked all partners for their continued support and unwavering commitment to the Foundation’s initiatives.
About the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat:
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat was created by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to preserve the tangible, intangible and landscape heritage of Rabat. Indeed, the city has been included since 2012 on the Unesco World Heritage List under the title: “Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage”.
The Foundation develops programs around three main themes – educating, raising awareness and federating. As a powerful lever for inclusion and cohesion, Rabat’s heritage is a real driver of social, economic and cultural development. The Foundation conducts regular heritage discovery activities among the Rbatis, especially the youngest, in order to create an emotional bond that guarantees respect and preservation of their heritage.
The Foundation’s programs are aimed at several target groups : the general public, professionals, institutions, especially the youngest. The Foundation sets up educational kits within the framework of its educational programs, digital platforms for the mediation of cultural heritage through the “digitization of heritage” program, and organizes scientific workshops to which experts from all continents are invited to share, exchange, and advance the precious cause of preserving modern and ancient cultural heritage.
The work, carried out in a partnership approach, combines expertise and resources, and federates institutional as well as public and private actors with the aim of affirming the necessity of heritage protection in the Kingdom.
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat is presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa.
Paris, 24/01/2023
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Raba and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) concluded a Partnership Agreement on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, in presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, President of the Foundation and Mrs. Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO.
This signing comes of a meeting of Her Royal Highness and the UNESCO Director General during the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
This first Partnership Agreement, concluded for a five-year period, will primarily enable the Foundation to promote UNESCO’s World Heritage Education program for young people and conduct outreach activities for Moroccan and African youth. The Foundation, for the first time ever, customized UNESCO’s educational kit to help young people discover and understand the cultural heritage of their city. This “I discover my heritage” kit was used for a second edition in December 2022 by 4700 students from 62 Rabat-Salé-Kénitra academy middle-schools. Supported by their teachers and guided by heritage specialists including archeologists, architects, site curators and inspectors of historical monuments, the students studied city landmarks classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Actions to raise awareness and promote cultural heritage will then be carried out with the general public, such as the urban exhibition inaugurated by Her Royal Highness on January 8, 2023, as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of Rabat’s inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The exhibition showcases the city of Rabat’s exceptional universal value by way of information boards as well as a photo collection of all 8 World Heritage site constituents and the buffer zone.
The Foundation and UNESCO are committed to expanding heritage action across Africa. This joint action entails deploying the World Heritage Convention to listed sites across Morocco and Africa.
The Partnership Agreement also provides for capacity-building programs for heritage stakeholders that manage and preserve heritage sites in Rabat, Morocco and Africa, and participation in a variety of national and international UNESCO events.
About the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat:
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat was created by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, to preserve the tangible, intangible and landscape heritage of Rabat. Indeed, the city has been included since 2012 on the Unesco World Heritage List under the title: “Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage”.
The Foundation develops programs around three main themes – educating, raising awareness and bringing people together. As a powerful lever for inclusion and cohesion, Rabat’s heritage is a real driver of social, economic and cultural development. The Foundation conducts regular heritage discovery activities among the Rbatis, especially the youngest, in order to create an emotional bond that guarantees respect and preservation of their heritage.
The Foundation’s programs are aimed at several target groups : the general public, professionals, institutions, especially the youngest. The Foundation sets up educational kits within the framework of its educational programs, digital platforms for the mediation of cultural heritage through the “digitization of heritage” program, and organizes scientific workshops to which experts from all continents are invited to share, exchange, and advance the precious cause of preserving modern and ancient cultural heritage.
The work, carried out in a partnership approach, combines expertise and resources, and federates institutional as well as public and private actors with the aim of affirming the necessity of heritage protection in the Kingdom.
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat is headed by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa.
Rabat celebrates ten years of UNESCO World Heritage Listing
“Rabat, Heritage of Humanity”: The urban exhibition rediscovering Rabat’s listed heritage from a different angle.
Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, Chair of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat, inaugurated the “Rabat, Heritage of Humanity” urban exhibition, celebrating 10 years of inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List at Bab el Bahr Square, on Rabat’s riverfront, on January 8, 2023.
This exhibition promotes the city’s great history, as expressed in monuments, urban planning, landscape and material and immaterial heritage. It revisits this history and heritage with new photographs, local history, and encounters with great historical figures, altering the collective perception of the city and forging an awareness that encompasses nearly two millennia of history. The Foundation, mandated to promote the cultural heritage of Rabat, held the exhibition for the general public to enhance people’s understanding of the city’s world heritage and raise awareness on the importance of safeguarding it.
Special emphasis is put on the work of Moroccan craftsmen, as custodians of a long tradition of decorative arts dating back to the Almohad period and extending into the modern era, where earlier traditions blend with 20th century architecture.
