Communication space Espace de communication

Send a postcard to friends, family ... Envoyer des cartes postales a vos amis, familles ....   Newsletter Subscribe to our NewsLetter e mail : Inscrivez-vous a notre liste de diffusion To contact us Pour nous contacter Ad agh tnermst   Nous aimerions savoir ce que vous pensez de notre portail. Veuillez laisser vos commentaires dans ce livre d'or accessible a tous, afin que nous puissions les partager avec les autres visiteurs. We'd like to know your opinion about our portal. You can write your comments in this guestbook. Nera ad taram iswingimen n nwen f uzsetta yad gh udlis n wurgh ad . Tanemmirt OTHER SITES ON NORTH AFRICA We invite our readers to check out the following sites. Please note, however: inclusion of any site does not necessarily mean endorsement of the content. The links on these pages are included for the convenience of our readers. They include sites of interest for history and political science students, art and music lovers, etc. If you wish to include a site, please send the URL with a short description to AmazighWorld@amazighWorld.org International sites on the North African region, in any language, are welcome. Meteo à Tamazgha

Echangez vos points de vue sur AmazighWorld.org Exchange your viewpoints on AmazighWorld.org On line Chat Discussion en ligne Visa Lottery Information: Info for DV-2003. Also includes sample page for envelope. Algerievisa.com. Information site for Algerians about immigration to France, Canada, and (still under construction) to the United States. In French. Groupe d'information et de soutien des immigrés. French regulations and rights concerning migrant populations. SOS-Net. Étrangers en France. Managed by law specialists, this may possibly be the most complete site about migrants rights and nationality in France. Immigrer au Canada: Ce site est dédié à tous ceux, Français, Belges, Suisses, Africains, francophones du monde entier ou francophiles qui s'intéressent au Canada et au Québec. Que cela soit pour immigrer, travailler, étudier, séjourner ou juste pour visiter et découvrir sa culture, ce site vous aidera à trouver ce que vous voulez. Législation canadienne sur l'immigration. Also in English: Canada's Immigration Law. Immigration and Naturalization Act: Contains the entire Immigration and Nationality Act. Welcome to the INS: official US government site's home page. Includes Temporary Protected Status chart; descriptions of Major INS Information Systems; Reports and Studies section; new Guide to Naturalization. Forms and filing instructions can be uploaded from the site. The purpose of this page is to map the portal for easier  navigation. Please also check the links page, which includes academic and otherwise informative sites, categorized for the readers' convenience. Le but de cette page est de presenter le plan du portail a fin de faciliter la navigation. Vous pouvez consulter la page des liens qui englobe les adresses de sites academiques et d'autres d'information, répértoriées pour l'interet des visiteurs. AmazighWorld is a portal to the world of the Amazigh. We encourage cooperation in order to more efficiently gather information on language and traditions, which may be lost if we do not coordinate our efforts and work diligently toward preserving the information that we can still gather from our grandparents and great-grandparents. But time is running out.

This site focuses on issues dealing with the native identity of north Africa. When referring to the Amazigh people, the boundaries stretch across the borders of all of north Africa, and even beyond, including the Canary Islands, Mauritania, Niger, etc. (The area including north Africa and the Canary Islands is called Tamazgha, land of the Amazigh.)

Three terms, which should be kept straight are: Amazigh, Imazighen, and Tamazight. The first is the singular for the people and the culture. Imazighen is the plural. Tamazight refers to the umbrella language group, as well as to a specific regionalism of the language, spoken in some areas of Morocco and Algeria. When the term is used by non-linguists, it inevitably refers to the language of the Imazighen in general. The term "Amazigh" is also used ideologically and politically to denote those who identify themselves first and foremost as Amazigh (rather than, for example, by the country of origin or as Muslim) and adhere to principles of democracy and secularism.   

The term "berber," while still used by some, is problematic. The term is of Greek derivation, meaning "foreigner" or "non-Greek speaker." The people, however, have historically referred to themselves as the people of Mazices (i.e., Amazigh), and there are early references to that effect in Roman and ancient Egyptian texts. Many names have been given to the Amazigh by others, including Libyans, Afrikans, Numidians, etc., but the term "berber" stuck, probably due to the history written by north African historian, Ibn Khaldun. Nevertheless, the term has a derogatory connotation. In the case of Algeria, the government uses "berber" as an equivalent to "Kabyle" (people of or originating from Kabylia, in the north-central region of the country). When referring to other Imazighen, the regional name will be used (i.e., Chaoui, M'zoabite, Touareg, Targui, etc.). The government's specific use of the term, which is also used by many Algerians, causes confusion in regard to statistics relating to the number of "berbers," which has been interpreted by the media as all berbers.

Another problem with the word "berber" is that it has been used to refer only to those who have retained the language or whose parents have retained the language. It also brings images to many minds of traditional people of the desert or the mountains. In reality, most of the people of Tamazgha are of Amazigh descent. At least 90 percent of the population of countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Libya, etc. can claim some Amazigh ancestry. The identity of "arab" is based on the official language of these countries (in the Canary Islands, it is Spanish), but this Arab identity has been artificially enforced through strong arabization programs with the intent of wiping out the native identity, language, and culture. The program goes so far as to disallow Amazigh names, either through written law or through other pressures, lists of accepted names existing in both Morocco and Algeria, where movements to reclaim the native identity are the most visible.

Nevertheless, both "Berber" and "Amazigh" are used in these pages. While many authors, including Amazigh themselves, will use "berber" since it is the most commonly known word, others,  make a distinction between the ethnicity and the ideology. Berber is used either as a general ethnicity or, more often to refer to those who merely speak the language or whose first language in the home was Tamazight, but who have no awareness of their own identity or are the equivalent of what is called in the US, "Uncle Toms," (i.e., harkis, traitors to their own people). Amazigh is used for those who strive for self-identification as Amazigh, i.e., as an ideology.

Anyone who wishes to include an article in this area to help educate people about the Amazigh--the language, culture, the people's struggles for the right to self-identification--is welcome and encouraged to send the document to info@amazighWorld.org. Articles considered polemical will be included in the editorials section. However, please avoid the use of racist or otherwise offensive terminology. AmazighWorld retains the right to refuse such articles.

AmazighWorld is a portal for the Amazigh World (North Africa) to defend their rights.