Amazigh Culture Festival in Fez promotes development
2007-07-15
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.
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moha Posted 2007-07-16
No democracy...without Tamazight as an official language 80 percent of Moroccan are originally amazigh and they do not trust Arabic language to save their future. My first 7 years yes, I was speaking Tamazight, then the following 12 years I was learning some French English and Arabic In the university, I had to study everything in French. All this, just to torcher our student. Now I have to learn English and start everything from the beginning, ,the Moroccan Arabic language is not recognized in the Arab world, and they hate to watch our movies and listen to our music Arabic. I would suggest to learn English and Tamazight ,in the future we will be forced to learn Chinese language no question about it. The French is gone.
khemaies.béjaoui Posted 2007-07-16
This is the first time that I have read your website and found that, like me, there are others out there in our Greater Maghreb who dare to bring up themes that many consider to go beyond taboo. I am happy to tell you that from now on I will be paying attention to everything you are doing to revive traditions in our region, including Amazigh culture and its writing. Inspired by contributions from the Phoenicians, the alphabet had a scriptural proto-alphabetic expression only later developed by the Greeks. Let us revisit our past and use our energy in order to better know ourselves and to learn what is in our DNA and what stems from external factors, which are always said to always rest just beyond us, and which have never succeeded in in destroying our Berber roots. These are roots in which we recognize our own Path—“path” with a capital “P”—to true regional integration.
عبد السلام البقالي Posted 2007-07-16
Yes Amazighia has a culture, heritage and language spoken in North Africa. No and No to extremism in 'Tamzgha' to the extent of considering 'Arabs' conquerors and Islamic conquest as a colonisation, otherwise this will turn in the future to an ethnic conflict, only God know how it will start and when and how it will end...The nation is the mother of all, religion is a strong link uniting Amazigh and Arab people... Finally, some Moroccan people confirm their pure Arab or Amazigh origins...? Ever since the people of Morocco have joined Islam and to now there's an intermingling between Amazighs and Arabs. The blood is mixed up, the nearest example is the King Mohammed VI his mother is Amazigh and his father is Arab. My brothers and sisters, be careful as we're overcoming serious times.
Moulay Abdellah BOUSKRAOUI Posted 2007-07-24
A Lettre from Moulay Abdellah on the All the Potential for Amazigh. Author: Acharif Moulay Abdellah Dear brothers, During your conferences and your pursuits, always remember *the open hands* and help his majesty the King gave you, because all Moroccans are Amazigh, be it their mothers, their fathers or *some of their* family members, be they of Arab or Jewish ancestry. Morocco is our country and the king is our unifier. Be faithful subject to his majesty the King, just as you have always been. I am proud that in each of your assemblies you have shown your loyalty to the radiant thrown and your devotion to the service of our sovereign his majesty, King Mohammed VI. I hope that speaking about the Amazigh will not be a new way to try and win privileges being that these people have already suffered enough from the ambitious. May God guide you in your task through the hands of the justness of our supreme chief, our unifier, his majesty King Mohammed VI. May God protect him. –Signed, Acharif Moulay Abdellah Bouskraoui
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