“All that said, actions speak larger than words, so it will be interesting to review this in a year’s time and see what real progress has been made.”
The Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Communication has unveiled its 2025 Book Publishing Support Programme, a forward-thinking initiative aimed at bolstering the nation’s literary and cultural sectors and a strategic move to enhance cultural diplomacy and accessibility to literature.
Key Objectives and Focus Areas
The 2025 program is designed with several ambitious goals:
Cultural Diplomacy Through Translation: A significant focus is placed on translating works by Moroccans living abroad. This initiative underlines the role of the diaspora in promoting intercultural exchange and strengthening Morocco’s global cultural presence.
Affordable Literature for All: By prioritising the publication of best-selling Moroccan authors in paperback formats, particularly Arabic-language novels, the program aims to make literature more accessible to a broader audience.
Diverse Project Support: The program extends its support to a wide range of projects, including book publishing, cultural magazines, digital journals, and publications tailored for the visually impaired.
Infrastructure and Community Engagement
Beyond publishing, the program also invests in the physical and social infrastructure of the literary world:
Bookstore Development: Funding is allocated for the creation, modernisation, and community engagement of bookstores, ensuring they become vibrant cultural hubs.
Global Opportunities for Writers: Moroccan authors are encouraged to participate in international book fairs and author residencies, providing them with platforms to showcase their work and gain global recognition.
The View From The Beach
While the programme is a significant step forward, the Moroccan publishing industry faces challenges such as distribution inefficiencies and copyright issues. However, initiatives like this, coupled with Morocco’s history of government support for publishing, are being touted as positioning the country as a leader in the Arab world’s literary landscape and setting a benchmark for other nations across the African continent and the MENA region to follow.
All that said, actions speak larger than words, so it will be interesting to review this in a year’s time and see what real progress has been made.
This year the Rabat International Book Fair will take place 17-27 April.
The 2024 edition saw attendance rise 32% to 316,000 visitors, and with Rabat set to become UNESCO World Book Capital in 2026, we can expect a major push by the Moroccan authorities this year to put Rabat on the publishing map.
Meanwhile in December 2024 Casablanca, former home to SIEL, pulled in 101,000 visitors to the Morocco Children’s Book Fair, up from 80,000 last year, as reported in the TNPS Christmas message.
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