Casablanca: Wallonia-Brussels guest of honor at the 2nd SILEJ
At the initiative of the Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (French-speaking Belgium) is the guest of honor at the International Children’s and Youth Book Fair (SILEJ) which will be held from December 14 to 22, 2024 in the heart of Anfa Park in Casablanca.
Throughout SILEJ, Wallonia-Brussels in Morocco will have the opportunity to represent and celebrate the cultural heritage of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation as part of the “Read-you Belgian?” campaign, says the General Delegation of Wallonia-Brussels in Morocco.
The mission of SILEJ is to promote children’s literature, facilitate exchanges between professionals in the book industry and the general public, and stimulate interest in reading among young people. The Salon also aims to support the creativity of authors and illustrators and to encourage the dissemination of quality literary works intended for children and young people.
In total, 7 talented contemporary authors and illustrators will come from Belgium: Sabine de Greef, Loïc Gaume, Abdel de Bruxelles, Marina Philippart, Maud Roegiers, Christian Missia Dio and Thierry Bellefroid. They will have the opportunity to offer workshops and signing sessions to the young and old public. Around twenty activities adapted to each age group are also scheduled in partnership with the Livre-moi bookstore.
Another highlight planned for this week is a meeting around a unique exhibition “Origines”: the result of a collaboration between the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA) of Tetouan and the Belgian Comic Strip Center (CBBD), which reminds us of the vitality of the partnership between Morocco and Wallonia-Brussels in the field of comics for almost a quarter of a century.
Indeed, this honouring is part of a historic cultural cooperation between Morocco and Wallonia-Brussels.
Since the signing of a cooperation agreement on 26 October 1999, Morocco and Wallonia-Brussels have jointly developed more than 240 cooperation projects in culture, economy, education, sports, research and innovation, tourism and audiovisual.
This shows that the Kingdom of Morocco occupies a leading place in the international relations of Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. The Kingdom has also been honoured on several occasions in Belgium, including:
In 2012 through the “Daba Maroc” festival in 2012, which brought together 150 Moroccan and Belgian artists of Moroccan origin; a real showcase celebrating contemporary artistic creation.
In 2018, “Morocco 2018”, a year dedicated to highlighting the dynamism and strengthening of bilateral cooperation through more than 50 activities offered in the two territories
In 2020, Morocco was the guest of honor at the Brussels Book Fair, being the first Arab and African country to have been highlighted at this event
A cooperation that still has bright days to come.