Al Hoceima: Morocco, US Organize Seminar on Importance of Preserving Cultural Heritage

Rabat – The US embassy in Morocco has organized in Al Hoceima a symposium to highlight the potential of national parks to promote cultural heritage and history.

The US embassy organized the two-day seminar over the weekend, in partnership with Morocco’s Ministry of Culture and the GEODE Association, featuring speakers discussing the importance of preserving cultural heritage, including the Torres Al Kalaa – a site of a 13th-century fortress in Al Hoceima National Park. 

Last year, the US granted Morocco MAD 1.8 million ($170,000) to help the North African country’s efforts to restore the historical site.

The main speaker in the event was Loren Yellow Bird, a ranger with the US National Park Service. The American speaker provided cultural and historical tours of the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site in the US’ North Dakota.

Yellow Bird, a member of the Native American Arikara tribe,  shared his professional experience with Moroccan experts who work in cultural heritage preservation, national park management, tourism, and related fields.

The American expert, who also served as a cultural adviser for the Academy Award-winning movie “The Revenant,” also shared his expertise on “how cultural preservation can play an important role in supporting regional economic growth and sustainable development,” the US embassy added. 

“This has been a wonderful opportunity for me to share how our work in the U.S. National Park Service is preserving Native American heritage and explaining its importance to a new generation of Americans,” Yellow Bird said. 

GEODE Association also expressed hope to see the Torres Al Kalaa historic site serving as a draw for tourism and promoting Amazigh culture in the Rif. 

GEODE Association is a Moroccan NGO in charge of helping implement the restoration of the Torres Al Kalaa.

“We are thrilled to participate in this project and to learn from Mr. Yellow Bird about his work in North Dakota,” said Anouar Akkouh, GEODE’s president, stressing that the NGO’s goal is to see the historic site “inspire pride among Amazigh youth in the area.”

The US Department of State’s Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation is funding the project. The program provided over $1 million to fund cultural preservation projects across Morocco over the past two decades.

The Al Kalaa Torres comprises five towers rising on a coastal hill nine meters above sea level in the east of Badis. The fortress dominated the shore at the time to control the coast and maritime navigation.