"Morocco has moved to secure international recognition of its iconic caftan, submitting a file to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list that leaves little room for doubt: this centuries-old garment is, first and foremost, Moroccan. By doing so, Rabat has drawn a line under Algeria's efforts to portray the caftan as part of a "shared" Maghreb legacy. Armed with archives, oral histories, and material evidence, Morocco's case is as much about heritage as it is about national identity."
"Algeria, for its part, challenges Morocco on two fronts. It argues that the caftan should be seen as part of a common North African heritage, if not primarily Algerian, and highlights the city of Tlemcen as an independent hub of design and innovation. Algiers points to UNESCO's 2012 recognition of the Tlemcen bridal costume, which features techniques resembling the Moroccan caftan-such as sfifa braids, mejboud embroidery, and mansouj silk weaving-as proof of a longstanding Algerian tradition."
Morocco submitted a file to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list to secure recognition of the caftan as primarily Moroccan. Rabat presents archives, oral histories, and material evidence to support the garment's continuous transmission and living tradition sustained by artisans, cooperatives, and cultural institutions. Algeria contests the claim, framing the caftan as part of a shared North African heritage and emphasizing Tlemcen's independent role and UNESCO's 2012 recognition of the Tlemcen bridal costume with similar techniques. Morocco counters by citing historical ties and asserting that refined ceremonial standards were established in Moroccan workshops.
#moroccan-caftan #unesco-intangible-cultural-heritage #algeria-morocco-cultural-dispute #tlemcen-textile-techniques
Read at Business Matters
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]