Spain Offers Morocco the Cervantes Theatre

According to the Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo, Spain will donate the Cervantes theatre in Tangier to Morocco, in order to restore and manage it

The Cervantes Theatre in Tangier, built by the Spanish couple Manuel Pena and Esperanza Orellana, opened December 11, 1913.  It was acquired by the Spanish government in 1928.

The Cervantes Theatre was described by he coordinator of Cervantes centres in Morocco, Javier Galvan Guijo, as one of the "architectural jewels" of Moroccan heritage.

Thirty years after shutting down the theatre, Spain has decided to transform the historical building into a cultural centre.  The Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture told Telquel magazine,  “We made an arrangement with the Spanish state through a convention, now, the adjustment process depends on Spain.”

The Ministry of Culture has already started the first studies on this project: “We have been working on it for a week and hope that the project’s budget will be included in the budget of 2017,” he said.

Restoring the legendary theatre and changing it into a cultural centre is a challenging goal for Morocco.

The theatre is accessible via the Avenue Pasteur and Rue du Prince Moulay Abdallah

The Cervantes Theatre has 1400 seats and was considered the biggest theatre in North Africa until it was shut down in 1974.

Despite its cultural value, the Cervantes Theatre was closed because of the expensive costs of restoration and management.

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