Art Exhibition To Celebrate Morocco-Spain Relations in Madrid

Rabat – Morocco’s National Museums Foundation (FNM) and Spain’s National Archaeological Museum of Madrid have announced the organization of an art exhibition to celebrate relations between the neighboring countries.

The exhibition is titled Around the Pillars of Hercules and will open on May 24, FNM said in a press release.

It will consist of more than 300 artifacts -managed by FNM and Spanish museums- that date back to five historical periods from prehistory to Middle Ages. The event reflects the shared history between the two nations, added the statement.

In February 2019, Spain’s Minister of Culture and Sport, José Guirao, signed two Memoranda of Understanding with the president of FNM, Mehdi Qotbi, to promote the exchange of experiences between museums as well as collaborate in the organization of a temporary exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum.

The agreements laid the ground for the creation of the Around the Pillars of Hercules exhibition. Although the event is not the first effort to implement the MoUs.

The Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid hosted the Moroccan Trilogy 1950-2022 exposition from March 31 to September 27, 2021.

“Moroccan Trilogy 1950-2020 offers an account of artistic experiences in Morocco from the mid-20th century onwards, focusing particularly on the three urban centers of Tétouan, Casablanca and Tangier,” said the organizers at the time.

It highlighted “the key figures of each period from the transition to independence (1950-1969) to the so-called ‘Years of Lead’ (1970-1999), and from then to the present day (2000-2020).”.

Set in post-colonial Morocco, the exhibition reflected the continuity of diplomatic and social relations between the North African country and its ex-colonizer Spain.

Morocco-Spain Relations

On March 18, Spain officially endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, considering it “the most serious and credible” solution to the lingering Western Sahara dispute.

The change in Spanish stance toward the dispute represented a “new phase of relations with Morocco and closed definitively a crisis with a strategic partner,” said Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares on the same day.

The diplomatic rapprochement comes after a period of disrupted diplomatic relations resulting from Spain’s hosting of separatist Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali.

In April 2021, Ghali entered Spain under a false identity to receive treatment for COVID-19. Quickly after the news spread, Morocco condemned the Spanish action and recalled its ambassador to Madrid.

Yet, the latest change of heart has set a new roadmap for strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two countries in face of pressing regional issues such as drug trafficking, terrorism, and irregular migration.

As the two Kingdoms are restoring their long-standing diplomatic and economic relations, the shared cultural heritage represents a good reminder of the deep ties between the two nations and people.

The shared Andalusi heritage and colonial history have provided a common platform for understanding.

As Morocco gained independence from the French protectorate in 1956, some of the countries’ southern and northern provinces remained under Spanish control.

In 1975, the late King Hassan II called for the historic and peaceful Green march, to liberate the southern provinces. Yet Western Sahara remains subject to a dispute under the moderation of the United Nations.

Spain remains in control of the Melilla and Ceuta exclaves in Northern Morocco. The two cities have witnessed a growing inflow of Moroccan and sub-Saharan irregular migrants in the past years as Spanish territories remain major destinations for Moroccans wishing to look for better jobs and living conditions.