Morocco definitively wins the "war of the caftan". UNESCO on Wednesday inscribed the traditional garment on the intangible heritage list, sweeping aside Algeria’s attempts to obstruct the process and appropriate this centuries-old know-how through last-minute procedural maneuvers.
Algeria has tried to modify the UNESCO registers, but Morocco has blocked it. Rabat has won a decisive diplomatic victory to protect the authenticity of its caftan, denouncing falsification maneuvers and a political exploitation of cultural heritage.
Morocco is on the verge of having the caftan inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. While attempts at external disruption have been observed, particularly from Algeria , the file submitted to the New Delhi meeting seems to have already been acquired by Rabat.
Mohamed Meziane, the Algerian Minister of Communication, accused Morocco of appropriating couscous.
After several months of blockage, the Chouaïb Doukkali University of El Jadida announced the resumption of the "CoastWAVE" project aimed at making the city "safe from tsunami risks".
UNESCO partners with Morocco for its global project aimed at publishing for the very first time an international Atlas of food heritage, as well as a digital platform for the safeguarding, promotion, and transmission of food heritage to future generations.
Faced with numerous attempts at Algerian appropriation, Morocco has decided to protect the "Caftan Ntaâ" of Fez, which is part of its intangible heritage. In this regard, the kingdom has submitted its candidacy for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, with a view to recognition this year.
Morocco has once again thwarted an attempt by Algeria to appropriate its cultural heritage.
During the match between Algeria and Liberia for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, Algerian sports commentator Hafid Derradji revived tensions over the origin of zellige and sparked outrage among Moroccans.
The city of El Jadida will receive in the coming days two sirens offered by UNESCO as part of the international tsunami risk prevention program.
Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia are disputing the paternity of zellige, the ornamental ceramic tile. Among these three North African countries, who really invented zellige?
Morocco has just filed a complaint with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) against Algeria, which wants to appropriate the Moroccan caftan.