The Aesthetics of Montage and Sports Soft Power : Analyzing the Visual Construction of Morocco’s Geopolitical Narrative (2022–2030)

Abstract

This presentation explores how Moroccan football, from the 2022 FIFA World Cup to the anticipated co-hosting of the 2030 edition, contributes to the construction of a mediated geopolitical narrative through audiovisual communication. This study is part of my doctoral research on Morocco’s diplomatic soft power, with a particular focus on the strategic role of sport in shaping national image.Situated at the intersection of political communication, visual semiotics, and cinema studies, the analysis draws inspiration from an academic framework developed in a thesis on the aesthetics of montage in Moroccan documentary cinema. This framework considers montage not merely as a technical tool, but as a narrative device that shapes meaning, emotion, and ideological positioning.The audiovisual materials surrounding the Moroccan national football team—celebratory clips, institutional videos, and social media content—are examined as short-form documentaries where editing techniques (rhythm, framing, ellipsis, juxtaposition) contribute to a political aesthetics of sport.The study also questions how audiences, both domestic and international, engage cognitively and emotionally with these narratives. It ultimately argues that such visual strategies serve as tools of soft power, positioning football as a medium through which Morocco articulates a sensitive, emotion-driven geopolitical identity.