RABAT: Moroccan lawmakers have unanimously approved a bill that confirms the Berber language’s official status, eight years after it was preliminarily recognized in a new constitution.
The new law is designed to cement use of Berber — alongside Arabic — by government administration, local authorities, public services, schools and in cultural life.
Berber, or Amazigh, was initially recognized as an official language in 2011, after a decades-long battle by activists.
The kingdom has struggled to cement the language’s status, despite it being the mother tongue of a large part of the population.
The new law will “operationalize the official status of Amazigh ... preserving the language and protecting cultural heritage,” said Culture Minister Mohamed Laaraj after the vote, which took place late on Monday.
But a prominent Berber activist and intellectual said the law does not go far enough.
“It is not what most Amazigh were waiting for — this law remains vague, it does not say that Amazigh must be taught or used by the media,” Mohamed Assid told AFP.
“We demand a conceptual change for equality between the two official languages. But it is not the case — discrimination continues with this law,” he lamented.
According to a 2004 census, eight million people — a quarter of Morocco’s population — speak one of the three Berber dialects every day.
One of the most notable consequences of giving the language official status has been the appearance of the Berbers’ tifinagh alphabet on public buildings, alongside Arabic and French.
Since 2010, a state TV channel, Tamazight TV, has been promoting Amazigh culture.
A few years ago, lawmakers caused a sensation by speaking Berber in parliament.
Moroccan administrators have sporadically refused to write Berber first names in civil registries.
The Amazigh flag — a red emblem set against thick yellow, blue and green horizontal stripes — has featured strongly in protests in Berber regions, including in the periodically restive northern Rif.
Morocco adopts law confirming Berber as official language
Morocco adopts law confirming Berber as official language
Military coalition in Yemen condemns attack on commander’s convoy
- Al-Maliki also said the coalition is committed to supporting Yemeni security efforts and pursuing those involved in the attack and bringing them to justice
RIYADH: The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen condemned on Wednesday an attack that targeted the convoy of a senior commander.
The attack in the Jaoula area of Lahj governorate targeted vehicles under the command of Brigadier General Hamdi Shukri, who heads the second division of the Giants Forces.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said there were numerous deaths injuries and called the ambush “a criminal act that is contrary to all human and moral values.”
He said the coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia, will continue coordinating with the relevant authorities to ensure the security of citizens and maintain stability, Saudi Press Agency reported.
He called for people to work with the Yemeni government and military authorities to confront any sabotage attempts or terrorist operations targeting the security and stability of liberated governorates.
Al-Maliki also said the coalition is committed to supporting Yemeni security efforts and pursuing those involved in the attack and bringing them to justice.
