Morocco was named as the guest of honor at the 21st edition of the Panama International Book Fair, held on August 11-17 at the Atlapa Convention Center in Panama City.
This Moroccan participation, the first of its kind in Latin America, is part of the significant momentum in the multidimensional bilateral relations between Morocco and Panama, following those established with several other Latin American countries, according to the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication.
This evolution is the result of the Enlightened Vision and High Guidelines of His Majesty the King, aiming to reinforce and extend cultural exchange, in the context of common civilizational elements and a shared conviction that culture is a bridge of cooperation and brotherhood between states and people, the same source added.
In this context, the department organizes intellectual, heritage and arts activities providing the fair's visitors with the opportunity to explore the main aspects of Moroccan culture and heritage. This program includes notably a documentary exposure gathering a selection of well elaborated published books from the department to highlight the heritage and contemporary components of Moroccan culture.
This exhibition also presents reproductions of Moroccan manuscripts illustrating the refined art of illumination and ornament, as well as a printed documentary collection offering a vast overview of the intellectual and creative production of the Kingdom, particularly that written in Spanish.
Similar to this documentary exhibition, the Moroccan pavilion highlights paintings illustrating some of the most important landmarks of Moroccan civilization and its emblematic figures, as well as a showcase dedicated to Moroccan craftsmanship furnished notably with traditional carpets that testify to the aesthetic richness and cultural diversity combined in a unified identity.
Morocco also proposed a series of meetings and round tables on topics of mutual interest with Panama, such as Moroccan-Latin American relations, the richness and diversity of Moroccan culture, Moroccan literature and its openness to universality, and the Andalusian heritage shared by Morocco and Latin America. Poetry readings and book signings are also planned, the press release added.
With regard to activities for children and young people as part of this event, Morocco's participation includes craft workshops aimed at introducing visitors to Moroccan crafts, particularly weaving, pottery, and zellige, as well as storytelling sessions highlighting the main Moroccan folk tales and the human values they convey.
Moroccan music is also well represented through an artistic program highlighting performances of Andalusian and Gnaoua music.
Launched under the theme “Building bridges with words,” this week-long program promotes Morocco's cultural heritage through its intellectual output, poetic and artistic creativity and aesthetic richness, building a bridge between two countries separated by continental distance but united by civilizational and human values based on friendship and cooperation, the press release concluded.
(MAP: 12 August 2025)
