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TunisiaEU Drama, Diversity and Development project supports petition calling for free access to public space in Morocco
January 19, 2017
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In an effort to increase awareness on cultural issues and challenge discrimination against minorities, the EU-funded Drama, Diversity and Development Project has been supporting a group of innovative advocacy projects in the Southern Mediterranean region. One of these projects is FADAE (Free Access and Diversity for All and Everyone) led by the Racines association in Morocco. Throughout the project, the group established a petition calling for free access to public space provided to different segments of the society, including artists, minorities, and collectives.
According to the current Moroccan law, any organisation or group that want to use the public space in Morocco, whether for a political action, demonstration, a sit-in, or an artistic performance is required to obtain an official authorisation from the government. The project aims to challenge it in order to support cultural and artistic activities in the public. One of the channels the petition pictures this end goal being achieved is by having the government take the initiative to create and implement a safe and secure public space for groups that face discriminations and suffer from the lack of freedom of expression.co
This petition will be the first case of participative democracy in Morocco if taken into account and implemented by the Moroccan government.
Drama, Diversity and Development is the first grant project in culture funded under the regional programme “Media and Culture for Development in the Southern Mediterranean Region Programme”. DDD then sub-grants to smaller projects, towards its aim of promoting diversity and challenging discrimination against minorities through theatre.
Media and culture for development in the Southern Mediterranean has been allocated a total budget of €17 million over a four-year period, of which €9 million is for the award of grants on a co-financing basis, and €8 million for one capacity-development mechanism on media (MedMedia) and one capacity development mechanism on culture (MedCulture). Specifically, the programme seeks to reinforce the role of media and culture as vectors for democratisation, and economic and social development for societies in the Southern Mediterranean. In the cultural field, it supports activities fostering cultural policy reform and reinforcing the capacity of cultural policy makers, as well as promoting investment and the development of cultural operators’ business capabilities.
Read more
“Drama, Diversity and Development” (DDD) webpage
Med Culture web page
Media and Culture for Development in the Southern Mediterranean Region Programme – project fiche
EU Neighbours – Culture and media
Countries covered:
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Morocco
