Fez — Morocco’s guest-of-honor status for the 2026 edition of “ValenciaPhoto” was presented on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat, as organizers outlined a festival edition focused on “Mediterranean countries” and scheduled to take place in Valencia in May.
Mehdi Qotbi, president of Morocco’s National Foundation of Museums, said the invitation signals wider international recognition for Morocco’s cultural work.
“We are very happy today to see that Morocco is the guest of honour of this great festival in Valencia, Spain, and that this cultural diplomacy is developing,” Qotbi told MWN. “And we are very, very happy to see that our work, the work on the development of museums in Morocco, is being recognized worldwide.”
‘Mediterranean countries’ theme and Morocco’s spotlight
Nicolás Llorens, director of Valencia’s International Festival of Photography and Debate, said the upcoming edition will focus on the Mediterranean and place Morocco at the center of that conversation.
“The theme of the next edition is the Mediterranean countries,” he told MWN, adding: “We have made Morocco the guest country, the country of honour for the festival. I think this is a very good opportunity to introduce the great photographers of Morocco.”
Qotbi also linked the moment to Morocco’s broader cultural strategy, saying, “it is a pleasure to see that Morocco, under the supervision and vision of His Majesty the King, culture has its full place in Moroccan society.”
