Morocco Protests Alleged Misuse of Traditional Caftan in Algeria’s UNESCO Bid

If the usurpation of the Moroccan caftan in the Algerian file is verified, "the Moroccan Ministry of Culture will react accordingly in consultation with the Kingdom’s permanent delegation to UNESCO," said a source close to the file at the Ministry of Culture to H24Info, whispering that Morocco is also preparing a caftan file.

The matter sparked a wave of comments on social media on Tuesday after a tweet from the user "Radio Fanida", specialized in Moroccan cultural heritage. "This obvious confusion raises questions about the professionalism and competence of the representatives in charge of this file," he wrote, specifying that the Gandoura and the caftan are "two clearly different clothing elements".

"Radio Fanida" also called on the Moroccan authorities to take "the necessary measures to rectify this situation and to ensure that the file of Algeria faithfully reflects the richness of its own clothing heritage, without falsification or confusion with that of other nations".

He recalls that Morocco registered in July 2022 the caftan and the brocade of Fez, as well as 24 other elements in the material and intangible Moroccan heritage of the Islamic World Organization for Education, Science and Culture (ICESCO), deducing that this organization "therefore recognizes the legitimacy of this Moroccan clothing heritage".