The provincial directorate of culture of Ouarzazate has managed to acclimatise itself to the context of the Covid-19 pandemic by adapting its programming to the measures of restriction and prevention and by opting for the support of multimedia and various online communication tools.

Since the beginning of the containment, last March, the management has made a point of ensuring the continuity of its cultural and artistic activities via the Web under the sign “Stay at home, develop your creativity”. “This unprecedented initiative has enabled us to live a new cultural experience marked by a surprising infatuation on the part of artists and intellectuals as well as the general public,” says the provincial director of culture, Mohamed Amzel.

To this end, the delegation undertook a participatory approach for the development of this programme with the effective participation of artists, musicians, poets, associative actors and personal development coaches. On the menu of this online cultural animation programme, which has been gaining momentum since early May last year, debates on a variety of cultural themes, personal development coaching sessions, educational workshops for children, poetic and musical evenings, theatre and artistic and cultural competitions for young people and children, says Mr. Amzil, ensuring that the programme has ensured that the subjects are diversified to satisfy all tastes. Through this online programming, the aim was to lighten the burden of the general confinement that the Kingdom experienced at the beginning of the pandemic, to pull artists and intellectuals out of inactivity and allow them to keep in touch with the public,” he explains.

After the deconfinement, the management is careful to continue its momentum in artistic animation at the provincial level, always in compliance with the anti-Covid19 prevention measures, which do not allow gatherings and keep the spaces for culture and entertainment closed. The new cultural programme from September to the end of December also stands out for its diversity and is more widely spread (Ouarzazate, Tinghir and Zagoura). Headlining the programme are theatre, plastic arts, cinema, music, exhibitions, debates and workshops for children. In addition, the management has initiated an act of solidarity towards the popular arts troupes of the province, the famous “Ahwach”, which have been greatly affected by the cessation of tourist activities and various forms of popular festivities due to the anti-Covid-19 restriction measures. With the support of the delegation, the local Ahwach troupes will have the opportunity to reconnect with their audience through performances and online shows, it is indicated to the directorate of culture. May life go on, and with the arts it is the hope of a better tomorrow.