André Azoulay: Essaouira’s Achievements on World Heritage List ‘Contract of Co-ownership, Co-responsibility’

On Monday, HM the King’s advisor and president-founder of the Essaouira-Mogador Association, André Azoulay, remarked that Essaouira’s multiple successes on the World Heritage Lists form “a compact of co-ownership and co-responsibility for the city’s residents.”

Azoulay stressed at the opening of a workshop on the Maghreb’s urban heritage and culture, co-organized by the UNESCO Office for the Maghreb and the Essaouira-Mogador Association, that these accomplishments should not be viewed as “patents of good conduct,” but rather as a “contract of shared responsibility.”

“We are co-owners and co-responsible for this remarkable heritage,” he added, urging all stakeholders involved in its preservation and development to take more ownership and make a bigger commitment.

“Culture and heritage were at the heart of Essaouira’s regeneration, amibition, and DNA,” André Azoulay added.

“As a city open to all vistas and all winds,” he said, “Essaouira has kept its sense of oneness, which is not just a question of agreed stance and language but symbolizes the city’s society’s most consensual daily life.”

He stated that these ideals are “the compass that will allow Essaouira to move forward without losing its bearings.”