Anne-Claire Legendre, President of the Institut du monde arabe (IMA), is set to embark on her first official visit to Morocco from June 19 to 24, 2026. This significant journey follows an invitation extended by Mohammed Mehdi Bensaid, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication. Her trip marks a pivotal moment, being the first time she visits the Kingdom since assuming the IMA presidency in February. The primary objective is to lay the groundwork for a collaborative cultural roadmap between the Paris-based institution and Morocco, building upon ongoing discussions between the two parties over recent months.

The six-day itinerary will take Ms. Legendre through several key Moroccan cities, including Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech. This inaugural official visit by the IMA President to Morocco is designed to facilitate crucial discussions with Minister Bensaid regarding the proposed joint cultural agenda. Furthermore, her schedule includes meetings with leaders of various Moroccan cultural institutions and foundations, alongside engagements with prominent figures from the nation’s vibrant cultural and creative sectors.

This visit is a direct continuation of a prior meeting held in Paris at the IMA headquarters, where Minister Bensaid was received by President Legendre. During this initial encounter—the Minister’s first at the institution since Ms. Legendre’s appointment—they began charting a shared roadmap focused on strengthening cooperation in “future cultural sectors.” Key areas highlighted for collaboration at that time included animation, comic books, the dissemination of Arabic language literature, and cinema.

Following these productive discussions, Ms. Legendre expressed her intention to travel to Rabat to engage directly with Moroccan cultural institutions. Minister Bensaid, for his part, underscored how this renewed cooperative dynamic aligns with the broader strengthening of relations between Paris and Rabat, a momentum initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Morocco.

Anne-Claire Legendre assumed the presidency of the Institut du monde arabe on February 17, 2026, succeeding Jack Lang, who served for thirteen years. Her appointment is historic, making her the first woman to hold this prestigious position since the institution’s inception. Prior to leading the IMA, she served as an advisor to the French President for North Africa and the Middle East, a role she held from December 2023.

The IMA, an institution now under Ms. Legendre’s leadership, was established within a distinctive diplomatic framework. Its foundational concept emerged on February 28, 1980, guided by a High Council comprising representatives from Arab League member states. Morocco is among the 19 Arab nations that, alongside France, contributed to the funding and establishment of this institution, conceived as a vital platform for dialogue bridging France, Europe, and the Arab world.

This period of institutional convergence extends beyond the IMA. In March 2026, Ms. Legendre had already met in Paris with Mehdi Qotbi, President of the National Museums Foundation. Their discussions explored potential partnerships between their respective institutions, a context Mr. Qotbi specifically linked to the “Enhanced Exceptional Partnership” between Morocco and France, driven by the leadership of King Mohammed VI and President Emmanuel Macron.

The forthcoming visit from June 19 to 24 is anticipated to translate these months of strategic exchanges between the two countries into concrete actions on Moroccan soil.