![Nuit Debout - Paris - Kabyles - 48 mars 08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Nuit_Debout_-_Paris_-_Kabyles_-_48_mars_08.jpg)
Berberism or Amazighism is a
Berber political-cultural movement of ethnic, geographic, or cultural
nationalism
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...
, started mainly in
Kabylia
Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region
Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which ...
(
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
) and in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
, later spreading to the rest of the Berber communities in the
Maghreb
The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...
region of
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
. A Berber group, the
Tuaregs
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern ...
, have been
in rebellion against
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
since 2012, and established a temporarily
''de facto'' independent state called
Azawad
Azawad, or Azawagh (Tuareg: Azawaɣ, or Azawad; ar, أزواد) was a short-lived unrecognised state from 2012 to 2013. Azawagh (''Azawaɣ'') is the generic Tuareg Berber name of all Tuareg Berber areas, especially the northern half of Mali ...
, which identified itself as Berber.
The Berberist movement in Algeria and Morocco is in opposition to cultural
Arabization and the
pan-Arabist political ideology. In Azawad (northern Mali), the Tuareg-Berberist movement is also
secularist
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...
and is in opposition to both Arabism and perceived discrimination against nomadic Tuaregs by other Malian groups and the government.
Amazigh World Congress
The
Amazigh World Congress
Berberism or Amazighism is a Berber political-cultural movement of ethnic, geographic, or cultural nationalism, started mainly in Kabylia (Algeria) and in Morocco, later spreading to the rest of the Berber communities in the Maghreb region of N ...
(CMA, ''Congrès Mondial Amazigh''; ''Agraw Amaḍlan Amaziɣ'') is an international
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...
which was begun with the purpose of providing a structure and international representation for cultural and political Berber interests. It was formed in September 1995 in
Saint-Rome-de-Dolan,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. It has since held four meetings at irregular intervals, in 1997, 1999, 2002 and 200
Algeria
![A ifigha](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/A_ifigha.JPG)
Berberism works for the recognition of the distinct
Berber people, Berber identity in Algeria. Political parties and movements usually considered Berberist include:
*
Socialist Forces Front
, Berber: Tirni Iɣallen Inemlayen (RƔN)
, logo = Socialist Forces Front.png
, leader1_title = First National Secretary
, leader1_name = Youcef Aouchiche
, leader2_title =
, leader2_name =
, foundation =
...
(''Front des forces socialistes'', FFS)
*
Rally for Culture and Democracy
The Rally for Culture and Democracy ( ber, Agraw i Yidles d Tugdut; ar, التجمع من أجل الثقافة والديمقراطية; french: Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie, RCD) is a political party in Algeria. It promotes ...
(''Rassemblement pour la culture et la démocratie'', RCD)
*
Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie
The Movement for the self-determination of Kabylie (MAK; Kabyle language, Kabyle: ''Amussu i ufraniman n tmurt n iqbayliyen''; french: Mouvement pour l’autodétermination de la Kabylie, named Movement for the autonomy of Kabylie (Kabyle language, ...
(''Mouvement pour l'autonomie de la Kabylie'', MAK)
*
Arouch (''Mouvement citoyen des Aârchs''), a movement that is also organised among
Kabyles
The Kabyle people ( kab, Izwawen or ''Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', ) are a Berber ethnic group indigenous to Kabylia in the north of Algeria, spread across the Atlas Mountains, east of Algiers. They represent the largest Berber-speaking populat ...
.
MAK exalts a unique Kabyle identity instead of a universal Berber one, thus also known as
Kabylist.
A major movement within the Algerian Berber movement is
Anti-Arabism
Anti-Arabism, Anti-Arab sentiment, or Arabophobia includes opposition to, dislike, fear, or hatred of Arab people.
Historically, anti-Arab prejudice has been an issue in such events as the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the condemnatio ...
.
Historical and modern construction of ethnic divides
The divide between Berber and Arab Algeria was solidified by the 123-year French colonization. The Berbers were elevated above the Arabs through the narrative that Berber ancestral heritage stemmed from Europe. Consequently, Arabs and Arab speakers were associated with backwardness, which the Berbers profited from, as it granted them a higher status.
