Participants in an international symposium pleaded, on Saturday in Moulay Idriss Zerhoune, for the valorisation of heritage with a view to making it a lever for development in the Zerhoune region.
"It is imperative to valorise heritage to make it a lever for development and to establish a new dynamic of regional development," stressed the participants in the 1st symposium of the city of Moulay Idriss, organised under the theme "Heritage as a lever for development".
While recalling the rich historical, cultural, natural and plant heritage that this region abounds with, the speakers insisted on the imperative of redeveloping sites, neighbourhoods, alleys and tourist circuits in the city of Moulay Idriss Zerhoune and the hinterland with the objective of triggering a new dynamic of development in this historical area.
They also pleaded for the organisation of cultural events aimed at integrating this area into the dynamic of development that the Fes-Meknes region is experiencing through the promotion of stay tourism and eco-tourism, the valorisation of handicrafts and the upgrading of the agricultural sector, particularly local products.
In a statement to the MAP, Tayeb Zaimi, president of the "Joudour" Association for the development of Moulay Idriss and the Zerhoune region, initiator of this event, deemed it necessary to address development sectors (agriculture, agro-industry, handicrafts, cultural and ecological tourism..) from different angles and to converge approaches with the objective of establishing a new form of development that is both endogenous and exogenous.
He added that it is an initiative aimed at discussing the major constraints that block the development of this city and the Zerhoune region and to shed light on the richness and diversity of this heritage.
Bringing together researchers from Morocco, Canada and France, this symposium, he added, also intends to propose operational and realistic approaches for the redevelopment of the city and the entire Zerhoune region and to raise awareness among the local population of the value of their environment and the potential that this area abounds with.
"The historical approach to Moulay Idriss", "Cultural heritage and tourism", "Olive growing and the history of Zerhoune", "The sources of Volubilis in ancient history", "The challenges of artistic projects in heritage sites" and "The urban space of Moulay Idriss" are among the themes addressed during this two-day event.