The exhibition highlights all eight components of the Rabat World Heritage Site: the new 20th century city, the Diour Jamaa Habous district, the Botanical Gardens, the Medina of Rabat, the Almohad walls and gates, the Hassan Mosque and the Mohammed V Mausoleum, the Qasba of the Udayas and the archaeological site of Chellah.
Beyond the exhibition, the Foundation invites visitors to continue exploring the city with podcasts featuring prominent public figures and experts from different generations recounting Rabat and its memorable landmarks, its history and culture, and sharing their own memories, thereby creating a previously undocumented collective memory. These podcasts are available on the website of the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat (https://fspcrabat.ma/podcasts/ ).
The exhibition runs from January 8, 2023 at Place Bab el Bahr, Avenue El Marsa.
Upcoming exhibition venues will be published on the Foundation’s website (www.fspcrabat.ma)
About the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat.
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat was created by His Majesty King Mohamed VI to preserve the material, immaterial and landscape heritage of the city of Rabat. “Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage” with eight major historical sites has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2012.
Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, who chairs the Foundation, defined and initiated a comprehensive policy to raise the awareness of both inhabitants and visitors. A city’s heritage is only preserved sustainably when its population appreciates its value and takes ownership thereof.
The Foundation develops programs around three main pillars – educating, raising awareness and bringing people together. A powerful catalyst for inclusion and cohesion, Rabat’s heritage is a genuine driver of social, economic and cultural development. The Foundation regularly runs heritage discovery programs for the general public, especially targeting young people, to build an emotional connection that ensures respect for and preservation of this heritage.
Foundation programs target a variety of audiences, including the general public, professionals, institutions, private actors, and young people. As part of its educational programs, the Foundation develops educational kits, cultural heritage mediation platforms with the “Heritage Digitalization” program, in addition to hosting scientific workshops. Experts from all continents are invited to share, exchange, and advance the valuable cause of preserving cultural heritage in Morocco.
This work, carried out in a collaborative approach, combines expertise and resources, and brings together institutional, public and private actors to assert the importance of heritage protection in the Kingdom.
On this occasion, an exchange between His Royal Highness and the Director-General of UNESCO focused on the cooperation over the past ten years in the management of the heritage of Rabat inscribed in 2012 on the World Heritage List of Humanity. The 348-hectare listed property has eight historical components that make it an urban heritage that is simultaneously ancient and modern, and the Foundation, chaired by His Royal Highness, is initiating and defining an ambitious policy to raise awareness among the inhabitants of Rabat and its visitors. The heritage of a city is only preserved in the long term when its population understands its value and is attached to it.
His Royal Highness received the members composed of the Ambassadors of the Member States of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee and high officials of UNESCO in the Presence of Mr. Mehdi Bensaid, Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication and Mr. Samir Addahre, Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Morocco to UNESCO who expressed his wishes for the success of the Committee’s work.
The Foundation also participates in the side event of the work of the 17th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, by organizing with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication and the House of the Craftsman, an exhibition entitled: ” Carpet of Rabat, a whole art “.
This remarkable carpet, the only one of urban tradition in Morocco, drew its inspiration from the Anatolian, Persian and Moroccan traditions. It is a reference element of the intangible heritage of the capital that is destined to join the list of world heritage.
This exhibition takes place at the Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses and will last until December 03, 2022.
About the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat was created by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, in order to preserve the tangible, intangible and landscape heritage of Rabat. Indeed, the city has been included since 2012 on the Unesco World Heritage List under the title: “Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage”.
The Foundation develops programs around three main themes – educating, raising awareness and bringing people together. As a powerful lever for inclusion and cohesion, Rabat’s heritage is a real driver of social, economic and cultural development. The Foundation conducts regular heritage discovery activities among the Rbatis, especially the youngest, in order to create an emotional bond that guarantees respect and preservation of their heritage.
The Foundation’s programs are aimed at several target groups : the general public, professionals, institutions, especially the youngest. The Foundation sets up educational kits within the framework of its educational programs, digital platforms for the mediation of cultural heritage through the “digitization of heritage” program, and organizes scientific workshops to which experts from all continents are invited to share, exchange, and advance the precious cause of preserving modern and ancient cultural heritage.
The work, carried out in a partnership approach, combines expertise and resources, and federates institutional as well as public and private actors with the aim of affirming the necessity of heritage protection in the Kingdom.
The Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat is headed by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa.
On February 14, 2020, the Board of Directors of the foundation for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Rabat, chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, decided on a very rich action plan offering cultural heritage actors – institutions, civil society and experts – multiple opportunities to exchange visions and share knowledge.
Despite the particular conditions linked to the Covid-19 health crisis, and the restrictive health prevention measures necessary for the safety of all, this year has been marked by great progress and significant actions. The foundation’s primary aim is not to combine the preservation of cultural heritage in the past, but in the future and always in its multiples forms.
