As Morocco gears up for the Africa Cup of Nations, actress Fatima Nouali voices her frustration over the lack of institutional support for her project «Leo Africanus», a multidisciplinary performance meant to showcase Morocco's cultural ties with Africa. Despite extensive preparation and a proposal submitted to various authorities, Nouali's vision of integrating art with the sporting event remains sidelined, highlighting ongoing challenges in securing backing for cultural initiatives. As the kickoff date for AFCON in Morocco approaches, Moroccan actress Fatima Nouali says she has been met with silence from institutions regarding her project «Leo Africanus», which she hoped to present during the continental event. Her goal was to highlight Morocco's openness to Africa through a multidisciplinary artistic performance blending theater, music, and dance. Speaking to Yabiladi, Nouali describes the project as «a comprehensive national cultural work» built around a powerful symbolic idea: Leo Africanus, or Hassan al-Wazzan, returns from the past to witness a modern Morocco embracing Africa and the world. On stage, the performance becomes a celebratory space filled with color and rhythm, promoting cultural exchange and using art as a bridge between people. Yabiladi has reviewed the project's full artistic proposal. A ready-to-stage project designed to accompany a continental event Nouali stresses that the proposal was not a spontaneous idea but the result of months of work and preparation. It was conceived to coincide with the Africa Cup of Nations, which she saw as the perfect opportunity to link sports and culture. Titled «Between Halves», the performance was intended to be shown before matches on outdoor giant screens near stadiums, offering audiences and visitors a cultural window into Morocco and its African depth. The project involves 30 to 40 artists, including actors, musicians, and dancers. It is produced by the troupe Shada Al-Bayda, and brings together prominent artists such as Hicham Bahloul and Majida Benkirane, along with other professionals. Despite submitting the project to the Ministry of Culture, the Casablanca City Council, the Regional Council, and the Prefecture Council, the team has received no official response, which has caused deep frustration. According to Nouali, the head of the culture department within the municipal council justified the lack of engagement by citing budget constraints, yet other projects appear to have received support, raising questions about transparency, criteria, and equal opportunity. She also pointed to procedural obstacles she described as «impossible», including a request for a delegation issued by the Pasha, even though the standard process requires the Ministry of Culture to approve a cultural project before any administrative paperwork begins. She added that local authorities are usually informed informally at a later stage. Unanswered correspondence and a growing sense of marginalization Nouali says she sent official letters to both the Mayor of Casablanca and the Governor, but has yet to receive a response. This silence, she argues, reinforces a sense of exclusion, not only toward this project but toward theater artists more broadly. She notes that «a large number of theater artists rely on this art as their sole source of income». The actress acknowledges that the Ministry of Culture has supported some of their previous productions, «but only after repeated appeals». In her view, major cultural projects tend to be monopolized by specific circles, limiting opportunities for other artists and deepening the feeling of inequity within the artistic community. In her closing remarks, Fatima Nouali issued a direct appeal to the City Council, local authorities, and relevant institutions to reconsider their position. Supporting Leo Africanus, she argues, is not only «a fair acknowledgment of an artistic initiative intended to accompany a major sporting event hosted by Morocco», it is also an opportunity to show that cultural expression has its rightful place alongside national celebrations.
