CAN 2025: The National Jewelry Museum Hosts an Exhibition Blending Sport and Craftsmanship

On the sidelines of the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, organized in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, and as part of the 9th edition of the National Craftsmanship Week, placed under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, the Secretary of State in charge of Handicrafts, in collaboration with the Maison de l’Artisan and in partnership with the National Museums Foundation (FNM), is organizing the exhibition “Confluences: Shared Gestures and Legacies” at the National Jewelry Museum in Rabat, located in the Oudayas, from January 6 to 18.

Structured around three major themes: the exchange of craft objects, the transmission of know-how, and the continuity of spiritual heritage, the exhibition offers a museographic journey organized around materials (metal, leather, wood, clay, and textile) considered as true languages. Each material reveals an intimate relationship between the hand, the material, and the territory. The shaping, decorating, and assembly techniques tell a story of patience, precision, and adaptation, deeply rooted in Moroccan craft traditions.

Through these materials, the exhibition reveals correspondences with other regions of the African continent. It is not a matter of establishing direct lineages, but of bringing forth resonances: a geometry, a color, a function, or a gesture that evoke ancient circulations and shared heritages.

The Secretary of State to the Minister of Tourism, in charge of Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Lahcen Saadi, emphasized that this exhibition and the activities scheduled within its framework clearly reflect the scale of the diversity and richness that characterize authentic Moroccan heritage.

He also welcomed the remarkable presence of handicrafts within the Africa Cup of Nations events, which is intended to be a true showcase highlighting the know-how of artisans and the significant influx to its dedicated spaces, both from Moroccans and guests of the Kingdom.

For his part, the President of the FNM, Mehdi Qotbi, indicated that this exhibition highlights the language of living dialogue between Morocco and other cultures of the African continent, adding that through the skills of Moroccan and African artisans, the exhibition evokes a common history based on exchange, sharing, and cultural interaction.

Qotbi also affirmed that organizing this event holds particular significance, as it falls within the framework of events parallel to the AFCON, thereby confirming that culture, creativity, and handicrafts, alongside football, constitute true bridges bringing peoples closer together.