Zawaya

Culture for development

By: Jemal Mohamed Oumar

The 10th edition of the Mawazine festival sparked controversy over its discontinuation, following the Arab uprisings and the ensuing social mobility. Governments that haven’t been rooted out yet by revolutions, are seriously rethinking their management policies, including cultural strategies that were never subject to review, in order to avoid the blowing winds of change.

The renowned Moroccan festival Mawazine, scheduled for May, is putting the Moroccan government to the test. The February 20 movement, some members of the Parliament and other stakeholders are demanding the cancellation of the festival to invest its money in other cultural areas that serve the Moroccan youth and showcase their talents within cultural centers, theaters, recreational centers, and movie theaters.

The repetitive demands for the cancellation of this festival are due to its unusual expenditures and guests, compared to other cultural events. The expenses of this year’s edition are estimated at 27 million dirhams to cover the organization, accommodation, and wages. Arab artists who attended the festival last year were paid between 50 and 70 thousand dollars each, while well-known Western artists were paid double the amount.

Festival opponents describe these expenses as a clear provocation to Moroccans, as the unemployment rate reached 9.1% in the country in 2011, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP), affecting mainly the youth who want to find a job, make a living, and benefit from an infrastructure that meets their social and recreational needs.

Nevertheless, one cannot overlook the positive roles of cultural festivals that encourage fair competition of interest to intellectuals and young people, and encourage all kinds of performances and arts, including theater, cinema and music…

Yet, there should be a cultural policy that ensures a balance between expenditures and infrastructure, by preparing exhibition spaces that satisfy the youth’s needs on the one hand, and meet the requirements of modern shows on the other hand; building movie theaters; and not letting the recreational and profitable aspects prevail to the detriment of serious culture.

Maghreb culture ministries ought to go beyond the carnival aspect of cultural events, avoid the politicization of culture to give room to all talents regardless of their political and social backgrounds, take into account society’s cultural specificity, avoid selectivity on the basis of political loyalty, and rely on cultural experts.