Exploring the Moroccan Cultural Scene

Tabadoul, Medina Art Gallery, Darna Theater. These are just a few of the names of the numerous marvellous cultural spaces I’ve seen during my eight-day-long trip to Morocco. I’ve travelled from Tangier all the way down to Marrakesh to explore its art and culture, to meet artists and culture enthusiasts hoping to establish connections between Morocco and my home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And I’ve come back home with much to think of and work on.

Tangier, which they call ‘Morocco’s culture hub’, is home to numerous art galleries. The ‘Medina Art Gallery’ is among them, known as one of the most prominent art galleries in the northern part of the country. The gallery features work of well reputed Moroccan artists as well as emerging local talents.

Only a few minutes’ walk from the Gallery down to the marina, there’s a vibrant cultural space called ‘Tabadoul’, where young people create music, dance and screen movies, among other activities. When I visited the centre, a young band was having a rehearsal. They looked quite nervous about their performance, yet very excited to play. The evening before, there was an ‘Open Mic’ event. The centre promotes contemporary art and cultural exchanges between Morocco, Europe and the rest of the world. ‘Tabadoul’ is an Arabic word meaning ‘exchange.’

Down in Fez, I have visited a number of artisanal places. The handicraft scene of Fez, including woodcarving, rug and leather production, is considered to be among the best in the world. I’ve seen women in different parts of the medina manually making rugs and bags and selling them in nearby shops. I didn’t, however, have the stomach for visiting any of the three traditional leather tanneries in the city, where skins of animals are being coloured manually.

Those two places – Tangier and Fez, seemingly similar but different, reflect the complexity of Moroccan cultural scene: it’s traditional; it’s modern; it’s both of it.

The city of Casablanca is a melting pot of different cultures, various influences and heritage. In July this year, for example, Morocco’s annual ‘Sbagha Bagha’ festival took place on the streets of Casablanca. The festival gave street artists from across the world the opportunity to decorate the city’s buildings. Colourful paintings gave ‘chic’ new look to retro-looking buildings I came across while walking around, and I could instantly understand why the touch of colour was welcomed by city’s residents with open arms.

Deeper in the south, in Morocco’s ‘red city’ of Marrakesh, I’ve found more examples of Morocco’s contrasting traditional and modern cultural vibes – from so called Western-inspired ‘concept stores’ to art galleries exhibiting Berber heritage and praising the simplicity of nomadic lifestyle.

Marrakech has been designated as the African Capital of Culture 2020. Media reported that the city got the nomination because of its architectural, artistic and cultural legacy. And it’s not a surprise at all.

Even if the programme of events for 2020 is still unknown, I am certain it will be worth seeing. And I hope I can be there too.