The Fundación Tres Culturas and the Government of Morocco redouble efforts to assist the Moroccan community in Spain in the face of the COVID-19 crisis

May 13, 2020 | Other

In keeping with its founding mission and its particular character as a Spanish-Moroccan institution promoted by the Junta de Andalucía and the Kingdom of Morocco, the Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation, during this period of struggle against the COVID 19 pandemic, has been programming a wide range of activities aimed at the Moroccan community living in Andalusia and a better knowledge of the reality of our southern neighbour, especially in the cultural field. 

José Manuel Cervera, director of Tres Culturas, said that "all this work being done by the Foundation should be understood as a modest but significant contribution to alleviate the situation of Moroccan citizens living in Spain and particularly in Andalusia at a particularly difficult time, especially for those who, due to the circumstances of the pandemic, have to remain in our country because of the border closures".

In this line, the Three Cultures Foundation places special emphasis on the great effort being made by the Kingdom of Morocco to attend to its fellow citizens, through the actions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry Delegate in charge of Moroccans living abroad, as well as the diplomatic and consular representations of Morocco in Spain and Andalusia. "The Kingdom of Morocco, which everyone recognises is acting in an exemplary and innovative way in the fight against the pandemic, is deploying all the means at its disposal to assist its citizens," added José Manuel Cervera. 

In fact, just 10 days after the first imported case of COVID 19, Moroccan borders and schools were closed, a state of health alarm was declared and the authorities increased resources, both material and human. Field hospitals were set up, hotels were readapted to accommodate those confined to them, and a large number of health professionals were deployed to focus on controlling the pandemic, while the production of a dozen textile industries was reoriented to manufacture 3 million surgical masks a day at a single, subsidised price. Hence, Morocco is, for various experts in the field, a model for how to deal with this crisis.

Among the proposals developed for the Moroccan community in Spain, the following can be highlighted, included in the project 'Three Cultures with you', which brings together the non-presential programming from the web and social networks:

  1. Tuesday Cinema Tuesdays... at home: "Morocco-Spain: Common Views" season. A film series showing, through four films, different visions of Morocco's recent past.
  2. Virtual exhibition 'Seeds of the new Morocco'.. Through this photographic exhibition the viewer approaches the world of four Moroccan students living in Andalusia. 
  3. Voices from Morocco. The reflections of five members of the Moroccan community settled in Spain on the COVID-19 health crisis and the feelings provoked by this situation of confinement. With Laila Karrouch, writer living in Barcelona; Mustafa Boulharrak, president of the Al Maghreb Association in Palma de Mallorca; El Hassan Belarbi, professor of Chemical Engineering in Almería; Rachid Quaraoui, professor of Anthropology in Badajoz and Siham Zebda, professor of International Relations in Cádiz. 
  4. Moroccan singer Saki in concert for 'Three Cultures With You'. 
  5. Conference 'Moroccans in Spain and the challenges of the present. Prospects for the future'.. Taught by Professor El Hassan Belarbi. 
  6.  Lecture 'Meaning and symbol of Ramadan'.. By Annas Bentaouet, member of the Azarquiel Association of Moroccan university students in Seville. 
  7. El Rincón del rawi': origin and meaning of some religious terms. Curiosities and anecdotes to discover Arabic and Hebrew. 
  8. Cooking with you... Chef Ali ElKardoudi invites you to try and enjoy the traditional recipes of Moroccan cuisine. 
  9. Interview with Professor Amin Chachoo, expert in Andalusian music. Chachoo has received many awards and recognitions for his work in both research and performance of Andalusian music.
  10. Ramadan between cultures.... at home' programme Conference Ramadan souvenirs in the medina of Fez, by Professor Ahmed El Moustaghit.

In addition, the Fundación Tres Culturas has been offering a consultancy service for migrants on state of alert issues. It is a legal, social and labour consultancy for consultations related to aspects derived from the exceptional situation we are going through as a consequence of this global pandemic. 

We are also carrying out the online course 'Intercultural Mediation for Conflict Resolution'. 

Finally, and adding to this effort, the Three Cultures Foundation has reached an agreement with the MAS Foundation thanks to which, in the coming days, 1,000 kilos of staple food will be distributed among Moroccans who have to stay in our territory, part of which will also go to the Moroccan seasonal workers who work in the harvesting of red fruits in the province of Huelva, distribution in which the General Consulate of Morocco in this area of Andalusia will intervene directly. The Tres Culturas Foundation expresses its heartfelt thanks for the high degree of commitment and social responsibility of the MAS Foundation, its trustees, employees and management, who are demonstrating on a daily basis that solidarity is part of the DNA of the Andalusian people.