English

After reading the draft constitution drawn up by the National Transitional Council (NTC), we found ourselves confronted by one option : to condemn its disrespect, hostility and complete disregard shown for the Amazigh language, culture and identity. By ignoring the Amazigh language and culture, this draft constitution is simply a continuation of the Al-Qadhafi regime’s ideological orientation. Accordingly, we call on our Libyan Amazigh brothers to continue in their struggle in order to (…)

For me, going to Libya was something that I have never imagined. How can I visit a country controlled by Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi’s regime ? I have not even been to my birthplace, the Amazigh region of Kabylia in Algeria, for over 18 years. Why should I return to Kabylia which is virtually under colonial regency, or rather simply and purely under colonial domination ? For me to go back would simply mean to accept a fait accompli and to suffer abject and daily humiliation in my own country.
On (…)

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release
COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS REVIEWS SECOND PERIODIC REPORT OF LIBYA
Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights
17 November 2005
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has reviewed the second periodic report of Libya on how that country implements the provisions of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Introducing the report was Abdel Hafid Derbi of the General People’s (…)

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has considered the report of Mauritania on its implementation of the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Presenting the report was Hamadi Ould Meimou, Commissioner for Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation and Integration of Mauritania, who noted the considerable progress which had been carried out in his country in the areas of political, economic, social and cultural (…)

Batasuna’s statement to the international community on the massacre in Madrid
The Basque socialist political organisation, Batasuna, wishs to share the following opinions with the nations of the world :
We express our solidarity with the victims, their families and the workers of Madrid, and share their pain after the terrible bombings yesterday.
These indiscriminate attacks against civilians and workers who were on their way to their places of work are absolutely repulsive to the (…)

Professor of Tamazight (Berber) and director of the Berber research center (CRB) in Inalco (Paris), Salem Chaker remains one of the architects of the standardization of Tamazight. He has organized several meetings of Amazigh language experts and other cultural figures (writers, artists...) from all over the world to discuss the standardization of the Tamazight writing system. When the Moroccan monarchy recently (see feature article) decided to impose the Tifinagh script as the only (…)

Organized by the association Tamazgha on June 28, 2003 in Paris, the talk by Abdellah Bounfour on the Amazigh issue in Morocco helped raise public awareness in regards to the political position of the Moroccan monarchy towards Tamazight. Reproduced below is a transcript of the talk, as well as a summary of the discussion that ensued.
The best way to approach this subject, it seems to me, is to relate the events in their chronology and, eventually, draw some provisional conclusions from (…)

In Amazigh Voice (Taghect Tamazight), Volume 12, Issue 2, Summer/Fall 2003.
Introduction
King Mohammed VI of Morocco has recently signed a law that makes the Tifinagh script the official writing system for Tamazight. This script will be used in future teaching programs that will be developed by IRCAM (French acronym for Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture) in collaboration with the Ministry of education. This royal decision was based on a recommendation by IRCAM that was reached by a (…)

Up until the April 1980 Kabyle Spring, the issue of North African Berbers had remained the exclusive domain of experts and a burgeoning underground militant movement. The aim of this article is to highlight the significance of the Berber element both in number and in their struggle - within the context of human rights - for democratic, linguistic and cultural rights. The issue is linguistic rather than racial, as the overwhelming majority of North Africans are either Berber or Arabicized (…)