Libya’s Berbers fight for cultural rights
Muammar Gaddafi’s extirpation last fall was a positive development for Libya’s indigenous Berber population because it paved the way for the minority group’s cultural renaissance.http://www.northafricaunited.com/?nocache=072807
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Libya-s-Berbers...
For over four decades Gaddafi suppressed Berber culture and language in an effort to establish a monolithic Libyan national identity, CNN’s Tim Hume wrote on Monday, but now the Berbers are free to live according to their customs and traditions, many of which were originally instituted over 2,000 years ago.
Although they make up only about 10% of Libya’s population, the Berbers have an ancient history that predates Islamic and Arab rule in North Africa. In fact, Berber culture, according to Hume, “predominated in the region prior to the 7th century Arab invasion.”
Little is known of the original Berbers but historical accounts do make mention of Berber tribes forming the kingdom of Mauretania under Carthaginian tutelage in the 5th century B.C.
The world Berber itself is a remnant of Roman imperial rule that derives from the Graeco-Roman expression barbari or barbarian – a term the Romans applied to all peoples that did not speak Greek or Latin.
The Berbers call themselves Amazigh, or something similar depending on the dialect, which means “noble man” or "free man.” The Berbers saw townspeople as slaves of the state while their tribes were free of external control. In his book Morocco: From Empire to Independence, C.R. Pennell writes that the Berbers believed those who could not find protection from kin were truly servile.
Berbers who tried to promote their rights or cultural heritage were persecuted and sometimes even killed by the Gaddafi regime. They were forbidden to publicly speak or publish books in their language, Tamazight, or display symbols such as the Amazigh flag. Mazigh Buzakhar, a Tripoli-based Berber activist, expounds:
"Even children's names -- there was a law which banned any names that were not Arabic or Islamic. They (the Gadhafi regime) forced you to change your child's name."
Gaddafi tried to extinguish the very soul of the Amazigh but his tactics seem to have backfired because these people cling to their tribal identity now more than ever.
In the post-Gaddafi world the Berbers publish and circulate journals written in Tamazight, Arabic and English. The Berber language is also found on the radio and on public signs. The Berber flag can be seen displayed proudly. In addition, Berbers celebrate their culture via various festivals.
Yet many Berber activists are worried that Tamazight will not be recognized as one of the official languages by the new government and are concerned that Libya's Amazigh renaissance will not enjoy the same type of state support exhibited in Morocco and Algeria.
Buzakhar believes any broader recognition of Libyan Amazigh cultural rights would require overcoming greater barriers than the legacy of Gadhafi's scapegoating:
"Our problem is not only the 42 years of the former regime. Our problem is 1,400 years of Arab or Islamist mentality that has been brought to North Africa itself. It's a mentality problem, not only with the common people but in the heads of the politicians."
www.HughesworldNews.com
Although they make up only about 10% of Libya’s population, the Berbers have an ancient history that predates Islamic and Arab rule in North Africa. In fact, Berber culture, according to Hume, “predominated in the region prior to the 7th century Arab invasion.”
Little is known of the original Berbers but historical accounts do make mention of Berber tribes forming the kingdom of Mauretania under Carthaginian tutelage in the 5th century B.C.
The world Berber itself is a remnant of Roman imperial rule that derives from the Graeco-Roman expression barbari or barbarian – a term the Romans applied to all peoples that did not speak Greek or Latin.
The Berbers call themselves Amazigh, or something similar depending on the dialect, which means “noble man” or "free man.” The Berbers saw townspeople as slaves of the state while their tribes were free of external control. In his book Morocco: From Empire to Independence, C.R. Pennell writes that the Berbers believed those who could not find protection from kin were truly servile.
Berbers who tried to promote their rights or cultural heritage were persecuted and sometimes even killed by the Gaddafi regime. They were forbidden to publicly speak or publish books in their language, Tamazight, or display symbols such as the Amazigh flag. Mazigh Buzakhar, a Tripoli-based Berber activist, expounds:
"Even children's names -- there was a law which banned any names that were not Arabic or Islamic. They (the Gadhafi regime) forced you to change your child's name."
Gaddafi tried to extinguish the very soul of the Amazigh but his tactics seem to have backfired because these people cling to their tribal identity now more than ever.
In the post-Gaddafi world the Berbers publish and circulate journals written in Tamazight, Arabic and English. The Berber language is also found on the radio and on public signs. The Berber flag can be seen displayed proudly. In addition, Berbers celebrate their culture via various festivals.
Yet many Berber activists are worried that Tamazight will not be recognized as one of the official languages by the new government and are concerned that Libya's Amazigh renaissance will not enjoy the same type of state support exhibited in Morocco and Algeria.
Buzakhar believes any broader recognition of Libyan Amazigh cultural rights would require overcoming greater barriers than the legacy of Gadhafi's scapegoating:
"Our problem is not only the 42 years of the former regime. Our problem is 1,400 years of Arab or Islamist mentality that has been brought to North Africa itself. It's a mentality problem, not only with the common people but in the heads of the politicians."
www.HughesworldNews.com
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Libya-s-Berbers...