The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has selected Tangier as the global host city for International Jazz Day 2024, becoming the first city in Africa to host the festivities of this event, which is celebrated annually on April 30.
“With this designation, Tangier becomes the very first city on the African continent to host International Jazz Day, the largest and most prestigious global event dedicated to jazz,” noted the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, in a press release.
Organized at the initiative of Morocco’s Ministry of Culture and the municipality of Tangier, these festivities will take place between April 27 and 30 and will shed light on Tangier’s jazz heritage as well as the cultural and artistic links uniting Morocco, Europe, and Africa.
On this occasion, educational activities will be organized for students of all ages to explore Morocco’s music of Gnaoua and its link with jazz.
As for the great world concert, it will be organized at the city’s new architectural emblem, the Palace of Arts and Culture, and will also be broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, and the United Nations (UN) and UNESCO websites.
Alongside the global concert, UNESCO invites schools, universities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide to celebrate International Jazz Day.
Art venues, parks, libraries, museums, and restaurants will also organize numerous activities on this special day, while public radio and television stations will broadcast jazz.
Established by the General Conference of UNESCO in 2011 and recognized by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), International Jazz Day brings together countries and communities worldwide every April 30. The annual International Jazz Day celebration highlights the power of jazz and its role in promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human dignity.
