Morocco in De Nieuwe Kerk

History of a project

The exhibition is the result of fruitful and close cooperation with the Moroccan government. The Moroccan Minister of Culture, Mr. Achaari, became acquainted with De Nieuwe Kerk during the major exhibition about Mexico in 2002. Enthusiastic about the location and the quality of the exhibition, he was positive about the idea of De Nieuwe Kerk to organize a large exhibition on Morocco's cultural heritage.

After a number of visits by the staff to De Nieuwe Kerk and vice versa, it was decided to organise the exhibition in and by De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. There were also initiatives from the Moroccan government for the celebrations of 400 years of relations between Morocco and the Netherlands. The exhibition at De Nieuwe Kerk opens this commemorative year.

Over 300 objects were selected for the exhibition from the following Moroccan museums and libraries:

• Musée Archéologique, Rabat
• Musée des Oudaïas, Rabat
• Musée Sidi Mohammed B. Abdellah, Essaouira
• Musée de la Kasbah, Tangier
• Musée Ethnographique de Tétouan
• Musée Archéologique de Tétouan
• Musée Dar Batha, Fès
• Musée de Laâyoune
• Musée de Dar Jamaï, Meknès
• Musée du Dar si Saïd, Marrakech
• Musée Archéologique de Larache
• Bibliothèque Royale de Rabat
• Bibliothèque Nationale du Royaume du Maroc

There are also loans from a number of Dutch institutions, including the Singer Museum in Laren and the University Library in Amsterdam. The selection was made in close cooperation with all the museum curators. Several Moroccan and Dutch specialists have been invited to write essays for the catalogue accompanying the exhibition.

The patrons of the exhibition are His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco and His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange.

De Nieuwe Kerk thinks it important that the Moroccan community in the Netherlands should come to this exhibition. With this in mind, the project is supported by a Moroccan Advisory Board, and Moroccan specialists have been added to the team at De Nieuwe Kerk. Numerous activities and products have also been developed. The Mondriaan Foundation made funds available for the production of an Arabic and Berber version of the audio tour, which is specially aimed at the older generation of Moroccans. In addition, the Mondriaan Foundation is supporting a major project to provide free transport by bus to the exhibition for primary schools in the four largest cities.

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