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| Africa North | |
| Amazigh language rights focus of Rabat forum | |
| 2011-02-04 | |
"The Amazigh do not live a life of discrimination, because parties, the administration, schools and the media are open to all the Moroccans, without discrimination," Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) director Ahmed Boukous told Magharebia. "But, one can say that the Amazigh linguistic and cultural aspects have been neglected for years, and now there is awareness and movement in this direction," he added. Boukouss, a featured speaker at the January 27-28 event, stressed the need for "legal and legislative instruments" to guarantee cultural and linguistic liberties. "Before talking about practice, we must speak about the extent of understanding the concept of linguistic and cultural rights and placing them in their proper perspective, within the human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... concept," Boukous said. The issue is of particular importance to Moroccan Amazighs, who have been fighting to incorporate Amazigh school curriculums and in the constitution. "It is a basic requirement to guarantee the linguistic and cultural rights of the Moroccans in general. The institution had previously given its point of view in this direction, when it said that reforming the constitution must include this element, amongst other human rights elements," Boukouss said. Last summer, Morocco presented a report to the UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva on the efforts made by the country to end discrimination against Amazighs. "We have overcome many obstacles, and opened a new page. We have reaped results and look forward to more gains. Among these gains were the establishment of the Royal Institute for the Amazigh Culture and the recognition of the Amazigh language, which is the official language in Morocco, whether we choose to accept this or not," founder of the Popular Movement Party Mahjoubi Aherdane said. Still, the language is not adequately used. "Someone compared the situation of this language to a shoe that is left outside a mosque. An Amazigh, like me, uses the Arabic language in processing his or her administrative needs, leaving his language outside the door of the administration." "However, The infamous However... we do not wish to stay outside the entrance anymore. We are in our country, and we should stop these practices," Aherdane said. | |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Gentlemen! We've got to protect our phony baloney jobs!!! HARRRRUMPH HARRRRUMPH HARRRRRUMPH HARRRRUMPH... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2011-02-04 19:19 |
| #1 I have made it thirty-eight years into a not-particularly-ill-informed literate life without ever hearing of the Amazigh. And that would be because... this article is talking about the sodding Berber. Well, crap. This is like calling the Delaware Indians Lenni Lenape, isn't it? Look, folks, if you're going to insist on calling Burma 'Myanmar', at least throw a line somewhere in the text reminding the old-fashioned of the necessary translation out of your politically correct patois. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2011-02-04 08:50 |