Berberism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Berberism (Amazigh: Timmuzgha) is a political-cultural movement found mainly in Kabylia, Algeria and later in Morocco. The movement generally defends North Africa's Berber identity and culture against the domination of Pan-Arabism and Francophonie.
[edit] Algeria
Berberism aspires to the recognition of the distinct Berber identity of Algeria. Political parties and movements usually considered Berberist include:
- Socialist Forces Front (Front des forces socialistes, FFS)
- Rally for Culture and Democracy (Rassemblement pour la culture et la démocratie, RCD)
- Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (Mouvement pour l'autonomie de la Kabylie, MAK)
- Arouch (Mouvement citoyen des Aârchs), a movement that is also organised among Kabyles.
MAK exalts a unique Kabylian identity instead of a universal Berber one, thus also known as Kabylist.
[edit] Morocco
Outside Algeria, a new Berberist political party exists now in Morocco. The Amazigh Moroccan Democratic Party (Akabar Amagday Amazigh Amrrukan) was founded in 2005 in Rabat to promote Berber identity, federalism, Secularism, and Berber cultural rights including recognizing Berber as the official language of Morocco. The party is facing the danger of being banned as a possible result of the Moroccan Ministry of Interior's lawsuit against the party.
