Latest news with #Amazigh
Ya Biladi
7 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Morocco signs new agreements to boost Amazigh in legal system
Three partnership agreements were signed, Tuesday, in Rabat to strengthen the institutional use of the Amazigh language in Morocco's legal and administrative systems. The deals were inked during a study day co-organized by the General Secretariat of the Government, the Ministry for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, and the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), under the theme: «Integrating the Amazigh Language into Legislation: Opportunities, Potential, and Challenges». The agreements aim to coordinate efforts in drafting and translating legal texts into Amazigh, and define concrete actions to support the government's official language policy. Among the planned measures: the translation of core legislative and regulatory texts, the creation of a reference legal glossary in Amazigh, the inclusion of Amazigh on the Secretariat's official website, and the use of bilingual Arabic-Amazigh certificates. The agreements also provide for Amazigh-speaking public service agents and training for government staff. A follow-up session between the signatories was held to define priorities and implementation steps. The study day also offered a platform to assess progress on the official use of Amazigh and exchange on international best practices.
Libya Review
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Libya Review
Libya's Amazigh Council Appeals for Peaceful Political Transition
On Saturday, the Amazigh Supreme Council in Libya warned against the militarization of Tripoli, rejecting any attempt by armed groups or political factions to impose control over the capital under any justification. In a statement released by the Supreme Council of Amazigh in Libya and representatives from Zuwara, they made it clear that they oppose the use of force to gain power or monopolize state institutions. The council denounced any form of political or military dominance that threatens civilians, destroys private or public property, or deepens divisions among Libyans. They condemned efforts by what they called 'governments of imposed reality' to use coercion or violence to hold onto power, adding that no political objective should come at the cost of national unity or public safety. They also strongly opposed arbitrary arrests and restrictions on freedom targeting opponents or dissenters, calling such acts a violation of basic rights and a dangerous precedent for the country's fragile political future. The council urged all parties to abandon military options and focus instead on dialogue and peaceful negotiation. In their statement, the Amazigh representatives emphasized the importance of inclusive dialogue and national reconciliation. They called on all Libyan cities and communities to come together to protect what remains of the nation's social fabric and to work toward a future built on mutual respect and shared responsibility. The council further criticised the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), holding it partially responsible for the worsening political and security landscape. According to the statement, the mission has failed to prevent escalating tensions and has not succeeded in guiding Libya out of its prolonged transitional phase. The council noted that more than a decade of division and political instability has caused deep harm to Libyan society, weakened state institutions, and inflicted economic suffering on ordinary citizens. They concluded by affirming their commitment to national unity and peaceful political solutions, warning that Libya's future must not be shaped by force, threats, or foreign manipulation. Tags: AmazighGovernmentlibyatripoliunsmil
Daily News Egypt
16-07-2025
- General
- Daily News Egypt
Translation in the Digital Age: Between the Revival and Decline of Languages
How has translation become a tool for shaping the destiny of languages in the age of digital globalization? From 7 to 11 July 2025, Geneva hosted the WSIS+20 High-Level Summit, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with UNESCO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Among its key sessions, the symposium 'Leaders TalkX: From Local to Global: Preserving Culture and Language in the Digital Age' reaffirmed that linguistic and cultural diversity is no longer a cultural luxury or an isolated concern but has become an integral part of the struggle for survival in a globalized information society. In this context, the debate is renewed about the crucial role translation plays in the life—and even the fate—of languages: in their emergence, development, decline, and sometimes rebirth. Throughout history, translation has never been a neutral process. It has always been an active force in the dynamism of languages between life and death. The most famous example of this is Latin, which dominated Europe for centuries before beginning to decline in the face of rising national languages. Its fall was not due to structural weaknesses or limited expressive capacity but rather to the vast translation movement that transferred its knowledge and thought into French, Italian, Spanish, and English. Paradoxically, translation here played a dual role: it contributed to disseminating Latin thought while simultaneously accelerating the abandonment of Latin itself as a living language of communication. A similar scenario occurred with the Coptic language in Egypt. Following the introduction of Arabic after the Islamic conquest, a widespread translation movement began—first with religious texts and later with scientific and intellectual works—translating them from Coptic into Arabic. As this movement advanced, Coptic gradually receded from the spheres of daily communication and knowledge production until it became confined to church rituals. In this case, translation was not merely a cultural bridge but an effective instrument