During the period of French colonization, Arabic and Berber were declared foreign languages in Algeria with the aim to restructure Algerian identity into a more Western one. This was done in attempts to assert French dominance. The Berbers were targeted with heavy French schooling, placing them at the centre of this transformation. The strongest hold France had to advance this platform was the Berber region of Kabyle, where they espoused the
Kabyle Myth The Kabyle myth is a colonial trope that was propagated by French colonists in the French Algeria based on a supposed binary between Arab and Kabyle, consisting of a set of stereotypes of supposed differences between them.
The Kabyle myth emerged ...
.
More recently, Berbers were alienated from the Algerian government following the Algerian War. Despite French attempts at a Divide and Rule strategy in Algeria, Berbers were on the forefront of the Independence movement with several key leaders of FLN (National Liberation Front), including
Hocine Aït Ahmed,
Abane Ramdane
Abane Ramdane (June 10, 1920 – December 26, 1957) was an Algerian political activist and revolutionary. He played a key role in the organization of the independence struggle during the Algerian war. His influence was so great that he was know ...
, and
Krim Belkacem. Furthermore, Aurès and Kabylia were amongst the principal footholds of FLN due to their geographical remoteness and widespread local support for independence. In fact, the
Soummam conference, often cited as the founding act of the Algerian state, took place in Kabylia. Due to Berber regions serving as hotbeds for FLN guerillas, these regions were labelled major targets in French counter-insurgency operations. These counter-insurgency operations resulted in the devastation of agricultural lands, looting, destruction of villages, population displacement, the creation of forbidden zones, etc.
Following Algerian Independence, Kabyle leaders opposed the central leadership over Arabist policies and the single-party system. These Kabyle leaders held popular backing in Kabylia and Algiers. Two years of armed conflict in Kabylia followed, leaving more than 400 dead and most FLN leaders from Kabylia exiled or executed.
These events created a sense of betrayal, which has made many Berbers suspicious of the government. An example would be Lounès Matoub's death. Lounès Matoub was a Berber secularist and activist who was murdered by Islamic extremists. Many Berbers believed he was killed by the government, chanting "Pouvoir, Assasins" (Government, Murderers) at his funeral.
Currently, the construction of the opposing ideologies is argued to be political and social in nature rather than ethnic.
The dynamics were shifted when the Berber movement entered to make demands in the political sphere. Many of these demands arose from the region of Kabyle in Algeria. Kabylian Berbers constitute two-thirds of the Berber population and have been the strongest advocates for the Berber movement. The second-largest group are the Chaoui Berbers who reside in the Aures mountains. While the elite sphere consisted of the Kabyle population, the Chaoui played an important role due to their military influence. On the whole, the Berberophones make up roughly 25% of the Algerian population, constituting seven to eight million people.
In 2002, Tamazight was declared a national language in Algeria alongside Arabic to accommodate this large percentage of the population.
1940 to 1950 Berberist crisis
The developments of 1940 to 1950 constituted a period of social unrest in Algerian politics which would set the framework for the coming years. The emergence of the Algerian Arabism-Islamism Nationalist framework meant to combat colonialism was accompanied by the emergence of Berberism, to combat this Arabism-Islamism. The Berbers demanded for the redefinition of the society they were historically a part of (linguistically and culturally): they wanted an 'Algerian Algeria' to represent all the ethnic and cultural minorities of the nation. The
Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties The Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD), name proposed by Maiza, was created October 1946 to replace the outlawed Parti du Peuple Algerien (PPA). Messali Hadj remained as its president.
The MTLD was created on the same platform ...
(MTLD) continued to impose the Arabism-Islamism framework and were denounced as anti-democratic by Berber activists.
The MTLD refused to acknowledge these minorities because it would have hindered their advancement in the provincial elections. This led to the beginning of open conflict between Berber partisans and "Arab unity" advocates: the outbreak of the Berber crisis. At this stage, the
Algerian People's Party (PPA) and MTLD, both headquartered in Paris, had merged to advance the Berber platform. They wanted to replace the single-party state system with democracy. This 'Algerian Algeria' would include the contributions, histories and cultures of all the ethnic populations. The platform as stated by Rachid Ali revolved around the fact that the Berbers should break the status quo that they have no place in society, as Algeria does not belong to the Arab world but was instead a nation for all its citizens. With the adoption of this platform, the Berber activists were seen as a threat to unity and independence by the Arabists-Islamists, on the account that "the Berbers wished to impose the Western agenda on Algeria".
