Moroccans from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region (PACA) (southern France) met on Sunday 27 November 2016 in Aix-en-Provence, as part of the 7th edition of the Aix- En-Provence organized by the Regional Council of Moroccans in France of the PACA region, in partnership with the Council of the Moroccan Community living Abroad (CCME).
The participants at the meeting called for the living together and respect for the differences and share the cultural values on a daily basis. They also appealed for more efforts in cultural wealth and “make of the cultural difference and the common heritage the basis of a better living together and transform the difficulties into opportunities to accept one another, “as stated Mr. Mustapha El Miri, professor of sociology at the University of Aix-Marseille.
Speakers also talked about the role of the the Mediterranean dimension which has for centuries brought Morocco and France together. A reason which should lead to mutual respect on both sides and ensure the reciprocal between the two countries.
The Aix-en-Provence council welcomed this initiative and said that in order to “live in a common society” we need mutual respect and make dialogue the core of the living together.
For his part, Mr Driss Mechioukhi, president of the Regional Council of Moroccans in France, said that the meeting was widely attended by the Moroccan Jewish community in the PACA region, adding that it is not surprising that Moroccans of all confessions can preserve the links with Morocco, their country of origin. He further stated that the goal of this activity is to « unify efforts to promote the values of respect, acceptance of others, justice and above all, to teach these values to future generations ».
The festival of Aix-en-Provence, held from 24 to 27 November 2016, was attended by several politicians, deputies, local and regional elected representatives, academics and religious leaders. The program furnished various cultural activities and paid tribute to women militant associations in the PACA region, personalities of the Moroccan immigration and French dygnitaries active in the political and associative fields.
At the end of the meeting, a letter of allegiance and fidelity to His Majesty King Mohammed VI was sent, on behalf of the Moroccan Regional Council of France. It was delivered in Arabic, Amazigh and Hebrew.
CCME
