The 13th African Arts Market Festival (MASA) in Abidjan highlighted Morocco’s national carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM), the official airline of the festival, as a quintessentially “African” airline at a pre-opening gala dinner on Friday evening in Abidjan.
Hosted by RAM and attended by the Ivorian Minister of Culture and Francophonie, representatives from the Moroccan Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as several Ivorian and Moroccan officials, the regional representative of RAM in Côte d’Ivoire, Mohamed Babou, spotlighted the longstanding partnership between RAM and the major cultural festival.
RAM’s “collaboration with MASA goes beyond mere sponsorship,” he said. “It symbolizes the philosophy of RAM as a deeply African company.”
For many years, Babou said, RAM has supported major continental events such as the Ouagadougou African Film Festival, the Dakar Biennale, Lagos Biennale, Bamako Photography Biennale, and the prestigious Marrakech International Film Festival.
The Ivory Coast Minister of Culture and Francophonie, Françoise Remarck, praised the partnership between RAM and MASA, stating that it contributes to the “sustainability and promotion” of the festival, as well as the encouragement of young African talents.
This year, Rwanda is the guest of honor at the festival, and the Republic of Korea is the “special guest country,” according to the organizers.
MASA opened the festival on Saturday under the theme “Youth, innovation, and Entrepreneurship: Keys to the Development of the African Performing Arts Industries.” The festival runs from April 13-20.