Berberism

The "Berber flag" adopted by the Amazigh World Congress (CMA, Agraw Amadlan Amazigh) in 1998.

Berberism (Amazigh: Timmuzgha) is a political-cultural movement of Berber ethnic nationalism, found mainly in Kabylia, Algeria and later in Morocco. The movement is in opposition against cultural Arabization and the Pan-Arabist political ideology.

Amazigh World Congress

The Amazigh World Congress (CMA, Congrès Mondial Amazigh; Agraw Amadlan Amazigh, amazighworld.org) is an international Nongovernemtal Organization with the purpose of providing a structure and international representation for ethnic Berber interests. It was formed in September 1995 in Saint-Rome-de-Dolan, France. It has since held four meetings at irregular intervals, in 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2005[1].

Algeria

Road sign in Algeria, showing evidence of dispute over whether names should be written in Arabic or Berber

Berberism aspires to the recognition of the distinct Berber identity of Algeria. Political parties and movements usually considered Berberist include:

• Socialist Forces Front (Front des forces socialistes, FFS)
• Rally for Culture and Democracy (Rassemblement pour la culture et la démocratie, RCD)
• Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie (Mouvement pour l'autonomie de la Kabylie, MAK)
• Arouch (Mouvement citoyen des Aârchs), a movement that is also organised among Kabyles.

MAK exalts a unique Kabylian identity instead of a universal Berber one, thus also known as Kabylist.

Morocco

Outside Algeria, fringe Berberist political parties existed in Morocco:

• Amazigh Democratic Party (Parti démocrate amazigh) was founded in 2005 in Rabat to promote federalism^{[citation needed]}, political secularism, and Berber cultural and social rights. The party reorganised itself to form the Moroccan Ecologist Party - Greens (Parti écologiste marocain - Izigzawn) in 2006.

• Amazigh Moroccan Democratic Party (Berber:Akabar Amagday Amazigh Amrrukan) was founded in 2005 in Rabat to promote Berber identity, federalism^{[citation needed]}, and Berber cultural rights including recognition of Berber as the official language of Morocco. The party was banned in 2008 by the Moroccan government, but it is not dissolved yet. Its chairman, Ahmed Adghirni, announced a court appeal against the government.

See also

• Berber
• Ethnic nationalism