Effects of 1962 constitution and Arabization
The 1962 Constitution declared that Islam was the state religion and Arabic was the national language. These two aspects of identity became mutually exclusive to be Algerian. In turn, linguistic and cultural diversity was interpreted as a threat to national unity. Rapid Arabization measures were implemented after independence in 1962 which sought to spread the Arabic language throughout the country. This was largely in an attempt to reclaim and reconstruct the Algerian identity which was lost during French colonial rule.
The rise in Arabic speakers and education institutions was accompanied by the decline in the Berber speakers.
Linguistic ability was a large factor in Berber identification meaning its decline was a threat to the survival of the Berber identity. The Berber narrative stated that the rapid Arab-Islamic conquest was rising at the expense of the Berber identity. The Berber struggle was seen as an uphill battle.
Furthermore, these Arabization measures stigmatized the Berber speakers vis-à-vis the Arabic speakers through the creation of more rigid divides between the communities. Political and social power was seen to lie with the Arabs who imposed their will on the Berber minority.
Outburst of 1980s: the Berber question, the Berber Spring, the rise of political parties
The Berber Question was revived during this period. The youth of Kabyle fought for the assertion of their Berber culture in a post-independent Arabist-Islamist Algeria. Repression of Berber particularism combined with the accelerating programs of Arabization in schools and universities led to the sharpening of the divide and the eventual outbreak of the 1980
Berber Spring
The Berber Spring (in Berber language, Berber: Tafsut Imaziɣen or simply Tafsut for "Spring") was a period of political protest and civil activism in 1980, claiming recognition of the Berber people, Berber identity and language in Algeria, wit ...
. The catalyst was set on the 10th of March 1980, when the government banned a lecture given by Mouloud Mammeri on Ancient Berber poetry at the University of Tizi Ouzou. Strikes continued until the 26th of June. The Berber demonstrations in Algeria of that year were the first instance in the international scene where a Berber group demanded recognition on the institutional level of their culture, language, and place in society.
The later 1980s saw a rise in Berber associations, political parties and cultural movements. Article 56 of the 1976 constitution stated that preliminary certification was needed in order to establish associations, over which the administration had discretionary power.
Legally, this meant that no Berber associations could exist from 1962 until this was amended out of the constitution in 1988. Underground Berber groups could now officially register themselves, and by July 1989 there were officially 154 of these organizations.
Of the most notable included the Berber Cultural Movement (MCB) which held its first official meeting in July 1989 in Tizi Ouzo. The MCB comprised French intellectuals and Kabliyan students with the agenda to oppose Arabization, call for recognition of Amazigh culture and language, and implement a Western style democracy. The MCB mobilized large groups of people and coordinated multiple protests to advance Berber culture, language, and position in civil society. However, the MCB had major limits on the account that the MCB was unable to resist the partisan tensions between the FFS and the RCD.
Events of 1990s
Creation of the High Commission for Amazighity (HCA) in 1995
The creation of the HCA is regarded as the first step by the government to recognize the language of the Berber population, Tamazight. The commission would be attached to the office of the President and the commissioner would be appointed by the President to oversee the initiatives undertaken to advance and institutionalize the Berber language. The HCA was officially created by a decree on 8 May 1995, meaning it was in a fragile state due to its revocability. The government refused to acknowledge Tamazight as a national language alongside Arabic, while this decree was meant "to rehabilitate one of the components of the national culture and identity of all Algerians. It
asin no way a recognition of linguistic or cultural rights of a particular area or minority".
Constitutional reform of 1996
Changes in the constitution reflected this recognition and advancement of Berber language. The 1989 constitution made no mention of Berberism and declared in its second and third articles that "Islam is the religion of the state" and "Arabic is the national and official language".
Whereas these two amendments were carried forward to the 1996 constitution, there was also the addition of a preamble which stated that "the fundamental components of its
lgeria'sidentity are Islam, "Arabness", and Amazighness. Later in the preamble, was the mention that "Algeria is the land of Islam, an integral part of the Greater Maghreb, an Arab, Mediterranean and African country," subsequently contradicting the weight of the former advancement.
Nonetheless, it was among the first steps towards recognition taken by the government.
