Moroccan official to chair U.S Memphis in may festival featuring Morocco

Moroccan secretary of state for cooperation, Aicha Belarbi, is expected this Tuesday in the USA where she will chair the 1999 "Memphis in May Festival" in Tennessee, Texas, where Morocco is the guest of honor.

The "Memphis in May" festival is an annual event that features a rich cultural program, economic and trade encounters, exhibitions and conferences.

The Moroccan official will take part in a conference on investments in Morocco, open the "Moroccan child day" and attend the opening of two paintings exhibitions on islamic art and Moroccan jewish art.

Memphis "has chosen to honor Morocco," in view of the old and historical relationship between Morocco and the United States of America and also due to the richness and diversity of its culture and civilization, said the festival director, Jim Holt.

Since it was launched in 1976, the festival has honored 22 countries, including China, Japan, France, Italy, Egypt, and Portugal.

In a interview with MAP bureau in Washington, the festival director said the festival receives some 1 million visitors from neighboring states and other US regions.

Among the major events featured in the festival, there are the "street music festival," "world championship barbecue cooking contest" and the "sunset symphony."

The festival, which enjoys a wide promoting by the print, television and radio stations, is a celebration of the city, of culture and of the world. It is designed for entertainment and also for international relations, trade exchanges and knowledge of each other.

Organizers have erected a "Moroccan village" and are handing out promotion items such as tee-shirts, compact-disks, pamphlets, posters and educational programs on Morocco to be dispensed in primary and secondary schools in Memphis.

Before the Memphis festival, a Moroccan cultural event was held last month in Alabama and a similar one will be held in Dallas.