in displacing one language and enabling the rise of another, within a broader context of social and political transformation. On the other hand, translation can serve as a means of revitalizing languages, as is currently happening with the Amazigh language in North Africa. After decades of marginalization and confinement to oral use in villages and mountainous areas, organized translation efforts—alongside education and media initiatives—have revived Amazigh in several countries, such as Morocco and Algeria. Intellectuals and translators have begun rendering literary works, historical texts, and media content into Amazigh, contributing to the modernization of its written structure and the reformulation of its vocabulary and terminology to meet contemporary needs. As a result, Amazigh has regained its legal status as an official and living language within the national linguistic fabric. From this, it can be argued that the fear of languages disappearing is misplaced. Languages do not die because others overwhelm them, but because they isolate themselves from the world, refuse to engage with the knowledge of others, or fail to develop. The history of languages has shown that translation is not merely a means of communication between peoples but a creative force that shapes, revives, or erodes. A language into which knowledge is not translated—and which does not absorb what is translated into it—condemns itself to decline and extinction. In the age of digital globalization, translation has become a tool for civilizational survival rather than a cultural luxury. Weak and marginalized languages are no longer threatened solely by the dominance of major languages, but also by the lack of translation into and from them. This was clearly emphasized by the WSIS+20 Summit, which stressed that the future of linguistic and cultural diversity now hinges on societies' ability to harness translation technologies and linguistic artificial intelligence applications to support endangered languages and revive forgotten intellectual heritage. The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of languages, as recorded in human history, inevitably passes through translation. Therefore, defending any language is not about shielding it from external influences but about translating it for others—and translating other cultures' knowledge into it. Only through this mechanism do languages survive, and only through this strategy do nations remain present in the memory of the world and the current of history. Dr. Marwa El-Shinawy – Academic and writer
Morocco World
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Morocco World
Celebrating the Vibe, Protecting the Brand
In June 1325, famed Moroccan Amazigh Ibn Battuta set off to perform the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. He was 21 years old and seeking knowledge, not riches. He would not return to Morocco again for another 24 years. He collected countless memories and would later author the Riḥlah (Travels), a historic travelogue documenting his travels covering some 75,000 miles (120,000 km) across the Muslim world and beyond. His travel writings eventually made him a global influencer, 700 years before Instagram. Centuries later, Moroccans and Moroccan cultural influence are again seen across the globe. Hip hop star French Montana fuses gritty Bronx street life with Moroccan and African themes. Gnaoua music, born in part out of the experience of slavery within Africa, is a significant part of southern and coastal Moroccan culture and is now a global music phenomenon that's compared with the American Blues. Moroccan music icon Mohamed Rouicha popularized Maghrebi Tamazight songs and melodies decades before the larger embrace of Tamazight culture across the region. Former First Lady Hillary Clinton has appeared on the red carpet in Europe in traditional Moroccan kaftans. Cultural footprints outside the Maghreb. On Monday, the Moroccan Minister of Youth, Culture, and Communication, Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva that seeks to strengthen cooperation between Morocco and the WIPO in the important fields of intellectual property and cultural heritage copyrights. The agreement also allows Morocco to benefit from WIPO's expertise and introduces new legal frameworks regarding resale rights and reproduction rights, as well as using the WIPOCONNECT system, an online copyright registry. Morocco, like other nations and parties, is ready to take action when culture becomes haphazardly commodified. In late 2022, Sportswear retailer Adidas faced a backlash caused by the company's jersey collection designed for Algeria's national team. The jerseys featured Moroccan Zellige mosaic patterns. Adidas later expressed its 'deep respect' for Morocco's people and craftsmen. Morocco's Ministry of Culture had registered Zellige of Fez (mosaic design) in the Vienna Classification of Figurative Elements of the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2015. In 2020, the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Alaska filed a U.S. federal lawsuit against fashion retailer Neiman Marcus, alleging the company copied a traditional Indigenous Ravenstail pattern for a coat the retailer was selling. Plaintiffs and Neiman Marcus later agreed to work together to resolve the issue 'under Tlingit law and cultural protocols.' Just this month, the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce in western India called on Italian fashion brand Prada to recognize the Indian roots (traditional Kolhapuri chappals) of a sandal design by the firm. Prada recently responded to the online uproar, recognizing the Indian origins of the sandals with a 'centuries-old heritage.' Artistic innovation or stealing? Fair use or appropriation? A May Al Jazeera segment discussed cultural appropriation issues. Is it ever OK to profit from another culture? Al Jazeera viewers responded to the poll this way: 16% said yes, it's a globalized world; 24% said