The Morocco International Storytelling Festival

The Morocco Inteational Storytelling Festival is an annual cultural event organised by the Association Conte’Act for Education and Cultures. It aims to preserve intangible cultural heritage, particularly folk tales, by highlighting “halqa” (traditional storytelling gatherings). As an oral tradition, “halqa” is at risk of disappearing and extinction; therefore, concerted efforts are necessary to safeguard it. The festival promotes storytelling as an educational method, integrating folk tales as a central activity in educational institutions. Additionally, the festival serves as a festive and entertaining event that fosters cultural and artistic affinity while leveraging intangible cultural heritage to generate economic value and contribute to sustainable development. To achieve these objectives, the festival collects, records, and publishes folk tales to ensure their preservation, transmission to future generations, and availability for researchers and scholars. Furthermore, one of the primary aims of the Morocco Inteational Storytelling Festival is to restore the honour of the halaiqi storyteller as a living human treasure, representing this heritage and possessing a rich repertoire of ancestral tales.