Marrakech – During the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Rabat will host the first edition of Heartbeat of Africa, a pan-African cultural project positioning football as a universal language of identity, memory, and collective storytelling across the continent.

Launched in parallel with AFCON 2025, Heartbeat of Africa will unfold as a creative and collaborative ecosystem, connecting culture, sport, and social engagement throughout the tournament. The photographic exhibition will mark the project’s opening moment.

Presented at the Institut Français de Rabat, in partnership with Point Synergie Groupe and Proturf, the exhibition will bring together 22 African photographers and artists from the diaspora. 

Through documentary and artistic photography, the exhibition will explore football as a space of pride, popular culture, and shared memory, from stadiums and streets to iconic and unseen figures of the game.

Heartbeat of Africa is conceived and led by Lamia Kleiche, Océane Voltat, Thanya Ockot, and Fadhila Chikh, four pan-African women united by the conviction that culture and sport can serve as powerful drivers of social transformation, youth empowerment, and continental pride.

By hosting the first edition, Morocco will reaffirm its role as a regional platform for culture and social innovation in Africa.

Heartbeat of Africa will extend beyond the gallery through several key initiatives scheduled during the tournament:

  • Football Future: Two days of conferences on January 15 and 16, at ESSEC Business School Africa in Rabat, bringing together journalists, football professionals, academics, and entrepreneurs to examine the economic, cultural, and social impact of African football.
  • Afrofusion: A multidisciplinary artistic event combining music and visual performances, featuring artists from across the continent, following previous editions held during Paris Fashion Week and AFCON 2024 in Abidjan.
  • Legends United: A solidarity day organized on January 10, in partnership with Tibu Africa, at the École de la Deuxième Chance in Casablanca, dedicated to children and youth through sport and cultural activities.

By bringing together culture, sport, and innovation, Heartbeat of Africa will position itself as a unifying platform for institutions, companies, and cultural stakeholders seeking to support African creativity, youth engagement, and positive pan-African narratives during AFCON 2025.