As part of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025, the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat, presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa, has launched a rich program of cultural and heritage-related activities.
Designed in resonance with this major continental event, the program aims to accompany the AFCON 2025 momentum and contribute to the Kingdom’s cultural and civilizational outreach, according to a statement from the Foundation.
This initiative also reflects Rabat’s unique role as the capital of the Kingdom and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized as a city shaped by encounter, dialogue and openness toward the African continent, the same source added.
From December 27, 2025 to January 18, 2026, the Foundation invites residents and visitors of the capital to enjoy a program of free guided tours every weekend across Rabat’s eight UNESCO World Heritage sites. Led by enthusiastic student volunteers trained as part of UNESCO’s World Heritage Volunteers initiative, these tours offer a unique opportunity to discover the city’s heritage in an engaging and accessible way.
Designed to bring heritage closer to the public, these itineraries aim to make cultural sites more approachable while encouraging young people to play an active role in their preservation, promotion and transmission, especially in an international context marked by the presence of visitors from many different countries.
On this occasion, the Foundation is also presenting an exhibition entitled “Africa: Heritage of the World - A Journey through Landscapes, Civilizations and Reveries.-
Designed with immersive scenography, the exhibition unfolds as a cultural journey combining photography, trilingual interpretation panels (Arabic, French and English), and interactive digital installations. It invites visitors to explore Africa through the richness and diversity of its sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Offering an immersive experience at the heart of the African continent, the exhibition takes audiences through its landscapes, cities, and the great civilizations that have shaped its history. It highlights Africa as one of the essential cradles of humanity, where stones, sites and ancient routes bear witness to the depth of human memory and the intensity of exchanges that have unfolded across the centuries.
In addition to its audiovisual and digital content, the Foundation has produced an intergenerational podcast dedicated to Moroccan football heritage and memory. This encounter brings into dialogue two young beneficiaries of the Foundation’s educational programs "I Discover My Heritage" and "I Draw My Heritage" with former Moroccan international Redouane Guezzar, a key figure of the national team that won the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations.
The podcast, which lasts over 28 minutes, documents Morocco’s collective football memory and links it to the aspirations of the younger generation, in a modern format in line with contemporary media and digital uses.
Through this cultural program, the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat highlights the role of heritage as a meaningful companion to major events. Seen as a space for learning and connection, heritage becomes an opportunity for dialogue, sharing and engagement, while contributing to the cultural influence and visibility of the city of Rabat, both nationally and internationally.
Created by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, the Foundation works to preserve the tangible, intangible and landscape heritage of Rabat. Since 2012, "Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage," comprising eight major historic sites, has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Foundation develops programs around three main themes – educating, raising awareness and federating. As a powerful lever for inclusion and cohesion, Rabat’s heritage is a real driver of social, economic and cultural development.
MAP: 05 January 2026