no, it's never OK; 60% said it's complicated. The effort to protect and preserve cultural components is noble and worthy of technical and legal support from WIPO and others. Intellectual property is specific in its design and display, and its fair monetary value can be determined. Morocco will now have an institutional partner to aid in the protection of its intellectual and cultural heritage, at home and abroad. Label Maroc, too, establishes a quality control guidepost for local artisans, exporters and international retailers. Things get tricky, though, when one moves from the specific to the generic. Food, for example. Saffron, cumin, olives and almonds are staples in Moroccan cuisine. They reflect the country's historical connections (Andalusian, Arab, African, Maghrebi, etc.) as well as cultural diet preferences. The popular North African pie (pastilla) likely comes from Andalusia (via Muslims migrating to Morocco) on the Iberian Peninsula, and was possibly influenced by Sephardic Jews. Food is fusion. In the U.S., Cajun cuisine is a distinct and flavorful culinary tradition rooted in local ingredients, Southern Louisiana culture, Caribbean influences, and French cooking techniques—layer upon layer. Morocco's rich cultural tapestry continues to captivate and attract visitors from around the world (17 million tourists in 2024). The balance of welcoming the world to share jellabas and Zellige while protecting these rich cultural icons will be an ongoing project. Having WIPO as a resource to help defend and protect the nation's particular cultural assets while celebrating the nation's global allure is a living testament to Ibn Batutta's quest for cultural appreciation and knowledge. Tags: moroccan foodMoroccan heritageMoroccoMorocco culture
Bangkok Post
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Bangkok Post
As heatwaves intensify, Morocco ups effort to warn residents
CASABLANCA — Lhoussaine Youabd knows nearly all the languages spoken in Morocco, a useful skill in his role warning the population of growing climate-related risks in the country braving increasingly common heatwaves. "Every time a weather alert is issued, I go on the media to warn Moroccans," Youabd, 52, a meteorological engineer at the national weather service, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). This has been his mission for the past decade, going on television and radio stations to get the message across to as many Moroccans as possible, particularly in remote rural areas. Youabd said villagers are "happy that we speak their language" -- dialects of colloquial Arabic or those used by the Amazigh -- when issuing updates, warnings and recommendations that could be life-saving. The General Directorate of Meteorology (DGM) has recently declared 2024 Morocco's hottest year on record while registering an average rainfall deficit of -24.7%, on the North African country's seventh straight year of drought. In late June this year, as a deadly heatwave affected large areas of southern Europe -- across the Mediterranean from Morocco -- the DGM said several cities broke their temperature records for that month. Displaying a weather forecast map mostly shaded in intense red, Meriem Alaouri, the interim head of the national weather service in Casablanca, said that the upcoming summer months are expected to be even hotter than usual. Scientists say that recurring heatwaves are a clear marker of global warming and that they are set to become more frequent, longer and more intense. Fuelled by human-driven climate change, 2024 was the warmest year on record globally -- and 2025 is projected to rank among the top three. When extreme weather events hit, like heatwaves, storms or floods, Moroccan authorities issue colour-coded warning bulletins that are transmitted by the civil defence and media outlets. Youabd said that in recent years, text messages are also used to alert local officials across the country, who can then notify residents in their area. The DGM has also expanded its social media presence, using networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to get the message across, and a "Smart Alert" that would land directly in Moroccans' mobile phones is currently being developed, he said. No power Hicham Fenniri, director of the International Water Research Institute at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, said it was important to ensure local, regional and national leaders and decision-makers are well informed about climate risks. In remote areas, connecting residents to the electricity grid is crucial to make sure they can "access information" and install air conditioning systems, he said. Traditional houses "but remade using clean science and technology" can help reduce some effects of the intense heat, along with ensuring access to potable water to mitigate dehydration risks. In 2024, authorities said that 5.4% of Moroccans living in rural areas did not have access to electricity, and 20.4% had no reliable source of clean water. Ben Achir Chekroun, a 66-year-old pensioner from Harhoura, south of the capital Rabat, said that the weather alerts were easy to follow. "We get the information either from the radio, on online media and in newspapers," he told AFP. Loubna Rouhi, head physician at the local medical centre in Harhoura, said that in the scorching heat, it was recommended to stay in the shade and avoid going outside during the hottest hours, between 10am and 4pm, as well as wearing light clothes and staying hydrated. The 48-year-old doctor said that she has used health ministry notices to help inform the population about the risks of extreme heat. One recent campaign launched by the ministry aims to warn against scorpions and snakes, which are far more active in the heat. Mohammed Esmaili, a senior health ministry official, said that a specialised medical kit has "helped significantly reduce mortality" linked to scorpion or snake bites, from 7.2% of cases in 2013 down to 1.2%.
