UAE to be guest of honour at Asilah Arts Festival

The United Arab Emirates is playing an active role in the events of the Morocco's Asilah Arts Festival in July 10-28.



The Asilah Arts Festival has been running since 1978.

The painters at the Morocco Asilah Arts Festival are given an entire wall at the Medina to be used as a canvas for their imagination. They paint a mural on it on any topic and it’s quite a treat to watch their brushes swishing and swirling to create interesting and intriguing designs. The Asilah Arts Festival, Morocco is probably the most important of the art festivals in Morocco but much more than this; it is a forum for the artists from all around the world to express their art and ideas.

ASILAH is a fortified town on the northwest tip of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about 50 km from Tangier. Its ramparts remain fully intact. It is now a popular seaside resort, with modern holiday apartment complexes on the coast road leading to the town from Tangier. Its history dates back to 1500 B.C., when the Phoenicians used it as a base for trade.

The UAE has been chosen as the Festival's guest of honour by the organizers for experiencing a massive increase in its distinguished cultural and literary activities, both in the region and the world.

The Festival, whose slogan is "Renewable Energy - A Leap Towards Human Development", will witness the participation of more than forty-five countries from around the world. It is one of the most important art festivals in the Middle East and North Africa and seeks to promote cultural exchange and open a dialogue between different countries. Its ethos is to celebrate the values of peace and tolerance.

The participation of the UAE covers various events, including cultural, artistic, literary and folk events. Masdar, a leading Abu Dhabi investment and technology company, is participating in the Festival by holding an international conference on the importance of renewable energy. This will be held at the Festival for the first time since its conception.

The Festival honours the cultural history of the region with a rich program of events from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development. This includes the organization of UAE folklore concerts, exhibitions of Arabic calligraphy and UAE music. In addition to this a conference is held at the Festival on poetry in the UAE, including an evening of poetry reading and recitation and various intellectual and cultural activities.