Anne-Claire Legendre, the newly appointed president of the Institut du monde arabe (IMA), will embark on an official visit to Morocco from June 19 to 24, 2026. Invited by Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, the trip marks her first official engagement in the kingdom since assuming leadership of the Paris-based institution in February 2026.
The six-day program will take her to Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, where she will engage in high-level discussions to finalize a joint cultural roadmap between the IMA and Moroccan institutions. The agenda includes meetings with key cultural figures, foundation leaders and creative industry stakeholders across the country.
This visit follows a preparatory meeting held in Paris, where Legendre and Bensaid laid the groundwork for enhanced collaboration. Their talks focused on fostering cooperation in emerging cultural sectors such as animation, comics, Arabic-language publishing and cinema. The initiative aligns with Morocco’s strategic cultural diplomacy, reinforcing ties between the kingdom and France.
Legendre’s appointment as IMA president on February 17, 2026, marked a historic moment—she became the first woman to lead the institution since its creation in 1980. Prior to this role, she served as advisor to the French president on North Africa and the Middle East, a position she held from December 2023 until joining the IMA.
The IMA itself was established under a unique diplomatic framework, founded on February 28, 1980, by 19 Arab League member states alongside France. Designed as a bridge between Europe and the Arab world, the institute has long played a pivotal role in cultural exchange. This upcoming visit is set to deepen those connections, building on recent diplomatic momentum between Rabat and Paris.
In March 2026, Legendre had already engaged with Mehdi Qotbi, president of Morocco’s National Museums Foundation, to explore partnership opportunities. Qotbi emphasized the potential within the ‘Enhanced Exceptional Partnership’ between Morocco and France, driven by the vision of King Mohammed VI and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The June visit will solidify these efforts, translating months of dialogue into tangible initiatives on Moroccan soil.
