Organisation of a press conference in Salé to present the first edition of the ‘HITAN’ Festival

A press conference was held at the headquarters of the Salé commune on Monday 12 May 2025 to present the first edition of the ‘Hitan’ Festival of Contemporary Urban Art, organised by the said commune in partnership with the Salé Foundation for Culture and the Arts, and supported by the French Institute in Morocco, during the period from 19 to 28 May 2025.

The conference began with a speech by Mr Omar Sentissi, President of the Salé Local Council, in which he emphasised that the organisation of the ‘HITAN’ Festival is part of the implementation of the local authority’s cultural vision and its cultural programme for 2025, which aims to make culture and art a lever for local development and to enhance the city of Salé as a space open to diversity and artistic expression. Mr Sentissi added that the festival aims to beautify the urban space, bring street art closer to the general public outside closed spaces, encourage local creativity through the participation of young Moroccan artists, and strengthen the city’s appeal as a cultural destination at national and international level.

For his part, Mr. Mohamed Lotfi M’rini, president of the Salé Foundation for Culture and Arts, explained that the “HITAN” Festival is an artistic event aimed at transforming public space into a free and shared arena of creative expression. He noted that the foundation launched an international competition to select, for this purpose, the participating artists. The results of this competition allowed for the selection of a group of Moroccan and foreign artists, known for their diverse styles and varied visual languages, who will engage in dialogue with the walls of Salé through works reflecting the richness and diversity of their perspectives.

Mr M’rini also presented the programme for the first edition of the festival, which includes the creation of five individual frescoes in several districts of the city, as well as a large collective fresco involving several young artists. There will also be an exhibition of works entered in the international competition, as well as the presentation of a guide to visual artists from the city of Salé.

The conference -was attended by a large number of media representatives, and a question-and-answer session was held to answer their questions and provide further clarification on this artistic initiative.