Massinissa Akandouch better known as Massinissa of the Rif (born Sidi Massinissa n Dadi Akandouch Aouattah Bouyfruri, Tamazight pronunciation: and

Neo-Tifinagh Tifinagh ( Tuareg Berber language: or , ) is a script used to write the Berber languages. Tifinagh is descended from the ancient Libyco-Berber alphabet. The traditional Tifinagh, sometimes called Tuareg Tifinagh, is still favored by the Tuare ...

: ⵎⴰⵙⵙⵉⵏⵉⵙⵙⴰ; born 8 November 2001) is a Moroccan-born Riffian indigenous social entrepreneur and socialite. He is the great-great-grandson of Prince Amghar Sidi Mohand Ameziane of the Rif.

Early life and family

Akandouch's family has been part of the African aristocracy since the 19th century. His paternal great-great-grandfather Prince Amghar Sidi Mohand Ameziane of the Rif was a tribal leader and the first Riffian anti-colonial leader who led the Riffians to war against the Spanish colonization of the Rif which ultimately led to him being killed in battle during the

Kert campaign The Kert campaign ( es, campaña del Kert) was a conflict in northern Morocco between Spain and insurgent Riffian ''harkas'' led by Mohammed Ameziane, who had called for a ''jihad'' against the Spanish occupation in the eastern Rif. It took place ...

by the Spanish colonial army. He was later succeeded by President

Abd el-Krim Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi (; Tarifit: Muḥend n Ɛabd Krim Lxeṭṭabi, ⵎⵓⵃⵏⴷ ⵏ ⵄⴰⴱⴷⵍⴽⵔⵉⵎ ⴰⵅⵟⵟⴰⴱ), better known as Abd el-Krim (1882/1883, Ajdir, Morocco – 6 February 1963, Cairo, Egypt) ...

of the

Republic of the Rif The Republic of the Rif (Tarifit: ''Tagduda n Arrif'', ''Jumhūriyya ar-Rīf''), unofficially The Confederal Republic of the Tribes of the Rif, also recorded as the Riff, was a short-lived republic in northern Morocco that existed between 192 ...

where douring Prince Amghar Sidi Mohand Ameziane's funeral, President

beheld the body of the Prince and wrote a letter to his father describing it. Prince Mohand Ameziane is now considered a national hero in the Rif Mountains. He is the son of famous Riffian singer-songwriter Abdelhak Akandouch, founder of the band , and the Riffian author and activist . Akandouch started his public work journey as a child, joining conferences, protests and campaigns that his family organized to promote Amazigh and Riffian identity,

culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

and

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

, and

social rights Economic, social and cultural rights, (ESCR) are socio-economic human rights, such as the right to education, right to housing, right to an adequate standard of living, right to health, victims' rights and the right to science and culture. Econo ...

. Massinissa and his family were featured on the Catalan national TV channel

TV3 Channel 3 or TV 3 may refer to: Television *Canal 3 (Burkina Faso), a commercial television channel in Burkina Faso *Canal 3 (Guatemala), a commercial television channel in Guatemala *Channel 3 (Algeria), a public Algerian TV channel owned by EPTV ...

, when Massinissa was only an early teenager, on the show ''Amb ulls de nen'' to document the family's lifestyle and tell Massinissa's story. Although he is of Riffian descent, Akandouch holds citizenship of the Kingdom of Morocco, the United Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Spain.

Activism

Family activism

Massinissa grew up in an activist family. His mother was a

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

leader in the Rif region in the 80s and suffered repression and persecution from the Moroccan authorities. His father, also an activist, wrote and sang popular songs in Riffian, talking about the repression in the region and Riffian leaders like

and Prince Mohand Ameziane. His parents, experiences with racism, social discrimination, and immigrant background, caused activism to be a major part of Massinissa's life since he was born.

Animal rights and climate activism

Akandouch became involved with the animal rights movement In 2018, when he was 17 years old, joining protests and campaigns across Europe promoting animal welfare and plant-based diets. In late 2019, due to public backlash, media, and political attacks, Akandouch wasn't publicly seen doing any animal rights activism anymore and appeared to switch his focus in promoting his culture and various other social causes. In 2019, Akandouch joined

Fridays for Future School Strike for Climate ( sv, Skolstrejk för klimatet), also known variously as Fridays for Future (FFF), Youth for Climate, Climate Strike or Youth Strike for Climate, is an international movement of school students who skip Friday ...

Climate Strike School Strike for Climate ( sv, Skolstrejk för klimatet), also known variously as Fridays for Future (FFF), Youth for Climate, Climate Strike or Youth Strike for Climate, is an international movement of school students who skip Friday ...

in Barcelona as an extension to his activism and joined the 2019 " International Rebellion" actions by

Extinction Rebellion Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement, with the stated aim of using nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk o ...

in London, Barcelona, and Madrid. He was invited to the first Catalan Climate Action Summit in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

organized by the

Government of Catalonia The Executive Council of Catalonia ( ca, Consell Executiu) or the Executive Government of Catalonia (Catalan: ) is the Executive (government), executive branch of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is responsible for the political action, regul ...

and attended the

COP25 Cop or Cops commonly refers to: * Police officer Cop and other variants may also refer to: Art and entertainment Film * Cop (film), ''Cop'' (film), a 1988 American thriller * Cops (film), ''Cops'' (film), an American silent comedy short starring ...

Conference in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

organized by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

(other figures like climate activist

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded ...

and

UN Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-ge ...

Antonio Guterres Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

also attended the COP25 in Madrid).

Public and charity work

Rif Tribes Foundation

Massinissa is the founder and President of the Rif Tribes Foundation, a youth-led impact-driven humanitarian and cultural organization dedicated to the people of the Rif Mountains in northern Morocco. His work at the Foundation, focuses mainly on humanitarian action and cultural development and has seen running programmes on hunger relief, through the delivery of monthly food relief boxes to families across the Rif Mountains.

Letter to the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27)

In October 2022, Akandouch issued a letter together with the Rif Tribes Foundation to "high-level stakeholders" on the occasion of COP27 warning about the effects of the Spanish use of Chemical Weapons during the Rif War on the Rif's ecosystem and people's health. The letter sites the past and present struggles of the Rif region, from the effects of Franco-Spanish colonial crimes to health issues that the citizens suffer from due to past use of chemical weapons such as phosgene, diphosgene, chloropicrin, and mustard gas, known as Iperita by Spain during the Rif War (1921-1927).

European Parliament

In 2021, Massinissa joined the team of

Carles Puigdemont Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó (; born 29 December 1962) is a Catalan politician and journalist from Spain. Since 2019 he has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). A former mayor of Girona, Puigdemont served as President of Catalo ...

, former

President of Catalonia The President of the Government of Catalonia ( ca, President de la Generalitat de Catalunya, ) is one of the bodies that the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia stipulates as part of the Generalitat de Catalunya, others being the Parliament, the gov ...

and

Antoni Comín Antoni Comín, born in Barcelona on March 1971, March 7 1971, is a Catalans, Catalan intellectual and politician from Spain. He is currently the executive vice-president of the Council for the Republic and has been an European Parliament, MEP sin ...

, former Minister of Health of Catalonia at the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Akandouch, Massinissa Human rights activists 2001 births Living people People from Barcelona Spanish Muslims Nonviolence advocates Moroccan Muslims Youth climate activists Spanish people of Moroccan descent British people of Moroccan descent Moroccan emigrants to Spain British Muslims Moroccan human rights activists Spanish human rights activists British human rights activists