Royal institute of the Amazigh culture

The Royal institute of the Amazigh culture (French: 'Institut royal de la culture amazighe', acronym:IRCAM, In Neo-Tifinagh: "ⴰⵙⵉⵏⴰⴳ ⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵜⵓⵙⵙⵏⴰ ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ", in Berber Latin Alphabet: "Asinag ageldan n tussna Tamaziɣt") is an academic institute of the Moroccan government in charge with the development and the promotion of the Berber languages of Morocco.

The institute is located in the capital Rabat. It was officially founded on October 17, 2001 under a royal decree of King Mohammed VI (Dahir (royal decree) number 1-01-299). The institute has legal and financial independence from the executive branch of government, but its recommendations about the education of the Berber languages in Moroccan public schools are not legally binding to the government.

Role

The Institute offers advice to the Moroccan king and government about the measures that would help develop the Berber language and culture, especially within the educational system.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and develop the Berber language.
• Work on the implementation of policies adopted by the King on the subject.
• Help include the Berber language in the Moroccan educational system and ensure its presence in the social and cultural space and the national, regional and local media.
• Reinforce the status of the Berber culture in the media and society.
• Work with other national institutions and organizations, especially with the ministry of education.
• Acting as a reference in the domain of academic Berber studies and research, regionally and internationally, especially in North Africa.

See also

• Berber language
• Berber Latin alphabet
• Tifinagh
• Berber beliefs
• Human rights in Morocco

External links

• Official website (French)
• JurisPedia

References and notes

Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent Arabic-language Wikipedia article, accessed October 7, 2006.