“Traditions and Skills of the Caftan” Enters Morocco into the Final Nominations for UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has received the nomination file submitted by Morocco to register the caftan and the professions and traditions associated with it on the list of the intangible cultural heritage of this global organization.

According to the documents listed on the official UNESCO website, which Hespress electronic newspaper has reviewed, the “caftan” file was nominated last March on the urgent list for the final nomination expected at the end of this year.

The file submitted by Morocco, entitled “Traditions and Skills Associated with the Art of the Caftan,” was accompanied by a set of detailed data on the history of the Caftan from different Moroccan regions, in addition to the traditional professions associated with it that contribute to the manufacture of this traditional costume, which Moroccan craftsmen excelled in producing and which represents the national identity.

These measures come to enhance the intensive efforts of the Kingdom of Morocco to protect the Moroccan tangible and intangible cultural heritage from robbery and theft, and to confront these practices in defense of the national heritage; a phenomenon that Morocco has been suffering from, especially from Algeria, which is trying to attribute the Moroccan heritage to itself.

The Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication has begun to take a series of legal measures to confront the Algerian attempts to steal the Moroccan caftan, attribute it to its heritage and register it in the file it submitted to UNESCO.

The ministry in charge of cultural affairs filed a complaint with this international organization, signed by Minister Mehdi Bensaid, demanding the removal of the image of the Moroccan caftan from the file of the neighboring country, while stressing that the Moroccan cultural heritage constitutes an integral part of the Moroccan identity, and there is a great attachment between Morocco and its cultural and civilizational heritage.