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On the 17th of October 2001, King Mohammed VI delivered a speech that changed the way Moroccans view the Amazigh language, culture and heritage. In his royal text, known as the Ajdir Speech, the young sovereign announced the foundation of the Royal Institute of the Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) granting it a full legal capacity and financial independence. Since then, the Amazigh language and culture became one of the pillars of the Moroccan society and several developmental projects were launched to support this primordial component.
The Ajdir's speech
In his historical speech the Sovereign affirmed that «Tamazight which is rooted in the history of the country belongs to all Moroccans» and that it is a «main element of the national culture and heritage that took part of the Moroccan civilization throughout history». In the same speech, King Mohammed VI urged to promote the Amazigh language.
The creation of IRCAM was followed by a number of other initiatives that contributed to incorporating the Amazigh language into the national educational system. A TV channel was created to serve as a platform for the Amazigh culture and other things were done to fulfill the recommendations set by the sovereign in 2001.
16 years later, the Amazigh culture is still struggling to make its way to public institutions in the country. Despite the changes and reforms, Amazigh activists believe that there is a long way ahead of Moroccans to grant the language the respect it owes.
Ahmed Boukous and the creation of ICRAM
Asked about the changes that marked the 16 years following the Ajdir’s speech, Ahmed Boukous, Director of IRCAM stated that «the speech has enabled Morocco to launch a number of experiences and strategies that targeted precisely the educational system, teaching, Media, and cultural production, which created a cultural and linguistic base in Morocco».
«A lot has been achieved. First of all, we have preserved the Amazigh and national identity marked by plurality and coexistence. The Amazigh culture has also been incorporated into the National Charter of Education and Training. Also the Amazigh language and culture were formally integrated in the field of media by creating the Tamazight TV channel. A lot of efforts were made and they deserve to be proudly cited».
However, Ahmed Boukous indicated that there were some obstacles that «prevented us from teaching the Amazigh language in all schools and levels». He also pointed out at the lack of human resources adding that teachers abandoned the project. «We have trainee teachers who were trained to teach the Amazigh language but who have not been summoned to carry out their missions», he added.
The head of IRCAM said that with the promulgation of the two organic laws, those concerning the Amazigh culture and the missions of the Higher Institute of Languages and Moroccan culture, «some obstacles and difficulties slowed down the process». «We will therefore move on to new cultural and linguistic era in the country», he concludes.
Ahmed Dgharni and the organic law
For his part, the Amazigh activist Ahmed Dgharni believes that during these 16 years following the royal speech, many achievements have seen light, including «the constitutionalization of the Amazigh language» as an official language in 2011. «Since then, the political parties changed their discourse regarding the Amazigh culture in order not to contradict the King’s speech», he recalled.
«It was impossible to imagine that the Amazigh language and culture would reach this before the Ajdir’s speech».
For Ahmed Dgharni, «there are always some things that need to be improved». The activist referred particularly to the fact that Morocco is «qualified as an Arab country despite the plurality of its history». However, Dgharni insists that the change remains major in comparison to other nations.
Asked about the organic laws on the Amazigh culture, the activist argued saying : «Personally, I think the bill is a failure. These are only restrictions imposed by the Advisory Committed set to review the constitution. Fortunately, the barriers are gradually disappearing and with or without an organic law, everything is changing in a good way», he asserted.
Ahmed Assid and the academic achievements
The Amazigh activist, Ahmed Assid, has a completely different point view shedding light on the political and academic aspects. For the academic sector, Assid acknowledged the results achieved by Morocco and which were above-mentioned by the two activists. «Academically speaking, we have reached a number of things, and it was a new era for the Amazigh culture», Assaid said. Meanwhile, there is little done in the institutional level, according to the Amazigh activist.
«We found ourselves faced with a situation where the will of the state is crystal clear. A will voiced during the speech of Ajdir, and formalized by the constitution. However, we have seen a decline since the constitutionalization of the Amzigh language. We thought that the step would protect the political decision, but the opposite happened».
For Ahmed Assid, in 2011 officials started paying attention to the Amazigh culture and language. He did not miss the opportunity to criticize the organic law stating that the project «damaged the Amazigh culture». «IRCAM has thus fulfilled its mission with regard to the academic aspect but the state is not aware of the fact that it is also engaged in the process».
«The organic law must be fair to grant the Amazigh its place as a language for all Moroccans», he declared.
Ahmed Assid concluded by stating that «this equality between Amazigh and Arabic must be emphasized by the organic law and that this must also be applied as soon as it is extended».
The three Amazigh activists all agreed on the fact that Morocco has been through a lot of stages to give the Amazigh culture the value it deserves. Some of the stages were successfully fruitful while others need to be reinforced and improved in the future.
