The gallery of the Cervantes Institute in Tangier has been hosting an exhibition tracing the history of the Cervantes Theatre since the end of this week and until 12 January, on the occasion of its centenary. The exhibition, formed by recent photographs of the interior of this theatre, which has been in a serious state of disrepair for decades, by photographer Daniel Aron, as well as several documents attesting to the history of this institution, gathered by the Spanish researcher Bernabé Lopez Garcia, curator of this exhibition. Speaking during the opening of this exhibition, Mr. Lopez Garcia indicated that this event sheds light on the different stages traversed by this theatre since its creation at the initiative of Manuel Peña and his wife, Esperanza Orellana, until its gradual closure since the 70s, the last activity it hosted being the photographic exhibition +Tangier in black and white+ in 1993. This theatre tells the story of Spanish immigration to Tangier at the beginning of the 20th century, just as it bears witness to the cultural rapprochement and the common history between Morocco and Spain, he stressed, calling for the rehabilitation of this high place of memory through a real cultural project, which is not limited to the restoration of the building but also concerns the future management of this institution. The Consul General of Spain in Tangier, Arturo Reig Tapia, also expressed his wish for a rebirth of this important historical monument belonging to the Spanish State and which was among the flagship cultural sites of the city of the Strait. "Like a phoenix, the Cervantes Theatre can rise from its ashes provided there is a combination of efforts from the various stakeholders and public and private support", he added. For his part, the Mayor of Tangier, Fouad El Omari, stressed that the celebration of the centenary of the Cervantes Theatre constitutes an opportunity to relaunch reflection on the means to bring this place of culture and memory back to life and restore its place in the local and national cultural and artistic scene. In this regard, he noted that the "Tangier Metropole" project, launched recently for the upgrading of the city of the Strait, has allocated significant resources for the rehabilitation of historical monuments, affirming that funding will no longer constitute an obstacle to the upgrading of this cultural infrastructure. In this sense, Mr. El Omari called on the Spanish side to reflect alongside Moroccan stakeholders on a rehabilitation project for this theatre that meets the aspirations of the city's inhabitants. A work by the Spanish architect Diego Giménez inaugurated at the end of 1913, the Gran Teatro de Cervantes was the largest, most famous, and most prestigious venue for performing arts in North Africa, hosting famous theatre troupes and artists from Europe and the Arab world within its walls.