Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), stated that the Organization has paid growing attention to the theater over the last period through its programs and projects, in recognition of its role in building nations and raising their civilizational awareness throughout history by highlighting injustices on its stage.

Dr. AlMalik made this statement on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the opening session of the 13th Edition of the Festival of Arab Theater, held in Casablanca, on 10-16 January, by the Arab Theater Authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication of the Kingdom of Morocco. The festival is held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the State of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Sharjah, President of the Arab Theater Authority. This edition is held under the theme, “Towards a new and renewed theatre” and saw high-caliber participation including officials, ministers and theater artists from different parts of the Arab world.

The DG stated that the attention ICESCO accords to the theater are manifested in its celebration of World Theater Day in 2022 and its organization of an international symposium which will be held next March, on the latest developments in world theater, announcing that the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW), which reports to ICESCO, will hold the FUIW Theater Forum.

He added that Arab theater never ceases to prove its merit to be a major world theater, given the boldness, richness and diversity of the topics it addresses, noting that it drew from the Arab tale literature and built on it to branch out into various forms including political, social, educational, children and poetic theater.

The DG commended the selection of Casablanca to host this edition, as it celebrates the theatrical growth the Kingdom has witnessed over time and recognizes the contributions of Moroccan theater figures who excelled at Arab and international stages.

The DG concluded his address by reaffirming ICESCO’s readiness to cooperate with the Arab Theater Authority and other institutions concerned with supporting theater and theater artists, to promote the presence of this prestigious art and contribute to overcoming the challenges it faces.

The festival’s opening session featured the respective addresses of Mr. Mohamed Hahdi Bensaid, Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication; Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO); and Mr. Ismail Abdellah, Secretary General of the Arab Theater Authority. The opening session also featured tributes to several theater artists.