Marrakech is home to what is arguably the number 1 university in the Arab world. Indeed, Cadi Ayyad University (UCA) has just been ranked 50th among a hundred world universities according to The Times Higher Education BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2015. The 50th rank is not so encouraging for pessimistic minds, but what is truly motivating is that the UCA surpasses all Arab universities in this ranking and takes the lead in the Arab world and North Africa.

Teaching of art professions

Culture and art professions are emerging professions in Morocco in general.

The art market has become a promising market and those interested in it must imperatively be well trained. Alongside public education, which offers a professional bachelor's degree in "Cinema, Audiovisual and Mediation" and a master's in "Culture Professions" launched since 2007 at the UCA Faculty of Letters in Marrakech, private education offers several opportunities to study these new professions, such as at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Visuels (ESAV), where there are two branches: "Cinema Audiovisual" and "Graphic Design". But also the Private University of Marrakech (UPM), which offers a "Bachelor in Arts and Culture", a "Specialised Master in Art Market and Heritage Valorisation", a "Bachelor in Multimedia Project Management", and a "Specialised Master in Multimedia Project Director", or even an "MBA in Design Management".

High-level guests

In addition to its educational role, the UCA of Marrakech participates more and more in the intellectual influence of the city by scheduling interventions led by eminent foreign intellectuals, such as Edgar Morin recently and Tzvetan Todorov, who will present his lecture on 5 March. The university also encourages theatre by scheduling an annual event: the International Festival of University Theatre of Marrakech, which reached its 8th edition last December.

Furthermore, the UCA organises, among other things, exhibitions for talented students.

Culture outside the institution

The Jemaa el-Fna square has long been renowned for its daily storytelling and popular singing performances. Culture is therefore not limited, and never will be, to within the university, school, or the House of Culture. Moreover, popular and elite culture sometimes rub shoulders. Furthermore, some local hotels, cafés, and Riads have understood that culture can attract a few more people, and they have tried to combine business with pleasure by equipping themselves with libraries and galleries or by organising literary salons on a regular basis to host a book signing, a poetry recital, or a conference, such as the Grand Café de la Poste, which often invites researchers and men of letters like Hamid Triki or Tahar Ben Jelloun recently.

There are also other places such as the Amani Hotel with its literary café Karmsa, the Café du Livre, Dar Cherifa, Café Clock, and Riad 18…

Exhibitions of international renown

The number of exhibitions is increasingly important each year, and even if there are sceptics, the quality of some works is definitely there. Painting, calligraphy, photography—Marrakech is endowed with several art galleries. Let us cite as an example the David Bloch gallery, which exhibited Steve McCurry's paintings last year.

The public was thus able to discover up close the portrait of the Afghan girl that had travelled the world, or the Galerie 127, which had exhibited, among others, the portraits of Aida Muluneh, this Ethiopian artist who had made the cover of one of the issues of the art magazine Diptyk. Marrakech is also endowed, in addition to the House of Photography (Museum of Ancient Photography), with a new museum of contemporary photography.

This is the Marrakech Museum for Photography and Visual Arts (MMPVA), the only one in Morocco, moreover. It offers the opportunity to discover the work of international photographers such as Eve Arnold, Don McCullin, and many others…

Permanent renewal

The "Marrakech, City of Permanent Renewal" project is a four-year programme (2014-2017) launched by the urban commune of Marrakech, the main objective of which is to further develop the city at all levels. Culturally, the project notably envisages the creation of a city of popular arts, a museum of intangible heritage, a music conservatory, a museum of Moroccan water civilisation, and the rehabilitation of certain buildings, including that of the Théâtre Royal. Need it be recalled that the latter was inaugurated in 2001 and that the decision for its construction was taken in the 70s, still under the reign of the late H.M. Hassan II, and that it has remained unfinished to this day? It consists essentially of a hall at the main entrance which serves as a temporary exhibition gallery and two performance halls: an open-air hall and another covered one in the form of an opera house. Still made of concrete, it is the latter that has not yet seen the light of day. It should also be noted that several artistic events take place at the Théâtre Royal of Marrakech, such as concerts by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Morocco (OPM), shows from the Marrakech du Rire festival, the International Magic Festival, and the Popular Arts Festival.

The building also houses the offices of the National Foundation for Popular Arts. While awaiting the completion of all these construction and rehabilitation works, Marrakech could become the next cultural capital of Morocco after Rabat. Furthermore, it should be recalled that at the national level, and thanks to a non-profit association based in Casablanca, Morocco has just acquired since September 2014 a new platform, www.artmap.ma, which allows for the gathering of all cultural actors existing in Morocco. This is the Racines Association, which had launched a deep study around the general states of culture in Morocco with the coordination of its president, Aadel Essaadani, and the intellectual Driss Ksikes…

* Master in Culture Professions

Cadi Ayyad University Marrakech