Maroc Telecom Launches Amazigh Voicemail

Up until this week Moroccan operator Maroc Telecom has offered voicemail in Arabic and French. Now the company has announced that customers can now choose to interact with their voicemail and messages in the Amazigh language.  

In its announcement Morocco Telecom said its move reflects the linguistic diversity of the Kingdom, and will improve access to new information technologies and communication. The operator has been selling handsets adapted for Amazigh since February 2011.

At the same time the Moroccan government has said it will adopt a participatory approach to the development of the law on the formalisation of the Amazigh (Berber) language.

Speaking in Rabat at the opening session of a national conference organised by the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) on the "formalisation of Tamazight in Moroccan Constitution: what strategies and measures?"  the head of government, Abdelilah Benkirane stressed that the government program has highlighted the issue of formalising the Amazigh language and defines the methods to include the language in the education system and public life.

Abdelilah Benkirane

He added that the 2011 Constitution is a landmark in the consecration of Amazigh, part of the common heritage of all Moroccans, as an official language of the country, stressing that the formalisation of the Amazigh language is culmination of a process initiated since the royal speech of Ajdir in October 2001 brought a new vision about the Moroccan identity.

Abdellatif Manouni, adviser to His Majesty the King has emphasised the importance of this conference will lead to positive results to help define the next steps for the implementation of the constitutional provisions the formalisation of the Amazigh language.

For his part, the president of the IRCAM, Ahmed Boukous, noted the deep meaning of the formalisation of the Amazigh language, adding that the new constitution marked a turning point in the future of the language in Morocco.

Note: The Fez Festival of Amazigh Culture begins July 5th

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