The kick-off for the "Ramadan Nights 2016", a cultural and sporting event organised at the initiative of the urban commune of Laayoune in partnership with the Regional Council of Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra and the Provincial Council, was given on Saturday in Laayoune.
During the opening ceremony of this edition, organised under the theme "Infrastructures at the service of the human element", a promotional video about the event was screened, and artistic performances were given by the music troupes taking part in the event.
The objective of holding this event until July in the various districts of the city of Laayoune is to involve the greatest number of people, particularly among the youth and people with specific needs, and to allow them to express their potential and perfect their talents in various fields, indicated the president of the Municipal Council of Laayoune, Moulay Hamdi Ould Errachid.
This event targets, in the first instance, more than 10,000 people directly and tens of thousands more indirectly, he stated during a press conference, stressing that Laayoune will transform into a sporting destination par excellence and will host various sporting events throughout the year at the continental, national, regional, and local levels.
In this regard, he recalled the success of the African Handball Cup Winners' Cup, organised in Laayoune for 12 days, both in terms of organisation and infrastructure, stressing that Laayoune has 45 sports fields and is seeing the construction of several other sports structures and multi-purpose sports halls.
This event will see the participation of 3,556 players, 700 supervisors, and 512 referees who will take part in competitions for football, handball, basketball, pétanque, chess, skiing, volleyball, and tennis.
On the menu, there is also a Holy Quran memorisation contest which will be organised in all Quranic schools and will bring together 850 reciters and 85 supervisors, as well as a Hassani poetry contest in which 60 poets, six supervisors, and three jury members will take part.
The programme also includes the organisation of a series of seminars on the themes "Culture and Development", "Religious, Health, and Social Dimensions of Fasting", "Hassani Theatre and Music, what is the relationship?", "Hassani Theatre, challenges and perspectives", as well as theatrical performances provided by 22 troupes and artistic concerts in several squares and spaces in the districts of Al Wifak, 707, the Airport, Al Kassam, Al Massira, Al Amal, and Al Machwar.
