Rabat – Spain will open a branch of its language centers known as Cervantes Institute in Morocco’s Laayoune, according to converging reports. The announcement was made a few hours before the high-level meeting that saw ministers from both countries meet in Rabat on February 2.
Details about the opening of the institute remain vague, although the project has been in the works for years, as part of the Cervantes 2017-2019 three-year strategy.
The Cervantes Institute works under Spain’s Ministry of Culture, whose Minister Miquel Iceta was present during the high-level meeting at Rabat.
General Director of the institute Luis Garcia Montero said in 2022 that Morocco is “fundamental” to the Cervantes network of institutions, highlighting the importance of the Laayoune project specifically.
The official said that the cultural and educational aspects of their collaboration were important in light of the developing relations between Madrid and Rabat.
Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in Morocco’s southern provinces, along with Arabic and the Hassania dialect.
Although the project to establish a branch in Morocco’s south had been discussed for years, diplomatic tensions between Spain and Morocco could have stood in the way of its opening.
The two countries recently patched their relations, with Spain lending support to Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for the region, a development that is widely believed to have led to the revival of the project.
The Cervantes Institute is an international organization created by the Spanish government to promote the study and teaching of Spanish literature and culture.
The Institute is named after Miguel de Cervantes, one of the most important figures in Spanish literature and the author of well-known works such as Don Quixote.