1998 protests
Berber communities broke out in mass protest against the law which declared Arabic as the only legitimate language in Algeria. This law was originally declared in 1991 and meant to go into effect on 5 July 1998. Throughout the years Kabyle culturists had continued to oppose the implantation of this law, mobilizing again for this cause. The last Berber mobilization of this size had been the Berber springs. Tension had been built up throughout the years by this law, however the catalyst which fueled this outbreak was the assassination of
Lounes Matoub on 25 June 1998, an Algerian Berber singer and activist, by the
Group Islamique Armee
The Armed Islamic Group (GIA, from french: Groupe Islamique Armé; ar, الجماعة الإسلامية المسلّحة, al-Jamāʿa l-ʾIslāmiyya l-Musallaḥa) was one of the two main Islamist insurgent groups that fought the Algerian gover ...
(GIA). Matoub had just arrived from France and was on track to release his 4th CD criticizing post-independence regime and asserting the Amazigh identity. On June 28, his funeral was held and 100,000 Berbers came together to protest, which resulted in the continuation of week-long outbursts of violence targeted at government property.
Banners titled "no peace without the Berber language," "we are not Arabs," and "pouvoir assassin,
resident LiamineZeroual assassin" could be seen throughout the protests.
Azawad and Mali
Tuareg people
The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Alg ...
in
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
rebelled
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
several times during the 20th century before finally forcing the
Malian armed forces
The Malian Armed Forces (french: links=no, Forces Armées Maliennes) consists of the Army (french: Armée de Terre, links=no), Republic of Mali Air Force (french: Force Aérienne de la Republique du Mali, links=no), and National Guard (french: G ...
to withdraw below the line demarcating
Azawad
Azawad, or Azawagh (Tuareg: Azawaɣ, or Azawad; ar, أزواد) was a short-lived unrecognised state from 2012 to 2013. Azawagh (''Azawaɣ'') is the generic Tuareg Berber name of all Tuareg Berber areas, especially the northern half of Mali ...
from southern Mali during the
2012 rebellion. On 6 April 2012, the
National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad or the Azawad National Liberation Movement (Tamasheq: '; ar, الحركة الوطنية لتحرير أزواد ''al-Ḥarakat al-Waṭaniyat Litaḥrīr ʾĀzawād''; french: Mouvement nati ...
issued a
declaration of independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...
for the territory it claims as a homeland for the Tuareg, a Berber people, citing what it alleged to be discrimination against the
indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
of the Azawad by the
government of Mali
Until the military coup of March 22, 2012 and a second military coup in December 2012 the politics of Mali took place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Mali is head of state with a ...
.
Morocco
The Amazigh Cultural Movement (MCA) (
Tamazight
The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber communi ...
: Amussu Adelsan Amaziɣ) is a berberist civil society movement based on the universal values of human rights. Today, there are more than 800 Amazigh associations throughout Morocco within the MCA.
1967 witnessed the creation of AMREC (the Moroccan association for research and cultural exchange) an Amazigh cultural organization which rose to prominence under berberist activists such as
Brahim Akhiat,
Abdellah Bounfour, Ahmed Akouaou, Omar El Khalfaoui and Ali El Jaoui.
The Amazigh Political Action Front (Front de l'Action Politique Amazighe or FAPA) is a Berberist political movement with ties to two political parties that are members of the government majority, the ''
Rassemblement National des Indépendants'' (RNI) and the ''
Mouvement Populaire'' (MP).
Tamaynut is an Amazigh berberist movement created in 1978, it has participated in the constitution of a modern and democratic civil society in Morocco. Its purpose is to defend and promote the inherent rights of the Amazighs, in order to develop a strong citizenship in a democratic, federal and united Morocco within its pluralism. Tamaynut's mission is to contribute to the defense and promotion of the rights of the Amazigh people.
The
Amazigh Moroccan Democratic Party was founded in 2005 in
Rabat by Omar Louzi, a long-time Berberist activist, former member of the (Berber-based)
Popular Movement and cofounder of the
Amazigh World Congress
Berberism or Amazighism is a Berber political-cultural movement of ethnic, geographic, or cultural nationalism, started mainly in Kabylia (Algeria) and in Morocco, later spreading to the rest of the Berber communities in the Maghreb region of N ...
