Anne-Claire Legendre will travel to Morocco from June 19 to 24, 2026, at the invitation of Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Morocco’s minister of youth, culture and communication. This marks her first visit to the kingdom since she became president of the Institut du monde arabe (IMA) in February. The trip aims to shape a joint cultural roadmap between the Paris-based institution and Morocco, building on exchanges that have taken place in recent months.
During the six-day stay, Legendre will visit Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech. Her tour, described as the first official visit by an IMA president to Morocco, will include a discussion with Bensaid on the joint roadmap. Meetings are also planned with leaders of Moroccan cultural foundations and institutions, as well as with key figures from the country’s creative and cultural scene.
This trip follows a meeting in Paris at IMA headquarters between Bensaid and Legendre. It was the minister’s first visit to the institution since Legendre assumed office. During that meeting, the two worked on a shared roadmap focused on boosting cooperation in what they called “future-oriented cultural sectors.” Areas highlighted included animation, comics, the promotion of Arabic-language books, and cinema.
After that exchange, Legendre announced her intention to travel to Rabat to meet Moroccan cultural institutions. Bensaid linked this collaborative dynamic to the momentum in Franco-Moroccan relations triggered by French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco.
Legendre took over as head of the IMA on February 17, 2026, following the resignation of Jack Lang, who had led the institution for thirteen years. She is the first woman to hold the position since the IMA was founded. From December 2023, she served as advisor to the French president for North Africa and the Middle East, a role she left to join the IMA.
The institution Legendre leads was born out of a particular diplomatic context. Its founding dates back to February 28, 1980, under the moral authority of a High Council composed of representatives from Arab League member states. Morocco is one of 19 Arab countries that, alongside France, contributed to financing the institution, which was conceived as a space for dialogue between France, Europe and the Arab world.
This institutional rapprochement extends beyond the IMA. In March 2026, Legendre met in Paris with Mehdi Qotbi, president of the National Foundation of Museums, to discuss partnership prospects between the two organizations. Qotbi linked this cooperation to the “enhanced exceptional partnership” between Morocco and France, driven by King Mohammed VI and President Macron.
The upcoming trip from June 19 to 24 will give concrete form on Moroccan soil to the series of exchanges that have been under way between the two countries for several months.
