Asilah and the Moroccan Moussem
FOM Newsletter Spring 1997
This eighteenth Asilah Symposium was attended by writers, scholars, and representatives from universities and institutions such as the American University at Cairo, Harvard University, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
It was held at the Hassan II Center for International Encounters at Asilah, an ultra-modern facility and exhibition center with the latest in translation and conference electronics and abilities. In contrast, Asilah didn' even have running water or electricity until twenty years ago.
In 1977, Muhammad Benaissa returned home after working with the UN, with some unconventional ideas about developing the local economy through art and culture.
He ran successfully for mayor, and began immediately to explore the alternative methods for economic development through the promotion of the city' best features: its mild climate, natural beauty, and uniquely built environment.
The first Asilah Moussem was held in 1977, when Benaissa invited artists from the Americas, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East to present their work and stage performances during August. The first stage was lit by lining up several automobiles, their motors running, with headlights directed at the stage.
Today, the annual Moussem and the conference that follows attract thousands of artists and visitors from around the world. It has established itself as a premier showcase for international art and culture.
Mr. Benaissa regularly visits his hometown, where visitors find it as it was originally built, inside the high oceanfront walls of a medieval fortress along narrow winding streets. Its whitewashed stone houses feature bright blue window shutters, and its store-lined and cafe-lined streets are paved in white concrete with wavelike patterns designed by Muhammad El Melihi, an Asilah native whose paintings have won international recognition.
Muhammad Benaissa later became the Minister of Culture, and is now the Moroccan Ambassador to the United States.
