The Minister for Culture and the Environment The Hon.Prof John Cortes and a team representing
Gibraltar Cultural Services were hosted at the Tanger Botanical Gardens ‘Donabo’ by Lala Malika
Alaoui from the Moroccan Royal Family, who runs the facility. This is part of a cultural exchange
with Tangier being organised by GCS on behalf of the Ministry of Culture which will see a number
of events and initiatives over the next few weeks. The launch of a coin to commemorate the
historical relationship between Gibraltar and Morocco organised by the Gibraltar Morocco
Business Exchange will take place at the Gardens themselves next week.
The meeting provided fruitful discussion with Minister Cortes and Lala Malika looking at common
areas that could be developed further, not only from a botanical focus but looking at cultural and
educational opportunities that could be explored between both communities. Commenting on the
visit Minister Cortes said: “It was fascinating to see the work that has been done in developing this
beautiful and educational garden, with so many parallels to my own work in creating the Gibraltar
Botanic Gardens. Discussions with our hostess highlighted the many possibilities of fomenting
cultural, social and educational links between Gibraltar and Tangier further.”
The creation of the facility has been a labour of love, with the gardens set within a beautiful forest
area of Tangier overlooking the sea. A Café building built from local stone using traditional building
techniques offers a beautiful oasis, and organic produce and something the team behind it is
extremely proud of.