Amazigh Culture Festival in Fez promotes development

15/07/2007

The third edition of the Amazigh culture festival in Fez promotes shared Maghreb values and the role of folk culture in developing the region. Magharebia interviews the festival's director, Mouha Naji.

By Imane Belhaj for Magharebia in Casablanca—15/07/2007

[mondeberbere.com] A Moroccan student writes in the Amazigh language. Naji said the festival helped restore respect for Amazigh language and culture.

The third national festival of Amazigh culture kicked off on Friday (July 13th) under the theme "Folk Culture and the Challenges of Globalisation: Maghreb Prospects". The festival, which runs through Sunday, promotes Amazigh contributions to folk culture and focuses on the role of this culture in the region's development.

Magharebia interviewed the festival's director, Mouha Naji.

Magharebia: Tell us about this year's focus on folk culture.

Mouha Naji: Folk culture is the culture of the majority of society, and in particular the culture passed down by parents and grandparents. [For example there is] the oral heritage in the Amazigh language and the local dialect. This culture is diverse and encompasses all cultural heritages, including sayings, tales, stories, oral poetry, songs, customs and traditions. Folk culture is rooted in society and is important to understanding the behaviours of members of society and their aspirations, concerns and hopes. Indeed, it is a mirror of society, as it reflects its history, collective memory and present and determines its future.

Magharebia: Why the emphasis on the Maghreb dimension as the framework of this display?

Naji: In this third round, we are emphasising the Maghreb dimension because we want to direct a call to civil society and to officials in the region to build a Maghreb edifice that shares the same languages, religion, customs, traditions and culture. This region is also characterised by a thoroughly shared history and linguistic diversity, and it abounds in rich and diverse oral literature. Taking part with us at this festival are a number of researchers and artists from Algeria and Mauritania to highlight the importance of folk culture in the region and its role in sustainable human development. For Maghreb folk culture in general and Amazigh [folk culture] in particular is a culture open to "the other", and it expresses sentiments of cultural dialogue, tolerance, solidarity and integration among peoples. This festival is dedicated to the sought-after Maghreb unity to which the region’s peoples aspire—a democratic, modern Maghreb that respects and defends its culture and traditions.

Magharebia: What are the goals you aim to achieve?

Naji: The objective in organising this cultural display is to support the chain of human development and the steps towards Maghreb unity, values of peace, dialogue and social peace. Among the major goals the festival set for itself are setting down a universal and scientific approach to folk culture in the Maghreb and the region, promoting the use of this culture to achieve human progress, and confronting the challenges of globalisation... More than that, the festival aspires to deepen research into the Maghreb strategies that must be adopted to make popular culture, with its myriad components (customs, traditions, literatures, songs, architecture…), serve human development.

Magharebia: What is the added value of the festival with regards to Amazigh culture?

Naji: Amazigh culture suffered from marginalisation for centuries. We are not able, within a brief time, to realise significant achievements to the benefit of this ancient and resilient culture. We could state that we have managed, up until now, to contribute through our modest efforts to restore respect for Amazigh language and culture. That has prompted a large number of creative and young [Amazigh] artists and researchers to increase their creative activities.

In Fez, for example, the people have come to have a positive stance towards Amazighs, and we have received many verbal and electronic messages urging us to offer more and [exert more] efforts to promote this culture, which belongs to all the people of the Maghreb. The festival also helps to reinforce and strengthen the Amazigh cultural presence in the public media... Amazigh culture is expected to be present in a distinguished way in radio and television in the future, thanks to the contributions and encouragement of official circles, the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture and civil society.