The identity: Nowadays, the fact that the world becomes like a small village, people lose their identities without being aware of it. These people are affected either internally or externally. They lose their language, customs, religion… However, the Amazigh people are one of those peoples which are victims of certain factors. Imazighen are pushed to fall in such trap.

Imazighen established for their history in North Africa many centuries before the arrival of any one of Arabs who are domineering Tamazgha. In fact they own their culture which takes its part in the human civilizations. Moreover Imazighen are known for their pursuing freedom and reject submission whatever the cost would be.

In fact the most dangerous influence which touches Imazighen is the Arabs . We, Imazighen, are affected by the Arabs every time and in everywhere in Tamazgha. The deceptive media is a sword which eradicates the roots of Imazighen. Furthermore, mass media, in Morocco or any part of Tamazgha, aim to make Imazighen forget about their identity; they give no chance to Imazighen to express themselves. Although there is a small number of official media, they are dominated by the governing elites.

Arabization is a tool in the hands of the Arabs. They try to arabize Imazighen and erase their identity. In Morocco, eradicating Amazigh identity is well established since the “Independenceâ€?. An impotent institution, “IRCAMâ€?, is created in Morocco to “protectâ€? the Amazigh culture, as they pretend, but in fact it is the opposite. Furthermore, the Arab countries excluded Imazighen from the right of existence in term of identity. To emphasise this destination, they founded the “Arab Leagueâ€? in which they show their conformity to the external powers from which they are scared, like USA which secures the leaders to govern– but according to the white house point of view.

Concerning education, Tamazight has never been taken by the Arabs seriously as a language which should be preserved. For example in Morocco there is a policy claiming that Tamazight is being taught at schools. However, these are just lies to deceive people and make them submissive. As far as I m concerned, there is no teaching of Tamazight in official schools. So how can a non Amazighophone teach Tamazight? Of course it is like a joke! A non Tamazight-speaker teacher said that he is teaching Tamazight to Imazighen, but he does not know what he is saying to his student. Thus there would be no mutual communication. Nevertheless, I do not express my negative feelings towards the Arabs but the fact that a teacher of language doesn t know the language he teaches to a native speakers of that language is a big question. It is good that Tamazight is to become learned in the world. A language is supposed to be learned by all people who are interested in it. But when it comes to teaching, the teacher is to master the language he teaches better than the ones he teaches– not the opposite.

Moreover, migration of the Amazigh people either internally or externally causes Imazighen the loss of their identity. When Imazighen leave their home land, they are supposed to face up a strange language and culture. Thus, they should be immune and aware of that danger.

Amazigh identity is going through its hard times and Imazighen have to make their best to foster it; otherwise, we would unjust the coming Amazigh generations. It is better for the young Imazighen to defend Tamazight– even intellectually.

Written By Radouane HADDADI E-mail: rif_tamourt@hotmail.com
http://www.agraw.com/

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Abdelkarim Al Khattabi

Abdelkarim Al Khattabi led an indigenous resistance against European penetration in Rif that inflicted in frequent disasters on the colonial powers, “sometimes so severe that governments and systems of government were overthrown”. In addition to that, European elites, based in the colonies, changed or adopted a “critical stance towards their circles”.
The victory in Annual transformed the sporadic resistance of the Rifian tribesmen into an insurrection.’ having progressed so rapidly; our warriors had trouble believing in the reality of their victory and in the catastrophe into which the enemy was falling’ Abdelkarim Al Khattabi said. The victory becomes the beginning of a mass construction led by the big imperial powers at that time. Here is a quotation clarifying the point:
When Abdelkarim Al Khattabi passed away on February the 6th in 1963, after decades-long battles against imperialism, he was probably the best-known leader in the world. He is immensely popular as well as powerful and clever. His hallmark is 'unity in diversity.' A cosmopolitan vision encompasses the principles of social and economic justice, both within and between nations; non-adversarial decision making at all levels of society; equality and the willingness to sacrifice for the common good. Other facets of the leader include the promotion of human honor and dignity, understanding, amity, co-operation, peace and tolerance. These are, indeed, the local values rooted in Rif. The Anual Battalion , his inspiring epic of the “third world” nationalism has spawned a new world in its own right, a brave new world, A few years after its first departure in 1921, it continues to generate irritation, veneration and imitation among nations, powers and leaders. Abdelkarim Al Khattabi lived all his life at a tangent to the various causes with which he was associated; namely, freedom and justice that ‘the stolen generation’ seek.
“Then France interferes. Paris watched, in concern, the falling down of the Spanish garrisons, despite of its neutral situation. But the entire defeat of the Spanish army threatens us [the French protectorate in the central Morocco], because the founding of a continued free state in Rif is a big endangerment of our large occupied area. And giving support to a focal, (‘Illusionist Rif’, says Lyautey), will be a danger menace to the western civilization and peace.”(Miguel Martin, 1988).
The imperial allies interfered by using chemical weapons to stop ‘natives giving orders and disposes’. The most brutal expression of this militarist strategy was Spain. They had used economic warfare to starve out ‘the enemy’. In these harsh circumstances Abdelkarim Al Khattabi ‘surrenders’. The Rifians left spanish troops a free hand to burn crops, plantations, and villages, and kill whomsoever they come across. In fact, it was a mass extermination practiced by the Spaniards in Rif during the 20th century
Abdelkarim Al Khattabi performed an inestimable public service for humanity. His passing away opened a yawning void in the Rifian public life and all the indigenous resistant people. He is irreplaceable.

