We must teach Amazigh to save a heritage that is being lost (Raha

The President of the World Amazigh Assembly calls for the generalization of the teaching of the Amazigh language to save this heritage from disappearance. Four years after the promulgation of an organic law fixing the process of implementation of the official character of the Amazigh language, the officialization of the Amazigh language still comes up against some obstacles. Speaking on the program “l’Info en Face”, Rachid Raha, who also chairs the David Montgomery HART Mediterranean Foundation for Amazigh Studies, discusses the issues of this project and the challenges to be met to carry it out. .

The generalization of the teaching of tifinagh in preschool and primary school constitute the keystone of the formalization of the Amazigh language and the preservation of this cultural heritage, underlined Rachid Raha, president of the Amazigh World Assembly, who was the guest of the program “L’Info en Face” of the Groupe le Matin. Indeed, despite the goodwill shown by the government to speed up the process of making the language official through the launch of several projects, this effort comes up against the delay in the generalization of language teaching.

Mr. Raha mentions that only half a million pupils who would follow tifinagh courses out of the existing 3 million. For him, it is “scandalous”. “However, unlike the previous government, which was in power from 2011 to 2021, and which had done everything to block the officialization of the Amazigh language, this government showed its good intentions from its inauguration. It is under the era of Aziz Akhannoucha head of governmentBerber origin that a boost has been given to the site of the officialization of the Amazigh language which has been stalled for ten years. We assisted in the recruitment of reception agents amazighophonesthe placement of translators in the courts.

The officialization of the Amazigh language is progressing slowly

No less than 300 million dirhams were affected by the finance law of 2023 to the site of promotion of the use of Amazigh in the administrations in 2023. But for all that, it remains insufficient to save this language from disappearance”, declares this fervent defender of the Amazigh language. The officialization of the Amazigh language is progressing slowly, in a context where it is being lost every day, he laments. A situation due among other things to its low presence in schools because of the low rate of supervision. Indeed, only 400 teachers in all for all ensure the teaching of the language throughout the Kingdom, while 20,000 are needed according to the United Nations. By the very admission of the Minister of National Education, Chakib Benmoussa, there is a lack of teachers responsible for teaching this language. According to the Minister, at least 20,000 executives would be needed to be able to generalize the learning of the language both at primary and secondary level. preschoolassuming that each teacher supports 6 relevant classes of 6 different levels.

Yet, notes Mr. Raha, it is not the financial resources that are lacking. In 2019, theUnesco had granted, he recalls, a budget of 500 million dollars to the Kingdom to promote the teaching of mother tongues. The same institution is preparing to grant another budget of $250 million for the same purpose. “All I want is for this budget to be deployed wisely, which is why I hope to be able to meet the Head of Government and the Minister of National Education soon in order to be able to discuss the generalization strategy. teaching of the language in pre-school and primary education”, says this activist. Mr. Taha also believes that the generalization of the language is an emergency, because the school will now have to replace the role once played by parents of Amazigh origin and who now choose to speak Arabic to their children, because their mother tongue is not that of work nor that of the social ladder.

Read also: Akhannouch launches projects to strengthen the use of Amazigh in public administration