Tervuren: The African Cultural City project (Museum of the Continent), currently under development in Rabat, was featured during a visit carried out on Tuesday by president of the National Foundation of Museums (FNM), Mehdi Qotbi, to the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Africa Museum) in Tervuren, near Brussels.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Qotbi, accompanied by Morocco’s ambassador to Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Mohamed Ameur, held a working meeting with director general of the Africa Museum, Bart Ouvry, focusing on strengthening cooperation between the two parties. Discussions covered the exchange of collections, training of museum professionals, and the sharing of expertise, with a view to supporting the development of the future Museum of the Continent, which aims to promote African artistic expressions and preserve the cultural memory of the continent.

During this meeting, the president of the FNM highlighted the importance of the Museum of the Continent project, intended to
showcase the richness and diversity of African cultures as well as the continent’s contribution to global heritage. This future museum, which is part of the enlightened Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, affirming the Kingdom’s African identity, will further strengthen Morocco’s position as a gateway to the continent and as a cultural and civilizational bridge between Europe and Africa, Qotbi emphasized, noting that the Kingdom already plays an important role in training African talent in the cultural and museum fields.

Morocco is now regarded as a model to follow across Africa in terms of developing museum offerings, he said, stressing that this role is set to grow stronger with this new institution, designed as a center of excellence in conservation, research, training, and creation, serving African cultural dialogue. The president of the FNM also praised the quality and richness of the Africa Museum, which holds one of the world’s largest collections of African heritage. He expressed his wish to esta
blish large-scale cooperation with the institution through exchanges of knowledge and expertise, skills training, artwork loans, and the organization of thematic exhibitions.

For his part, Ouvry expressed his willingness to work in a structured manner with the FNM to support this project and establish close cooperation, not only bilaterally but also with other African partners, given the importance of the future Museum of the Continent in Rabat, which will help bring African culture to life and enhance this heritage. Morocco, which maintains “very strong historical, commercial, scientific, and cultural ties with sub-Saharan Africa,” enjoys significant credibility across the continent and therefore represents an ideal location to host this museum, he emphasized, adding that he is highly supportive of cooperation with Moroccan partners to promote African culture.

At the end of the meeting, the Moroccan delegation visited the various permanent and temporary exhibition halls of the Africa Museum and learned mor
e about the richness of the works and objects preserved in the institution, particularly those dedicated to the heritage of Central Africa. In addition, Qotbi held talks with director general of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Kim Oosterlinck, focusing on prospects for collaboration between the FNM and the Belgian Royal Museums. The two sides notably discussed the possibility of organizing a joint exhibition between the two countries, with a view to showcasing works by Moroccan modern artists in Belgium and vice versa.