"The Academy has become a beacon of cross-continental thought and research as well as a platform for honing intellectual, academic and scientific skills in all areas of the humanities and social sciences. It has contributed to developing and enriching research while highlighting the historical and cultural depth that the Kingdom of Morocco has acquired over the centuries," emphasized the Sovereign in a Message addressed to the members of the Academy, on the occasion of the opening of the first session of this prestigious institution, in its new configuration, chaired by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan.
To enable the Academy to discharge its lofty mission in the best possible way, said His Majesty the king, “I have sought, since 2015, to reactivate it and revisit its structure”.
The aim was to bring it in line with the goals and stipulations of the Kingdom's Constitution, which seeks to preserve our national identity, with its Arab-Islamic, Berber and Sahrawi-Hassani components, as well as its African, Andalusian, Hebrew and Mediterranean ones, said the Sovereign in his Message, which was read out by Abdeljalil Lahjomri, permanent secretary of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco.
His Majesty the King also noted that another objective was to promote the Kingdom’s academic and cultural influence, and to contribute to the reflection on the problems and issues faced in today’s world.
“I have therefore decided to breathe new life into the Academy and to give it strong impetus, based on a new vision, new structures and members. There will also be new programs and projects mostly relating to our identity, making sure we remain open to international cultural experiences that keep closely in touch with developments in today’s world,” said the Sovereign.
As for the new organizational setup, added His Majesty the king, “I should like your esteemed institution to have, and which seeks to promote rational management and help us make effective, influential contributions, it was announced in the Royal Decree issued in February 2021, whereby the 'Royal Institute for Research in Morocco’s History’ was affiliated with the Academy.
Similarly, the ‘Higher Academic Institute for Translation’, the ‘Academic Art Institute’ and the ‘Foundation of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco for Cultural Cooperation’ have been created, said the Sovereign, adding: “The aim, through all these measures, is to rise to the challenges brought about by the knowledge society”.
It is the responsibility of these institutions to take an interest in the knowledge relating to history and to revisit research methods concerning Morocco’s heritage, insisted His Majesty the king, stressing that “special attention should also be devoted to translation and the arts, given their role in showcasing the contributions of Moroccan thought to contemporary knowledge”.
“It is gratifying to see that the Academy has undertaken a restructuring process,” noted His Majesty the king, adding: “That endeavor is designed to enable it to perform the lofty mission entrusted to it, enhance the Kingdom’s scientific, intellectual and cultural influence, and remain a platform as well as an institution for assembling eminent thinkers, scholars and scientists from all backgrounds, providing them with the opportunity to exchange views on various contemporary issues.”
Highlighting the Academy's constant interest in preserving and promoting the Moroccan heritage and celebrating eminent Moroccan thinkers and intellectuals, His Majesty the King recalled the creation within the Academy of a chair dedicated to African literature and art, another to Andalusian studies and a third to comparative literature “to support the cognitive abilities of young people, within the framework of the project for doctoral students in Moroccan universities”.
The Sovereign also expressed His deep conviction that “there can be no progress without cultural revival and without academic institutions opening up to the young prodigies of the future”.
“They are the human capital capable of embodying innovation and creative thinking - a process in which they would be contributors as well as beneficiaries, be it in the humanities, social sciences, languages, science, literature or the arts,” pointed out His Majesty the king.
On this occasion, the Sovereign commended the choice of ‘The Family and the Crisis of Values’ as the main topic for this session, adding that “it is an important and relevant subject given, in particular, the disruptions - even the loss sometimes - of frames of reference in the world”.
Therefore, His Majesty the King stressed the need for “thorough reflection on this fundamental issue, and for a clearheaded scientific study of current transformations and their repercussions at all levels, especially on family cohesion and social solidarity”.