Is being an Amazigh threatens the national unity in Algeria?

Azul Fellawen

Since my birth, I spoke only Kabyle, which is a dialect of Tamazight, the native and ancestral language of North Africa; from the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, West, to the SIWA Islands in Egypt, East, and the from the Mediterranean Sea, North, to the Niger River in the Great Sahara Desert, South, that is 10 countries in total.

Then, once at school at the age of 6, excited to start my studies, I was confronted with a foreign language that is Arabic. A language I did not know since my parents did not speak it, because they too did not know it.

I was forced to learn a new language, which was exciting because everything new is beautiful, but I had never been taught mine. I was trying to understand why, but I was confused and lost in trying to figure out the reason.

When I succeeded in my Baccalaureate exam in Arabic at the age of 18, very happy to succeed in my studies indeed, I was admitted to the university to continue and deepen my knowledge in technology, but again, I was surprised knowing that all that I had learned in Arabic was useless and that from now on I had to do everything in another language that was French, what! But … why??

I was forced to learn a third language if I wanted to finish my studies and have this famous State Engineer degree. Many of my friends in my class had dropped out of school because they could not pick-up another foreign language that quickly; many others were stuck in the same year several times.

With a lot of courage and perseverance, I managed to learn another language and thus continue my studies to the graduation.

But again, I had never been taught my language, The Kabyle or Tamazight.

For lack of work in Algeria, I had to find a solution and quickly. Like most Algerians, the solution was, and still is, to leave the country for better horizons. I had to learn a fourth language again, that is English so that I could have a good job and could live comfortably and with dignity.

Today, I find myself abroad by not mastering any language including that of my parents and my ancestors. Who should I blame for this catastrophic result of a whole nation??

Even today, one of the greatest officials of the Algerian state declares with impunity that to be Amazigh, with all its colors, threatens the national unity.

Really! Am I dreaming?

I am an Amazigh in every drop of my blood, I am proud of it; therefore, and I will loudly proclaim it until my last breath.

Written by Hacene B. for BerberoSaharan.com on 02/07/2019