This event, organised by the Higher School of Education and Training in Oujda, affiliated with Mohammed I University, in celebration of "Yennayer", the Amazigh New Year 2975, highlighted the richness and cultural diversity of the Kingdom, and the attachment of Moroccans to their identity.
It also served as an opportunity to encourage creativity among the students of the Higher School of Education and Training, through a series of activities that included, among other things, artistic performances, poetry readings, film screenings, musical segments, and theatrical performances.
The opening ceremony was marked by Amazigh singing and musical performances skillfully presented, in a festive atmosphere, by the school's students who managed to capture the audience's attention with their rhythms and costumes that reflect certain aspects of Amazigh culture and heritage.
Speeches delivered on the occasion emphasised the special attention paid by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to the promotion of Amazigh culture, which is a fundamental component of Moroccan identity and culture.
The speakers also stressed the role that the university can play within the framework of the project to officialise the Amazigh language, particularly through the training of human resources in this field.
In a statement to the Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), Mohamed El Hati, from the organising committee, confirmed that this second edition of the Cultural and Artistic Creativity Forum, which celebrates the Amazigh New Year 2975, falls within the framework of efforts made at the university level to promote Moroccan culture, which is rich and diverse, and to stimulate artistic and cultural creativity among young students.
He added that this event, which also aims to disseminate a set of national values, is also an occasion to promote exchange between students, while highlighting their skills and talents in the fields of theatre, art, and music.
For her part, a fifth-year student at the Higher School of Education and Training in Oujda said, "Today we are celebrating the new Amazigh year 2975, with a range of diverse activities to introduce Amazigh culture and heritage."
For his part, the Deputy Director of the Higher School of Education and Training, Mohamed Belouchi, in charge of the educational and academic aspect, pointed out that this second forum comes after the success of the first edition at all levels, and as a continuation of the school's efforts to raise awareness of cultural diversity in Morocco.
In this regard, he highlighted the training programme within the school in the "Amazigh Language" track, which has seen great interest from students, recalling that the Higher School of Education and Training in Oujda was the first at the national level to establish a Bachelor's degree in Education, specialising in Primary Education - Amazigh Language.
He said, "We are working to strengthen this cultural diversity through parallel activities for the benefit of students and the training of future teachers in this unit, thus contributing to the project of officialising the Amazigh language, in accordance with the high royal directives of His Majesty King Mohammed VI."
This second edition of the forum, which saw the participation of a delegation from the University of Maryland in the United States, was marked in particular by the setting up of a (Takedift) exhibition that embodies the traditions of the authentic Moroccan Amazigh wedding, and another for Moroccan cuisine (traditional Amazigh dishes), in addition to workshops for painting, calligraphy, handicrafts, storytelling, and Amazigh proverbs, as well as competitions at the end of which prizes were distributed to the winning students.
