PRESERVATION OF MEMORY AND ARCHIVE TO SUPPORT DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION AND THE RIGHT TO ACCESS INFORMATION

The Advisory Council on Human Rights (CCDH) and the Ministry of Culture signed a partnership convention to preserve memory and archive and culturally rehabilitate areas concerned by the community reparation program, on September 15th, 2010.

Mr. Bensalem Himmich, Minister of Culture, praised the role of the Council in promoting and protecting human rights. He confirmed that the Ministry and the Council share several views and objectives; they both aim to protect and promote human rights and achieve cultural development.

Mr. Hamich underlined that this convention marked the end of the preparation phase and the beginning of the execution phase to preserve memory, stressing that there would be no present or future for a people without memory. He indicated that the negotiations of this convention lasted for one year.

As regards the community reparation and cultural rehabilitation, Mr. Hamich stressed the importance and necessity to democratize access to cultural services and open up areas that suffered from grave human rights violations.

Mr. Bensalem Himmich indicated that the Ministry of Culture worked on the restoration of many palaces and kasbahs that were once secret detention centers (Kasbahs of Akdez and Takounit in the province of Zagoura, Kasbah of Skoura in the province of Ouarzazate and Kasbah of Kelaat M'Gouna in the province of Tinghir) and on their transformation to cultural and tourist spaces, in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism. He highlighted that the sufficient will and financial means exist to achieve this objective.

Talking about the archive, Mr. Himmich pointed out that there is a real project and a will to create an archive national institution in Morocco.

On his turn, Mr. Ahmed Herzenni, President of the Advisory Council on Human Rights, highlighted the importance of the conventions signed with the different partners. On this occasion, he pointed out that cultural rights are a main part of human rights.

Mr. Herzenni underlined the importance of the archive. He wondered: “is there any future for an individual or a community that ignores his/its past?. He complained about the fact that the issue of memory and its preservation is not listed among the priorities. Although it may seem a technical issue, Mr. Herzenni said, the issue of the archive is a great gap that should be filled as soon as possible, adding that its absence had a negative effect on the achievements of the Equity and Reconciliation Committee. He reiterated the urgent need for an archive institution to build a proper and sound personality.

In this regard, Mr. Herzenni recalled the importance of the convention signed with the European Union to support creating an archive national institution in Morocco, indicating that efforts are made to meet this objective. He pointed out that the problem of having a headquarters for the archive institution was solved thanks to the endeavors of the Advisory Council on Human Rights, the Ministry of Culture and the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, following which the headquarters of the National Library was chosen as a temporary headquarters of the national Archive institution.

Mr. Herzenni recalled that the Ministry of Culture is an important partner of the Council. It plays a vital role in the preservation of local memory, restoration of some palaces and Kasbahs that were once secret detention centers, classification and the cultural rehabilitation in areas concerned by the community reparation program, in addition to its participation in a comprehensive study on Akdez.

Mr. Herzenni underlined that the Moroccan human rights approach should not rely on the recommendations of the Equity and Reconciliation Committee alone. He indicated that the Council works on the future of human rights in Morocco, praising the national action plan on democracy and human rights and the citizenship platform for the promotion of human rights culture.

Mr. Mahjoub El Hiba, Secretary General of the Advisory Council on Human Rights, Mr. Driss El Yazami, President of the Council for the Moroccan Community Abroad, Mr. Ahmed Guitaae, Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture, Mr. Driss Khrouz, Director of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, and CCDH members attended the signature ceremony of the convention.