Anne-Claire Legendre, newly appointed president of the Institut du monde arabe (IMA), will embark on a six-day official visit to Morocco from June 19 to 24, 2026, at the invitation of Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication.
This marks her first official trip to the Kingdom since assuming leadership of the Paris-based institution in February 2026, following the resignation of her predecessor, Jack Lang. The visit aims to solidify a joint cultural roadmap between the IMA and Moroccan institutions, building on months of collaborative exchanges.
The itinerary includes stops in Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech, where Legendre will engage with Moroccan cultural leaders, foundation directors, and creative industry professionals. A key highlight will be a meeting with Bensaid to finalize the cultural cooperation framework, focusing on emerging sectors such as animation, graphic novels, Arabic-language publishing, and cinema.
This initiative follows a March 2026 meeting in Paris between Legendre and Mehdi Qotbi, president of Morocco’s National Museums Foundation. During that discussion, both sides explored partnership opportunities under the “Enhanced Exceptional Partnership”, a strategic initiative driven by King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Under Legendre’s leadership, the IMA continues its mission as a bridge between France, Europe, and the Arab world—a role established in 1980 under the patronage of the League of Arab States. Morocco is one of 19 Arab states that contributed to the institution’s founding alongside France, reinforcing its role as a cultural and diplomatic nexus.
This visit underscores the growing cultural diplomacy between France and Morocco, with both nations prioritizing collaboration in creative industries and heritage preservation.
