فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Lisbon – The National Maritime Museum in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, hosted an international conference on the theme of “Protecting the Maritime Heritage of the African Atlantic Coast,” with broad participation of official delegations and representatives from cultural and scientific institutions from Morocco, Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, and Western European countries. Representatives from Portuguese governmental and parliamentary institutions specializing in maritime heritage also attended.
The conference, organized by the Peace Association for the Protection of Maritime Heritage in coordination with the Portuguese National Maritime Museum, constituted an important scientific and strategic milestone to discuss ways to enhance regional coordination for the protection of shared maritime heritage. It also aimed to highlight the “Atlantic Initiative for Maritime Heritage,” launched from the city of Dakhla in southern Morocco in November 2024, as a joint regional framework for exchanging experiences and intensifying scientific and cultural efforts in this vital field.
Morocco was represented by a significant official delegation headed by the President of the Dakhla Communal Council, Mr. Ragheb Hormatallah, who emphasized in his opening speech that this initiative falls within the framework of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s African Atlantic vision, aimed at making cultural heritage a lever for development and regional cooperation.
For his part, Captain Augusto Salgado, Director of the National Maritime Museum in Lisbon, expressed his pride in the partnership with the Peace Association, praising the level of attendance and the unprecedented cooperation that brought together representatives from Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, and Cape Verde for the first time on the issue of shared maritime heritage.
In his speech, Sheikh Al-Mami Ahmed Bezeid, President of the Peace Association, highlighted that the conference represents a pivotal moment in a regional and international process to recognize maritime heritage as a shared legacy among the peoples of the Atlantic coast, requiring its protection through a scientific and participatory approach.
During the conference, precise scientific data was presented on the underwater maritime heritage abundant in the coasts of the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom of Morocco, particularly the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, as well as vast areas of West Africa. This reflected the great potential inherent in these coasts and opened promising prospects for transforming Dakhla into a pivotal regional center for the preservation and valorization of this heritage.
On this occasion, the Peace Association also announced the identification of nine initial maritime sites within a candidate list for classification, highlighting the seriousness and progress of the field efforts made at the level of documentation and protection.
The conference featured significant scientific interventions by officials and experts in the field of maritime heritage, including:
- Omar Badiane, Director of Heritage in Senegal, who stressed the importance of capacity building and unifying African initiatives.
- Ana Pessoa, President of the National Institute for Cultural Heritage in Cape Verde, who called for strengthening regional coordination.
- Baham Ould Cheikhna, Director of National Heritage in Mauritania, who highlighted the importance of exchanging experiences as a lever for improving cultural policies.
- Ahmed Mouloud Ideh Helal, Head of the History Department at the University of Nouakchott, who pointed to the deep historical dimensions of African cooperation in this field.
- Najat El Hafi, a Moroccan expert in underwater heritage, who emphasized the role of preventive archaeology in protecting this type of heritage.
- Rudolf, representative of the Portuguese Center for Maritime Archaeology, who commended the role of the Peace Association as a successful example of constructive regional cooperation.
- Dr. Jean-Yves Blot, who praised the initiative, considering it an actual response 40 years after his discovery of the “Méduse” shipwreck off the coast of Mauritania.
All interventions focused on the importance of the Atlantic Initiative and recommended the activation of new scientific programs that would enhance research and the discovery of more data on underwater maritime heritage in Africa.
This conference is part of a series of joint initiatives launched from the city of Dakhla, which aim to strengthen African-European cooperation in the field of underwater cultural heritage protection and highlight the significant dynamics of civil society activities in the Southern Provinces of the Kingdom, within the framework of parallel diplomacy seeking to promote the developmental, cultural, and heritage assets of the Moroccan Sahara, foremost among which is its maritime heritage.