,The party was banned by the Moroccan Interior Ministry on 25 November 2007 because its name infringes on the Moroccan law on political parties, which forbids parties explicitly based on ethnicity or religion. It then tried to be legally reestablished under a new denomination (
Izegzawen) to promote Berber identity, political
secularism
Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations.
Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a sim ...
, and Berber cultural rights.
Historical construction of ethnic divides
The Berber dahir is a
''dhahir'' (decree) created by the
French protectorate in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
on 16 May 1930. This ''dhahir'' changed the legal system in parts of Morocco where
Amazigh languages were primarily spoken, while the legal system in the rest of the country remained the way it had been before the
French invasion.
The new legal system in
Amazigh
, image = File:Berber_flag.svg
, caption = The Berber ethnic flag
, population = 36 million
, region1 = Morocco
, pop1 = 14 million to 18 million
, region2 = Algeria
, pop2 ...
communities would ostensibly be based on local Amazigh laws and customs rather than the authority of the sultan.
The Berber Dahir reinforced a dichotomy in popular Moroccan historiography: the division of the country into ''Bled el-Makhzen''—areas under the direct control of the Sultan and the ''
Makhzen
Makhzen (Arabic: , Berber: ''Lmexzen'') is the governing institution in Morocco and in pre-1957 Tunisia, centered on the monarch and consisting of royal notables, top-ranking military personnel, landowners, security service bosses, civil servants ...
'', or the state, (especially urban areas such as
Fes
Fez or Fes (; ar, فاس, fās; zgh, ⴼⵉⵣⴰⵣ, fizaz; french: Fès) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fès-Meknès administrative region. It is the second largest city in Morocco, with a population of 1.11 mi ...
and
Rabat)—and ''
Bled es-Siba—''typically geographically isolated areas beyond the direct control of the state, where
Amazigh languages are primarily spoken and where Islamic
Sharia was not applied. However, this legislation explicitly characterized the former as "
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
" and the latter as "
Berber."
Achievements of the berberist movement
The Amazigh gilding in Morocco shone after the speech given by the monarch
Mohamed VI in October 2001, in
Ajdir
Ajdir ( Berber: ⴰⵊⴷⵉⵔ) is a small town in northern Morocco, on the Mediterranean coast, near Al Hoceima. It was the capital of the Republic of the Rif from 1922-1925 under the leadership of Abd el-Krim (d.1963) who born there in 1880. ...
,
Khenifra
Khenifra (Berber: ''Xnifṛa'', ⵅⵏⵉⴼⵕⴰ, ar, خنيفرة) is a city in northern central Morocco, surrounded by the Atlas Mountains and located on the Oum Er-Rbia River. National Highway 8 also goes through the town. The population, a ...
region. His words deflated the outburst of the Amazigh activists and intellectuals who, a year ago, had presented to the Palace a document referred to as the Amazigh Manifesto, which demanded the national and legal recognition of the Amazigh identity.
On 17 October 2001, in the presence of his advisors, the members of the government, the leaders of the political parties and unions, and Amazigh activists, King
Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to:
* Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902
* Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922
* Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد الساد ...
announced the royal decree (
dahir) that established the
Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture
The Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (french: Institut royal de la culture amazighe (IRCAM); zgh, ⴰⵙⵉⵏⴰⴳ ⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵜⵓⵙⵙⵏⴰ ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ, Asinag Ageldan n Tussna Tamazight (SGSM); ar, المعه ...
(L'Institut Royal de la Culture Amazighe, IRCAM). He defined Moroccan national identity as a composition of different cultural elements while acknowledging berbers as an ethnic majority, underlined that the
Amazigh language
The Berber languages, also known as the Amazigh languages or Tamazight,, ber, label=Tuareg Tifinagh, ⵜⵎⵣⵗⵜ, ) are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They comprise a group of closely related languages spoken by Berber commun ...
constituted a principal element of the national culture, and added that its promotion was a national responsibility. The Royal Institute was charged with the promotion of Amazigh culture in education and media. While redefining Moroccan identity so as to incorporate Berberness.
The establishment of IRCAM represented the first substantial change in the state's attitude towards its large Berber-speaking population from a policy of subtle neglect to explicit recognition and support.
