Bill No. 33.22 aims to protect the national tangible and intangible heritage against any attempt at usurpation and illegal appropriation, underlined, Monday in Rabat, the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid.
Presenting the bill before the Committee on Education, Culture and Communication in the House of Representatives, the minister indicated that this text comes in a context marked by important archaeological discoveries which have placed the Kingdom on the map of archeology and geology on a global scale.
It also intervenes in the context of the major challenges to succeed in Morocco’s organization of the Football World Cup in 2030, noted Mr. Bensaid, evoking at the same time the importance of highlighting wealth and authenticity of the national heritage, to strengthen its legal arsenal, to proceed with its digitization and to fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property.
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According to the minister, it is also a question of strengthening the legal framework relating to the protection of heritage so that it is in tune with international standards ratified by Morocco and ongoing societal and institutional development, in line with the Constitution of 2011. Likewise, this reform aims to make national heritage a generator of wealth and jobs and to mobilize the necessary financing through public-private partnerships, particularly with regard to the cultural and creative industries and the research archaeological, he said.
Mr. Bensaid further noted that this bill aims to integrate new internationally recognized concepts concerning cultural heritage and to strengthen the provisions stipulated in Law No. 22.80 relating to the conservation of historic monuments. and sites, inscriptions, objects of art and antiquities. It is also a question of ensuring the adequacy of the national legal framework linked to the protection, promotion and transfer of national cultural heritage with international standards in line with the Kingdom’s international commitments.
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In this context, he recalled the message that His Majesty King Mohammed VI addressed to the participants in the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage which was held on November 28, 2022 in Rabat, adding that the Royal message refers to threats to national intangible cultural heritage.
The minister noted that the message from His Majesty the King indicates that since the entry into force of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, the objective of protecting, developing and promoting this heritage has become a major issue in relations international. It necessarily follows that any attempt to illicit appropriation of the cultural and civilizational heritage of another country must be combatted, said the minister, still quoting the Royal message.
In the same vein, Mr. Bensaid pointed out that Morocco, faithful to its commitment to intangible cultural heritage, plays a leading role in ensuring its protection. It is doing this both through a relevant strengthening of its legal arsenal and through its efficient support for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, as highlighted in HM the King’s message. .
Referring to the attempt to register the Moroccan caftan and Zellige in the name of another country with UNESCO, the minister stressed the need to include provisions relating to the protection of this type of cultural heritage and its valorization. to fill the legal void in the texts in force and implement Morocco’s commitments under the international conventions it has ratified, in particular the 2003 convention for the safeguarding of tangible heritage.
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He stressed that among the developments brought about by this bill is the new definition of national cultural heritage and its categories, specifying that this definition is now compatible with the international conventions ratified by the Kingdom, as well as with the most important at the international level in this area, while taking into account the prerogatives of all ministerial departments.
Furthermore, Mr. Bensaid indicated that this bill gives pride of place to underwater and geological cultural heritage and to historical collections which are important due in particular to their architectural character, as well as to living human treasures. which enable the transfer of knowledge and skills between generations. He also discusses the issue of regulating the export of works of art, as well as the introduction of new concepts linked to the development of heritage management plans.
The bill provides for severe sanctions to combat offenses and strengthen the legal protection of cultural heritage. It also defines the procedures for preserving this heritage, in particular through its inscription on the World Heritage List. This is, according to the minister, a protective measure based on the responsibility shared between the owners of these objects and the administration with a view to preserving them and registering them in the National Inventory Register.
