The Institut français du Maroc has unveiled its new cultural season, with youth, innovation and artistic creation at the center of a program spanning its 12 branches across the Kingdom.
French Ambassador to Morocco Philippe Lalliot presented the main features of the program on Tuesday, October 6, which will combine cultural events with science and new technologies.
“It is a diverse program packed with activities, centered on youth, innovation, sharing and progress,” Lalliot said.
The program will also extend to Morocco’s southern provinces. Lalliot said the initiative reflects a desire to strengthen cooperation in the region, following his visit to Laayoune in June and ahead of a planned visit to Dakhla in November.
He also linked the cultural program to the broader rapprochement between Morocco and France following French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco in October 2024 and France’s new position on the Sahara. The two countries are also developing cooperation on socio-economic projects.
The season was developed jointly with French and Moroccan cultural partners, bringing together artists and institutions from both countries.
“It is about what France and Morocco do best when they bring together their talent, creativity and imagination,” Lalliot said.
Innovation is one of the main themes of the program, but the institute is approaching it from several angles. Alongside technology, the season will explore science, contemporary art, new artistic practices and the transmission of knowledge.
Among the highlights will be a discussion with economist Philippe Aghion, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. During his visit to Morocco in April, he will take part in a discussion on the transformations brought about by artificial intelligence.
The program will also explore the relationship between technology and the performing arts. French choreographer Mourad Merzouki will work with French and Moroccan artists, including students from higher arts schools, on a production combining dance and digital arts. The work is scheduled to be created in 2027.
The visual arts will also feature prominently, with a major exhibition devoted to Eugène Delacroix scheduled to open in Tangier in April 2027. Delacroix visited Morocco in 1832, a journey that had a profound influence on his work and artistic imagination.
The 12 branches of the Institut français du Maroc will host performances, concerts, exhibitions, talks, debates, artistic residencies and training programs throughout the season.
For Chloé Goupille, the institute’s new director general, innovation is not limited to cutting-edge technology. DJ Retro Cassetta, for example, uses the old audio cassette as a creative medium in the project “Jdid b lkdim.”
The same approach will be reflected in the cinema and theatre programs. The Nuit de l’Horreur event will explore special effects created without digital technology, while theatre projects will examine the possibilities of dialogue between different languages.