Canary Islands
![MPAIAC FREPIC Accepted](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/MPAIAC_FREPIC_Accepted.svg)
Beginning with
Antonio Cubillo's
MPAIAC in the early 1970s, some
Canarian nationalist organizations have supported Berberism in order to emphasize native
Guanche Guanche may refer to:
*Guanches, the indigenous people of the Canary Islands
*Guanche language, an extinct Berber language, spoken by the Guanches until the 16th or 17th century
*''Conus guanche
''Conus guanche'' is a species of sea snail, a ma ...
cultural difference with
Spanish culture and highlight
Spanish colonialism
The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its predece ...
.
Although the movements attracted sympathies among local
Canarios, the violent terror actions used initially by Cubillo's movement brought about a general rejection. Thus, even after Cubillo publicly renounced the armed struggle in August 1979, he failed to inspire much popular support.
Currently some political organizations in the
Canary Islands such as the
National Congress of the Canaries (CNC), the
Popular Front of the Canary Islands (FREPIC-AWAÑAK),
Alternativa Popular Canaria,
Canarian Nationalist Party (PNC),
Nueva Canarias (NC),
Alternativa Popular Canaria (APC),
Alternativa Nacionalista Canaria (ANC),
Unidad del Pueblo (UP),
Inekaren
Inekaren ( es, Organización Revolucionaria de Jóvenes Canarios Los Alzados) is a revolutionary organization founded on the 22 December 2008 in the Canary Islands.
Inekaren has two main objectives:
a national revolution for the independence of t ...
and
Azarug
Azarug Is a leftist youth organization of the Canary Islands founded in 1992 that seeks the independence of the archipelago.
It defines itself as a leftist revolutionary pro-independence organization. Its principles include anti-imperialism, ...
espouse the pro-Berber cause in a higher or lower degree. Some of the symbols and colors of the flags of the Canarian pro-independence organizations, as well as the use of the word '
Taknara' (rejected by Cubillo himself) to refer to the archipelago, are seeking to represent Berber cultural roots.
See also
*
Algerianism
*
Anti-Arabism
Anti-Arabism, Anti-Arab sentiment, or Arabophobia includes opposition to, dislike, fear, or hatred of Arab people.
Historically, anti-Arab prejudice has been an issue in such events as the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the condemnatio ...
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Arab-Berber
Arab-Berbers ( ar, العرب والبربر ''al-ʿarab wa-l-barbar'') are a population of the Maghreb, a vast region of North Africa in the western part of the Arab world along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Arab-Berbers are peop ...
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Arabized Berber
Arabized Berber denotes an inhabitant of the Maghreb region in western North Africa, whose native language is a local dialect of Arabic and whose ethnic origins are Berber.
Most populations in the Maghreb are of Berber heritage, including those ...
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Barbary Coast
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Berber Jews
Berber Jews are the Jewish communities of the Maghreb, in North Africa, who historically spoke Berber languages.
Between 1950 and 1970 most immigrated to France, the United States, or Israel.
History Antiquity
Jews have settled in Maghreb sinc ...
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Berber Revolt
The Berber Revolt of 740–743 AD (122–125 AH in the Islamic calendar) took place during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik and marked the first successful secession from the Arab caliphate (ruled from Damascus). Fired up b ...
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Berbers and Islam
The Berbers (autonym: ''Imazighen'') are an indigenous ethnic group of the Maghreb region of North Africa. Following the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, most Berber tribes eventually became Muslims. Presently, about one-sixth of the population of ...
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Ethnic nationalism
Ethnic nationalism, also known as ethnonationalism, is a form of nationalism wherein the nation and nationality are defined in terms of ethnicity, with emphasis on an ethnocentric (and in some cases an ethnocratic) approach to various politi ...
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Kabyle nationalism
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Lucien-Samir Oulahbib
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Moors
The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a distinct or ...
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Muslim conquest of North Africa
The Muslim conquest of the Maghreb ( ar, الْفَتْحُ الإسلَامِيُّ لِلْمَغرِب) continued the century of rapid Muslim conquests following the death of Muhammad in 632 and into the Byzantine-controlled territories of ...
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Tamazgha
Tamazgha (Berber: Tamazɣa, Arabic: تامازغا) is a fictitious entity and toponym in Berber languages denoting the lands traditionally inhabited by Berbers coined in the 1970s by the Berber Academy in Paris. The region claims the geographic ...
References
{{Pan-nationalist concepts
Politics of Algeria
Identity politics
Ethnicity in politics