2008

Diffusion of the participatory process for the elaboration of the proposal of creation of the Casa Amaziga de Catalunya

The context

The recognition of Amazigh origin is lost as the time passed. The history of this town has survived the Romanization and the Arabization of North Africa, when it has not been silenced, was written mostly by the invaders. The amazighs refuse to be called Berbers (barbarians), epithet imposed to them by Arabs in the 7th century. The amazighs are the original settlers of Tamazgha, North Africa, a vast territory that is populated for more than 3,000 years by Amazigh people. The current sociocultural reality of the Tamazgha comprises Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and some cores of Egypt, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Chad and Burkina Faso.

The most significant and distinctive expression of this community since ancient times is their language, tamazight. There is little written documentation as, despite having its own signs and be able to transcript it in Latin alphabet, language is transmitted mainly orally. Tamazight is co-official in two States, Mali and Niger, while elsewhere it is not recognized, with the consequent loss of its use and knowledge.

Catalonia has been a recipient for immigration since the mid-20th century. At the end of the same century, much of the immigration came from the African continent. According to the 2007 data, there are 860.575 foreign residents in Catalonia, which 211.475 are originally from Morocco and 7.341 of Algeria. Almost 25% of foreign residents in Catalonia are from Morocco and it is considered that the 80% of the Maghrebi immigrants live and work in Catalonia. This makes the amazigh language to be considered ad the third most spoken language in Catalonia, after the Catalan and Spanish.

The proposal

Given the large number of amazighs resident in our country, and taking into account the fact that their culture is little known, it is intended to raise the awareness and promote the creation of the Casa Amaziga de Catalunya. This entity will also serve as a point of union, meeting and organization of this community in our country.

Commissioned by members of entities Amazigh in Catalonia, AVALUEM’s paper is to stimulate a participatory process with the promoter group of the Casa to design a strategic operating plan.