British Council Cements Morocco-UK Ties in Arts and Culture

Rabat – The British Council in Morocco held a ceremony on March 25 to celebrate six projects that have benefited from the council’s grants on the sideline of the celebration campaign of the 300th anniversary of Morocco-UK ties.

British Council-provided grants to support artists in Morocco and the UK who are working on creative projects that explore the history and present of relationships and connections between the two countries.

The ceremony, held at the British Embassy in Rabat, highlighted the cultural and artistic projects led by young Moroccan and British artists.

Marking one year since the launch of the cultural initiative aimed at supporting literary and artistic works to consolidate Morocco-UK historical ties, the British Council’s celebration of art and Culture cements the centuries-old ties between the two countries.

The work of photographer Imane Djamil, whose “80 Miles to Atlantis project” secured a fund from the British Council, highlights the Morocco-UK connection in Tarfaya, southern Morocco.
“I have been researching the ties between Tarfaya and the UK in the nineteenth century. Tarfaya is the only place that shares a significant connection with the UK back in the day through a man named Donald MacKenzie,” Djamil said in a statement to Morocco World News.

MacKenzie was a Scottish entrepreneur who left a notable trace in Tarfaya: a huge castle in the ocean. Djamil said she gathered archives from both countries with an aim to create a comic story that highlights the long, shared history between Morocco and the UK.

Abdeslam Ziou Ziou and Mehdi Azdem, founders of the Connecting Dots project, said they aim to create a platform for exchange, meeting and sharing of experience between independent cultural structures in Morocco and the UK.
“Through our project, we focus on connecting artists and cultural actors from both countries to implement a common project with a focus on promoting cultural structures and boost exchange of expertise,” they told MWN.

In terms of music collaboration, the Rap/Drill Music Project consists of a music video between the Moroccan rapper and songwriter Houda Abouz, known as Khtek, with one of the emerging British female rappers.

Houda told MWN that the creative project intends to bring together artists, connect people through music regardless of their differences.

Almahalu is another project aimed at connecting Moroccan artists with the Moroccan diaspora in the UK. Meanwhile, the Red Gold project focuses on producing algae, not only for material but also for the health benefits as the industry around it is inexorably linked between the two countries.
Members of FeMENA, a project to support women DJs in North Africa, animated the closing ceremony, highlighting the emerging presence of females in creation, production, and diffusion of electro music.

Beyond cultural collaborations, the treaty of 1721 cemented the two countries’ relations and cooperation in several fields, including trade. Moroccan-British relations have intensified over the past two years.

During the British Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Morocco Andrew Murrison visit to Rabat in February, he expressed his country’s readiness to give a new impetus to cooperation with Morocco in line with the North African country’s New Development Model (NDM) to achieve a green economy.

Murrison’s visit was part of the Morocco-British ambitions to boost bilateral ties spanning trade and green energy ventures, among others.

The UK-Morocco trade volume reached £1.8 billion at the end of 2021, a 7.2% rise from 2020, according to the British Trade and Investment department.

UK’s exports to Morocco stood at £757 million, while Morocco’s exports to the UK were estimated at £1.1 billion at the end of 2021, noted the British department.

Most recently, the North African country hosted a roadshow in London to promote the ‘Morocco Now’ brand, with a focus on holding B2B meetings between Moroccan companies and their British counterparts.

The Moroccan delegation in the UK highlighted to British businessmen Morocco’s potential sectors, with an aim of strengthening the country’s position as an investment destination.