Morocco is proud and deeply pleased to be the guest of honour at the Paris Book Festival this year for a second time, in recognition of the diversity of its literature, which is deeply rooted and in constant dialogue with the world, HM the King’s ambassador to France, Samira Sitail, said on Friday evening.
The participation also represents a “rare loyalty” following France’s first appearance as guest of honour at the fair in 2017, she said, at a reception held in honour of festival participants attended by HM the King’s advisor, André Azoulay, and numerous personalities from the worlds of culture, the arts and the media.
In her address before an audience that also included elected representatives, diplomats, intellectuals, academics, researchers and members of the Moroccan diaspora living in France, Ms Sitail praised the writers, publishers and booksellers who she described as ‘the builders’ of this cultural event. She stressed the importance of the relationship between Rabat and Paris, which, she said, has never been as cultural as it is in 2025, as culture not only brings together the people of both countries, but also ” becomes a common language that is not just learnt, but experienced by everyone”.
She praised this “dual belonging” and the “constant building and strengthening of the bridge’ between the two countries, saying that books, which symbolise this link between Morocco and France, open up what few others dare to do, which is to open up ‘the soul of a country’.
The President of the Council for the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME), Driss El Yazami, stressed that Morocco’s second participation in the Paris Book Festival as guest of honour reveals the extent of the relationship between the two countries.
He pointed out that, after the first generation of Moroccan writers such as Driss Chraïbi, Edmond Amran El Maleh, Mohamed Khaireddine, Abdellatif Laabi and Tahar Ben Jelloun, the new generations of writers and novelists are having a lasting and significant impact on Moroccan literature.
Mr El Yazami recalled the speeches made by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in which the King underlined the importance of the Moroccan diaspora for the future of the Kingdom.
For his part, the President of the French Publisher ‘s Association (SNE) and of the Paris Book Festival, Vincent Montagne, for his part, talked about the importance of books in building personalities and bringing people and cultures closer together.
He also expressed his delight at seeing Morocco take part in the Paris Book Festival for the 2nd time as guest of honour.
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