World Book Capital 2026: How Rabat turned the page

By Sylvia Chebet

Like museums, the world's great cities encapsulate the flow of history, culture, traditions, and human experience even as they evolve.

Morocco's capital city, Rabat, epitomises what writers seek in a city — streets, alleyways, buildings, and public squares that hold stories waiting to be told.

As the Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun puts it, "Rabat is where tradition meets modernity, and literature is the bridge between the two."

Jelloun stood vindicated when UNESCO's director-general, Audrey Azoulay, announced this month that Rabat had been designated the "World Book Capital 2026".

Rabat is the 26th city to be conferred this prestigious epithet since 2001, taking over the mantle from Brazil's Rio de Janeiro.

It is only the fifth city in Africa to receive that honour after Alexandria in Egypt (2002), Nigeria's Port Harcourt (2014), the Guinean capital of Conakry (2017), and its Ghanaian counterpart Accra (2023).

"Being named World Book Capital is a significant achievement for Rabat's literary community," Morocco's director of books, libraries, and archives, Latifa Moftaqir, tells TRT Afrika.

"This honour puts the city on the global map and will certainly inspire collaborations across the continent. It also shows that Africa is gaining more recognition for its contributions to literature."

While making the decision, UNESCO's World Book Capital Advisory Committee considered the city's potent mix of rich history, commitment to cultural preservation, and vibrant art scene.

Blend of old and new

Hassan Najmi, former president of the Moroccan Writers' Union and author of two novels and poetry collections that have been translated into more than ten languages, fondly refers to his native Rabat as "the city of light".

"It's a clean, magnificent city hosting many universities and intellectuals," he tells TRT Afrika. Founded in the 12th century, Rabat sits on the Atlantic coast in the north-west of Morocco.

UNESCO describes the city's distinctive architectural and decorative style as the product of a fertile exchange between its Arabo-Muslim past and Western modernism.

This blend of the old and new has long been celebrated in Moroccan poetry and prose, creating what Najmi calls the "capital of culture, literature and creation".

"Rabat is a cultural crossroads where books help transmit knowledge and the arts in all their diversity.

The growing local book industry is also playing a crucial role in advancing education," says Azoulay, adding: "These actions resonate with UNESCO's mandate."

The idea of a "World Book Capital" originates from a thought etched in UNESCO's constitution in 1945: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed."

With 54 publishing houses, the third largest international book and publishing fair in Africa and a growing number of bookstores, UNESCO notes that Rabat's book industry is at the forefront of democratising knowledge.

Rabat has also been churning out fiction and academic works like clockwork, advancing the city's creative economy.

UNESCO and the World Book Capital Advisory Committee recognised Rabat for its "clear commitment to literary development, the empowerment of women and youth through reading and the fight against illiteracy", especially among underserved communities.

Evolving reading culture

Moftaqir describes Morocco's reading culture as "moderate", albeit steadily evolving, particularly among the younger generation. "Universities, literacy programmes, and public libraries have played a role in promoting reading.

Literary cafes and book fairs have also contributed to the growth of a robust reading culture," she tells TRT Afrika.

Any city designated as a UNESCO World Book Capital is supposed to promote books and reading for all ages and groups, within and across national borders, and organise a series of literary activities throughout the year.

In Rabat, April 2026 will mark the start of an initiative to reinforce literacy among Moroccans through the yearlong celebration.

"It is imperative to bring together the forces driving Morocco's cultural and literary scene — the writers, poets, academia and publishers — to create a strong moment in 2026,” says poet-novelist Najmi, excited about the prospect of what lies ahead.

He and fellow Moroccan Jelloun are already counted among the world's finest practitioners of literature. Other illustrious names on that list include Abdelfettah Kilito, famous for his essays and literary criticism and Abdellatif Laabi, a poet and journalist.

➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.