By Abderrahman EL AISSATI
SUMMARY
North Africa has known various colonizations which in contact with indigenous ones have given the area a special character. One continuing presence since antiquity is that of the Berbers, or the Imazighen, the indigenous population of the area. In this article an attempt is made to shed light on the status of the language and culture of the Imazighen, and in particular on the recent calls for official recognition of the Amazigh language in the constitutions of the two countries with the highest presence of Imazighen, namely Morocco and Algeria. Although some recent developments, like the teaching of the Amazigh language in primary schools, give reason enough to be optimistic about the future of the indigenous language and culture, a closer look at the ideological background of pan Arab-nationalists casts doubts on any serious government intentions to guarantee the maintenance and development of the Amazigh language and culture. This ideology will be brought to light by contrasting the constitutional rights that some Muslim and/or African countries grant to their citizens who speak different languages than the official one(s).
Read more
_________________________________________
PS : Please note that Mr El Aissati reviewd the book Contes Berberes Chaouis de l'Aures. Read Book Review
Lafkiouri, Mena / Merolla, Daniela
Contes berbères chaouis d'Aurès, d'après Gustave Mercier.
2002
163 pp., 2 maps, 4 b/w photos
Presentation
in http://www.koeppe.de/katalogE/3-89645-382-3.html
Tachawit belongs to the family of Berber languages and is spoken by the Chaouia around the Aurès. The Berber languages are a part of the Afro-Asiatic language phylum, together with the Chadic, Cushitic, Semitic and Omotic languages as well Old Egyptian. At present, Berber languages are found from Egypt (Siwa) across Libya and Algeria to Morocco and from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea to south of the Sahara.
The present study contains a revised selection of 21 stories which had been gathered by Gustave Mercier around the end of 19th century and published in his works “Cinq textes berbères en dialecte chaouia” (1900) and “Les Chaouia de l’Aurès” (1896).
The reader is presented with an exhaustive example of oral literature among the Chaouia and illustrates the diversity of narrative styles and topics. The stories therefore represent an important wealth of information on a dialect which hitherto has been largely unexplored.
The texts are preceded by an extensive introduction including a short biographical sketch of Gustave Mercier, his motives for collecting the Chaouia stories as well as a linguistic classification of Tachawit and notes on the narrative traditions of the Chaouia and summaries of the individual narrations. The main part of the book consists of 21 texts complete with a French translation.
Reviewed by Abderrahman El Aissati
© 2006-2012 Awal_nu_Shawi
