Morocco to launch Amazigh language TV channel.

Marisa Larson, writing for National Geographic, says that "though Berbers are the original inhabitants of North Africa, no one really knows where they came from. Genetic evidence seems to indicate that the Berbers are descended from several waves of immigration into the area, some dating as far back as 50,000 years. These immigrants came from diverse areas such as the Caucusus and the African coast of the Red Sea. Since Berbers are a mixture of different ethnic groups, the term "Berber" refers more to the language spoken and not necessarily to a specific race.

Berbers are first mentioned in writing by the ancient Egyptians who fought against the Lebu (Libyans) on their western borders. In 945 B.C. the Lebu conquered Egypt and founded the 26th dynasty. Berbers also led the Islamic conquest of Spain in A.D. 711. Famous Berbers include the Roman emperor Septimus Severus; Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveler and explorer; and French soccer star Zinedine Zidane."

Over the years Berber culture has struggled for recognition in Morocco but now comes a breakthrough that will hopefully raise the Berber profile considerably. Moroccan Communication Minister, Spokesman of the Government, Nabil Benabdallah announced yesterday that within one year he would be launching a television channel in the Amazigh language.

According to a report carried by the Maghreb Arabe Presse, At the end of a periodical meeting with the institute of the Amazigh culture (IRCAM), the minister told the press a commission of experts will be set up to consider questions related to the funding, programming and broadcast of the channel.

Besides the ministry and the IRCAM, the commission will include members from the two national TV channels, SNRT and 2M. The meeting also discussed the implementation of the commitments of the two channels to broadcast 30% of their programs in the Amazigh language. This will certainly come as good news to the large number of Moroccan Amazigh speakers in the regions of the Atlas and the Rif mountains.

See our earlier stories:
Being Berber - a question of cultural identity in Morocco
Morocco's Other Languages


Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news