Asilah Forum Foundation

The Asilah Forum Foundation (مؤسسة منتدى أصيلة) is a Moroccan non-governmental organization dedicated to fostering dialogue between cultures and civilizations by bringing together political and academic elites from both the developed and developing worlds. It is based in the coastal town of Asilah, Morocco, and is best known for organizing the annual Asilah International Cultural Festival (Moussem Culturel International d'Assilah), a summer arts and ideas gathering that has run for more than four decades. The foundation was established in 1997 by Mohamed Benaïssa, a former Moroccan foreign minister and longtime mayor of Asilah, to ensure the continuity of the cultural festival that he and his friend Mohamed Melehi had launched in 1978 through the founding of the Al-Mohit Cultural Association. The foundation operates under the patronage of the Moroccan monarchy and has received royal messages addressed to its festival, underscoring its national and international standing. The foundation's flagship activity is the Asilah International Cultural Festival, which combines mural painting, sculpture, music, poetry, and intellectual seminars. It also oversees the Al-Moâtamid Ibn Abbad Summer University, a research program created after the success of a first meeting between forty Moroccan and Spanish figures in 1984. This university program hosts symposia and encounters among politicians, experts, thinkers, and researchers from around the world. Beyond cultural programming, the foundation engages in humanitarian and economic development projects in Asilah, including the construction of model schools, a solidarity house for the elderly, expansion of the local hospital, a housing project for residents of shantytowns, road improvements, fishing port development, and support for small productive enterprises. These projects have been funded in cooperation with partners such as the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and contributions from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. The foundation also administers several literary and cultural prizes, including the Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize for African poetry (awarded biennially), the Buland Al-Haidari Prize for Arabic poetry, and the Mohamed Zafzaf Prize for the Arabic novel. In recognition of its cultural and enlightenment role, the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation awarded the Asilah Forum Foundation its Cultural and Scientific Achievement Prize for the 17th cycle (2020–2021). The foundation remains active, with recent editions of the festival continuing to draw artists and intellectuals to Asilah, and it maintains a web presence at assilah.net.

The Asilah Forum Foundation was established in 1997 by Mohamed Benaïssa, a Moroccan politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and as mayor of Asilah. Its creation was intended to provide an institutional framework for the Asilah International Cultural Festival (Moussem Culturel International d'Assilah), which Benaïssa and his friend, the artist Mohamed Melehi, had launched in 1978 under the umbrella of the Al-Mohit Cultural Association. The festival began as a local initiative to revitalize the town of Asilah through mural painting and cultural events, and it gradually grew into an international gathering that attracts artists, writers, and intellectuals from Africa, the Arab world, Europe, and beyond. A key development in the foundation's history was the creation of the Al-Moâtamid Ibn Abbad Summer University, a research and dialogue program that emerged after the success of a first meeting between forty Moroccan and Spanish figures in 1984. This program institutionalized intellectual exchange between the developed and developing worlds, hosting seminars and encounters among politicians, experts, thinkers, and researchers. The foundation also expanded its activities into humanitarian and economic development, undertaking projects such as building model schools, a solidarity house for the elderly, expanding the local hospital, constructing housing for shantytown residents, improving roads, developing the fishing port, and supporting small productive enterprises. These projects were carried out in cooperation with international partners, notably the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, and with funding from the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. Over the decades, the foundation has received recognition from Moroccan and international institutions. In 2010, a royal message addressed to the 32nd Asilah International Cultural Festival praised the forum's national, regional, and international influence, describing it as a beacon where culture is consecrated as a powerful lever and an inexhaustible source of human creativity. In 2020–2021, the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation awarded the Asilah Forum Foundation its Cultural and Scientific Achievement Prize for the 17th cycle, honoring its cultural and enlightenment role through festivals and intellectual seasons that have strengthened communication between cultures and civilizations. The foundation continues to organize the annual festival, which remains a fixture on Morocco's cultural calendar, and maintains an active online presence.

• 2020

  The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation awards the Asilah Forum Foundation its Cultural and Scientific Achievement Prize for the 17th cycle (2020–2021).

• 2010

  A royal message is addressed to the 32nd Asilah International Cultural Festival, praising the forum's influence.

• 1997

  The Asilah Forum Foundation is established by Mohamed Benaïssa to ensure the continuity of the festival.

• 1984

  First meeting between forty Moroccan and Spanish figures leads to the creation of the Al-Moâtamid Ibn Abbad Summer University.

• 1978

  Mohamed Benaïssa and Mohamed Melehi found the Al-Mohit Cultural Association and launch the Asilah Cultural Festival.

A cultural diplomacy platform and development catalyst for the city of Asilah and Morocco, bridging the developed and developing worlds through arts and intellectual exchange.

• Asilah International Cultural Festival

  Annual summer festival featuring mural painting, sculpture, music, poetry, and intellectual seminars.

• Al-Moâtamid Ibn Abbad Summer University

  Research program with seminars and meetings among politicians, experts, thinkers, and researchers from around the world.

• Tchicaya U Tam'si Prize

  Biennial prize awarded to an African poet.

• Buland Al-Haidari Prize

  Prize for Arabic poetry named after the Iraqi poet Buland Al-Haidari.

• Mohamed Zafzaf Prize

  Prize for the Arabic novel.

1. 1assilah.netassilah.net
2. 2assilah.net - ABOUTassilah.net
3. 3Wikidata: Asilah Forum Foundationwikidata.org
4. 4منتدى أصيلة - Wikipediaar.wikipedia.org