Three years after signing a bilateral agreement aimed at combating trafficking in cultural property, Morocco is asking the United States to review the terms of the protocol. Behind this request, a stated desire to protect threatened heritage and to strengthen international cooperation in the fight against archaeological looting.
Morocco is mobilizing to defend its archaeological and ethnological heritage. As the memorandum of understanding signed in 2021 with the United States expires, the Kingdom wishes to obtain a revision of its terms in order to intensify the protection of its heritage.
This protocol governs restrictions on the importation of Moroccan cultural goods dating from prehistory to the beginning of the 20th century. The U.S. Department of State’s Cultural Properties Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet February 4-6, 2025, to review this request. A crucial step, according to Mohamed Lazhar, professor of archeology and heritage at Ibn Zohr University in Agadir.
“The main reasons for Morocco’s request consist of the Kingdom’s desire, as a country of export of cultural goods, to protect its heritage in an importing country,” he said.
An approach which is a continuation of the 1970 UNESCO convention on the fight against trafficking in cultural property.
Cooperation to be strengthened
The bilateral agreement between Morocco and the United States is based on several key commitments, including the sharing of information on illegal excavations and trafficking of cultural property. It also encourages scientific exchanges through long-term loans of archaeological objects between institutions in the two countries.
However, the Moroccan authorities believe that a revision of the protocol is necessary to better adapt to the realities on the ground.
“Today we need more effective cooperation to identify and return looted objects. It is also essential to raise awareness among collectors and institutions of the importance of the legal origin of the pieces they acquire,” insists Mohamed Lazhar.
A growing black market
If the protection of Moroccan heritage is a priority, it is because of the scale of illicit trafficking which is plaguing the art market.
“Archaeological objects found on the international black market have more scientific value than commercial value. Their trafficking deprives research of essential elements for understanding our history,” warns Mohamed Lazhar.
Fossils, ancient manuscripts, pottery and historical jewelry leave the country illegally to be sold at high prices abroad. But thanks to the agreement signed with Washington, several artifacts have already been returned.
Among the emblematic pieces recently recovered are three dinosaur fossils exhibited at the Mohammed VI Museum in Rabat. These include, in particular, a full Messosaurus skull, found in the United States and repatriated thanks to cooperation between the two countries.
In 2022, a fossil crocodile skull was also returned, marking an important step in the preservation of the Kingdom’s paleontological heritage.
A multidimensional approach for better protection
To curb the illicit trafficking of cultural property, Morocco is relying on a global approach combining prevention, awareness-raising and strengthening of control mechanisms. For Mohamed Lazhar, several measures should be prioritized. He insists on the need to act at several levels.
“The social aspect, through education and awareness, the economic, by further integrating young people into the job market to reduce the financial motivations of trafficking, the institutional, by developing museums and interpretation centers heritage, and finally administrative, by strengthening the legislative framework,” defends the professor.
Furthermore, he believes that the fight against this scourge must be carried out in two stages. The first consists of strengthening controls on the national territory by training customs officers in heritage issues, a lever considered “capital” for detecting attempts to illegally remove historical objects. The second is based on the application of the principle of restitution of looted works to their country of origin, as provided for in the 1970 UNESCO Convention.
Faiza Rhoul / ECO Inspirations
