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| Berber Spring | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Part of thehistory of Algeria (1962–99) | |||
 Celebration of the Berber Spring inAzazga in 2016. | |||
| Date | 10 March – 20 April 1980 | ||
| Location | |||
| Caused by | Arabization | ||
| Goals | End to the suppression of theBerber languages andculture | ||
| Methods | Demonstrations,general strike | ||
| Resulted in | Violently repressed | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
| Lead figures | |||
| Casualties | |||
| Death | 128 | ||
| Injuries | Thousands | ||
TheBerber Spring (inBerber:Tafsut Imaziɣen or simplyTafsut for "Spring") was a period of political protest and civil activism in 1980, claiming recognition of theBerber identity and language inAlgeria, with events mainly taking place inKabylia andAlgiers.
Sinceits independence in 1962, Algeria has had a single-party system, ruled by theFLN. After 132 years ofFrench colonization, one of the goals of the Arab nationalist party FLN was to implementArabization measures with the goal of makingArabic the national language in administration, schools and public services in general. Like most ex-colonies, the independence ofAlgeria stressed the need for a linguistic and cultural "recovery", as a symbol of the nation's "recovery". Under French colonization, the Arabic language was disregarded; in 1938, the French government even issued a law that declared Arabic a foreign language in Algeria. In reaction to the French policies, the nation-building project envisioned by the Algerian nationalist and pro-independence party, the FLN, made it so that Algeria would be a monolingualArab andMuslim country, with little consideration for the pluralism of cultures, identities and languages in Algeria. For example, the 1976 National Charter did not take into account any Berber claims for recognition.[1]
This rejection of the Berber identity, language and culture is to be put in a context where approximately 10 to 12 million Algerians are Berbers.[2]Kabylia is the region with the highest concentration of Berbers. Located in northern Algeria, it has approximately 7 million inhabitants.
During the 1960s and the 1970s, several Berber cultural organizations emerged in Paris, for they could not be established in Algeria. At that time, there were many exchanges between Algeria and France, and despite being based in Paris, these organizations also targeted Kabylia's inhabitants. The Berber, and more specifically the Kabyle, identity was already a political cause. For example,Mouloud Mammeri had created theAcadémie Berbère d’Echanges et de Recherches Culturelles (ABERC) with other intellectuals, that emphasized the similarities between the minorities in Algeria.[3]
The Berber Spring is traditionally dated as beginning on 10 March 1980, with the banning of a conference due to be held by the Kabyle intellectualMouloud Mammeri at Hasnaoua University inTizi-Ouzou. This event sparked demonstrations and strikes at schools, universities and businesses that would rock the Kabyle region for more than two months. This period is known as the "Berber spring" or Tafsut Imaziɣen. This event was the first great popular movement to challenge the authorities, the FLN and the single-party system since Algeria's independence. A critical point was the coordinated arrest of hundreds of Berber activists, students and doctors on 20 April, sparking ageneral strike.
According to Jane Goodman, the Berber Spring could not have happened if not for the conjunction of four dynamics: the Arabization program that “criminalized” the Berber identity; a small network of Berber scholars in Paris in the 1970s; the student governance in Algerian universities that allowed for the organization of the demonstrations; and the “human rights discourse” in the media, fueled by the violent repression.[3]
While the Berber Spring was in the end violently suppressed by the Algerian authorities, it created a lasting legacy for Kabylie and the Berbers across North Africa. Many of today's prominent Kabyle politicians and activists made their name during the Berber Spring events, and organizations such as theRally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) and the Berber Cultural Movement (Mouvement Culturel Berbère – MCB) were later created by activists of the Spring. The Spring was also an important event for Algeria's nascent human rights community, including outside Berber circles.[3]
Since the dismantling of the one-party FLN system in 1989—followed by abortivedemocratization andcivil war—a few of the demands of the Berber Spring have been met by the state. In 2016, the Berber language was made an official language of Algeria,[4] alongside Arabic.Other points of contention remain.
Since January 2011 massive Berber activism re-emerged[citation needed] in North Africa in the wake of theTunisian revolution and the overthrow of the Tunisian presidentBen Ali, in what Berbers sometimes call theBerber-Arab Spring. This time, Berber activists were much more active and vocal on the streets ofMorocco[5][6] andLibya[7] compared to Algeria. In Libya, Berber rebels helped toppleMuammar Gaddafi, as the offensive that capturedTripoli and greatly helped end thecivil war there originated from the BerberNafusa Mountains.
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Bold indicates major holidays commonly celebrated in Algeria, which often represent the major celebrations of the month. See also:Lists of holidays. | |
