Awareness-raising workshop on entrepreneurship with high cultural potential 

An awareness-raising workshop on entrepreneurship with high cultural potential was held on July 22, 2024, at the Ahmed Boukmakh Cultural Center in Tangier, Morocco. The aim was to raise awareness among Moroccan and sub-Saharan cultural self-entrepreneurs of the social impact of their profession and its contribution to living together, and to build their capacities.   

Organized by UCLG Africa in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM Morocco), the Tangier City Council, the Regional Coordination of National Mutual Aid and the Bén o Bin association, this workshop is the first activity in the framework of the joint program “Making migration work for all : Improved social cohesion and fair access to services for migrants in Morocco”, financed by the United Nations Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) and implemented by United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) under the project “Multiculturality at the service of social cohesion in territories”. 

At the opening of the workshop, the beneficiaries were addressed by the Mayor of Tangier, Mr. Mounir Laymouri, represented by Ms. Laila Tiguite, vice-president of Tangier in charge of the social sector, Ms. Louise Carlier, focal point of the joint Migration MPTF project in Morocco, at the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Mr. Lionel Nzamba, project manager at UCLG Africa, in presence of the Director of the Ahmed Boukmakh Cultural Center, Ms. Ikram Abdi, the Head of Communication, Partnership and International Cooperation at the Tangier City Council, Mr. Mostapha Zian, the advisor to the Office of the Mayor of Tangier, Mr. Mohamed Ali Tabji, and the Regional Coordinator of National Mutual Aid in Tangier, Mr. Mohamed Lafjili. 

“It’s a great pleasure to welcome you to this workshop, which aims to improve living together and facilitate intercultural dialogue through the lens of cultural entrepreneurship,” said Ms. Laila Tiguite. She also described the city of Tangier as a crossroads of civilizations, a place of ethnic richness and an important economic hub of Morocco, which makes it a great ground for cultural entrepreneurship. “Last year, our City celebrated the World Day of African Culture. This initiative, like today’s workshop, perfectly aligns with our vision of promoting intercultural dialogue and social cohesion in our city of Tangier.” Wishing the participants great success, she concluded: “In view of the diversity and experience of the participants, I have no doubt that this workshop will lead to fruitful exchanges and concrete results in order to identify recommendations and best practices to defend the spirit of socio-economic and cultural integration of migrants.” 

For her part, Ms. Louise Carlier thanked the participants for attending. She also thanked the City of Tangier for organizing and hosting the event, as well as all the partners. She then introduced the MMPTF project, which is the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund set up by IOM to implement the 23 objectives of the Global Compact for Migration. “In Morocco, this project is implemented by 4 UN agencies: UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA and IOM, the project’s coordinating agency. It is implemented in the Tangier-Tétouan-El Hoceima region, the Oriental region and the Casablanca-Settat region. It focuses on two areas. The first is to strengthen access to services for migrants in vulnerable situations, in conjunction with other institutional partners, and the second is to strengthen living together in host communities between Moroccan and migrant populations. This second axis is the one bringing us together today, to nourish this reflection on living together in the Tangier-Tetouan-El Hoceima region, among Moroccan and migrant cultural entrepreneurs”. The focal point of the Migration MPTF project wished participants an excellent workshop. 

In his opening remarks, Mr. Lionel Nzamba began by expressing his gratitude to the local authorities of Tangier, in particular the Wilaya of Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima Region, and to the Tangier City Council for making the launch of this workshop possible. He then underlined the evolution of the Moroccan economic and social context, which takes into account the presence of migrants, facilitating their integration and their role in local economic development and dialogue between cultures. For the UCLG Africa representative, the choice of Tangier as the pilot city for this project is an obvious one, as the city and its partners are deploying activities to align with Morocco’s efforts to empower young people and build social cohesion.   

The event was attended by 27 beneficiaries from 9 African countries, working in the city of Tangier. The workshop, led by trainer Mr. Younouss Mandiang, strengthened the skills and knowledge of Moroccan and sub-Saharan cultural entrepreneurs, through interactive exchanges, group work, exercises and the presentation of tools for building one’s business model.  Beneficiaries also explored the prospects for intercultural collaboration and reflected on building social cohesion and living together through their profession. 

This workshop, held under the project “Multiculturality at the service of social cohesion in territories”, is scheduled to last six months (May-October 2024) and includes a series of activities aimed at improving living together and facilitating intercultural dialogue through knowledge of each other among young people in Tangier. The next activity is the Cultural Day of African Art, planned in Tangier in August 2024. The awareness-raising workshop on cultural entrepreneurship held on July 22 was an opportunity for beneficiaries to discuss preparations for the Day, and to formulate ideas for the exhibition and artists’ performances planned for the Cultural Day of African Art.