Tunisian Amazighs form cultural association

After years of restrictions under the Ben Ali regime, Tunisia's Amazighs are looking to revive their ancient heritage.

By Monia Ghanmi for Magharebia in Tunis – 15/08/11

The Tunisian revolution ushered in a new era of freedom for the country's Amazigh population, allowing the once neglected minority to form its own associations to protect its heritage.

In the latest breakthrough for the community, the Tunisian Amazigh Culture Association (TACA) on July 30th received a license allowing it to work on reviving and developing Amazigh culture after years of restrictions under the former regime.

TACA, whose development began last April, aims to secure recognition of the Amazighs as a main component of the Tunisian identity and to rehabilitate their history by reviving their heritage and recognizing their culture. This is in addition to preserving Amazigh traditions, maintaining the architecture of Tunisian villages that have an Amazigh character and working to include them in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

"The number of Amazighs in Tunisia is not more than 100,000 citizens, but their history is very old. Therefore, the Tunisian society has to recognize them as a minority without any prejudices, marginalization or exclusion," TACA president Khadija Ben Saidane said during a press conference. Amazighs are spread throughout villages in southern Tunisia, such as Matmata and Djerba.

"Our goals are represented by shedding light on the Amazigh civilization of Tunisia both inside and outside the country, appreciating such civilization and using it for the service of economic and social development, especially in Amazigh-speaking areas," TACA secretary-general Jalloul Gharki said. "This is in addition to helping in building an integrated Tunisian culture based on plurality, diversity, difference and participation without any exclusion or marginalization."

The Amazighs predate the Arabs in North Africa, and the two cultures mixed during the Islamic conquest. There are also still some tribes that speak Tamazight in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

Khadija Ben Saidane called on the next Constituent Assembly to recognize the Amazigh presence in the next Tunisian constitution, and to include the teaching of Amazigh language in schools as an optional language in the curricula.

"This is our demand, and the Tunisian state must recognize the Amazigh culture and language and work to develop them like Algeria and Morocco," said Abdel Razak Choui, a Tunisian of Amazigh origin.

"It's something that inspires optimism," said Ahmed Ouzal of the establishment of the TACA. "Now, our work will be more organized, and through this association, we will seek to defend our culture and very old history. We will also prove that the Amazigh is a main component of Tunisian society, and that it is still clear in its habits and traditions up till now."

However, some people oppose the demands of the Amazighs in Tunisia and argue that such a representative body could lead to strife and divisions inside the Tunisian society and may even threaten national unity.

In his turn, Amine Moudi, a young Algerian, said: "They were able to penetrate even Tunisia where there is a small percentage of Amazighs. What do they want from us? Tunisia is a part of the Arab Maghreb."

"There is nothing that indicates that there has been an Amazigh problem in Tunisia so far," Abdel Jawad Rhaeim said. "The Amazighs are a part of Tunisia, but this doesn't mean that they are the identity of Tunisia."

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2011/08/15/feature-02.