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Assou Obslam 

• Born Assou Obsalam in the year (1890-1963), and is one of the top fighters Alsossin Amazigh in the thirties of the twentieth century AD , it took over the affairs of the tribe of the Ait Atta for his prowess usual and courage known in the leadership and framing resistance and unite the tribes of Ait Atta and being able to measure the civilian and military success in forging alliances among the tribes of the Atlas adjacent to repel the invaders and Khounth hardened.
• After penetration of the French occupation in the High Atlas and the eastern mountain Sagro , took over the leadership of the resistance against Alklaoyen Berber and French alike , and income member Obsalam many battles with them in the most important battle Bokavr year 1933 , which won by the French occupiers whatever victory . Did not give up this stainless Gallant only in March 25, 1933 , after the intensification of the blockade imposed on it by land, air , and circumscribe military from all sides ; causing him bitter reality and the tragic circumstances that were known to the tribes of Ait Atta to surrender and negotiate with the conditions were in favor of the Ait Atta .

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 the Republic of Rif

It was in September 18th 1921, When the Republic of Rif was created and the Rifian declared their independence from the Spanish occupation in the northern part of Morocco. Abdelkarim Al Khattbi, was the man behind the unification of the Rifian tribes, and the leader of the rifian revolution against the Spanish occupation.
The republic was a military and political association of tribes living in the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco. The supreme legislative and executive powers were exercised by the National Assembly, which was headed by the president, or emir, Abd al-Karim. The republic had a five-member government. The local administrative unit was a tribe headed by a kaid and a community council, or jamaah. The kaids were subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Council for Tribal Affairs.
The revenue from special taxes, for example a poll tax and a tax on personal income, was used for the needs of the army. For a long time the Rif Republic successfully fought off Spanish and French troops, defeating them repeatedly. The republic fell on May 27, 1926, under the united onslaught of the Spanish and French armies.
The Rif has been inhabited by the Rifains since prehistoric times. As early as the 11th century BC, the Phoenicians and Carthaginians began to establish trading posts on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, and founded cities such as Tetouan, Melilla and, in 5th century BC, Tangier. After the Third Punic War, Carthage was supplanted by Rome, and the Rif became part of the province of Mauretania. When the latter was divided during the rule of Emperor Claudius, Tangier became the capital of Mauretania Tingitana. In the 5th century AD, the region was raided by the Vandals, and Roman rule came to an end. The region remained under Vandal control until the 6th century AD when the Byzantines reconquered parts of it.
In 710, Salih I ibn Mansur founded the Kingdom of Nekor in the Rif and converted most Berbers to Islam. Arabs then established more cities. By the 15th century, many Spanish Moors were exiled from Spain and most of them lived in the Rif, bringing their culture, Andalusian music, and even establishing Chefchaouen. Since then, the Rif had suffered a lot of battles between Morocco, Spain and Portugal. In 1415, Portugal invaded Ceuta, and in 1490 Spain invaded Melilla. There was period of peace after, but war between Spain and Morocco arose again in 1859 in Tetouan where Morocco was defeated. The Spanish-Moroccan conflicts didn’t end. In the 20th century, under the leadership of Abd el-Krim El-Khattabi, the Moroccan guerrilla leader, The Riffians struggled against Spanish rule and aimed to free Morocco from French and Spanish colonization. Abd el-Krim later established the Republic of the Rif in 1921 which lasted until 1926, reinstating the Spanish protectorate. The region was returned to Morocco after its independence in 1956.
During the reign of Hassan II, stage known as the Years of Lead (in Morocco) Rif people was too repressed while sidelined. Because it is known for the existence of certain political organizations that demanded from a development for the area until the separation of the territory of Morocco.
In 1958-1959 a revolt broke out in the Rif was an uprising in the North African Rif region choked with aerial bombing in the region with napalm, white phosphorous and cluster bombs carried out by an embryonic Moroccan army, led by French officers and the head of which (and overseeing operations) was the then Crown Prince Moulay Hassan (the future Hassan II). The crackdown left a balance of several thousand dead Rif.

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Hindi Zahra

Hindi Zahra (born 1979 in Khouribga, Morocco) is a Franco-Amazigh singer. she simply inverted her birth name Her songs are mostly in English but some lyrics as in the song Imik Si Mik are in the Amazigh languages.

Zahra grew up with her Moroccan mother, a actress, in Khouribga, Morocco. She left school at age 15 and moved to Paris to her father, a former army member. At age 18 she worked at the Louvre.Besides that she wrote her first lyrics and melodies. Hindi Zahra is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist. By 2005 she had written about 50 songs of which Beautiful Tango, Oursoul, Try, and Stand Up were first released on the EP Hindi Zahra in 2009 and eleven songs were recorded on Hindi Zahra's first album which was released in January 2010 at the Jazz . The video to the opening song Beautiful Tango was made by French director Tony Gatlif.The song Stand Up was chosen for a commercial campaign by Western Union. In June 2010 she collaborated with French musician Blundetto on his debut album Bad Bad Things. In November 2010, Hindi Zahra won the Prix Constantin for Best Album. In February 2011, she won the Victoires de la Musique award for the best World music album.
Influenced by singers like Cheikha Rimitti,Hindi Zahra has drawn comparisons with Beth Gibbons of Portishead, Manu Chao, Billie Holiday, Patti Smith, and Norah Jones

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AMAZIGHE LIFE&STYLE 

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