The announcement by King Mohammed VI of establishing the Amazigh New Year as an official holiday in Morocco raised great satisfaction among the ranks of the Amazigh movement and its activists, who saw this as a victory for one of the components of national identity, and an activation of the contents of the 2011 constitution.
And the researcher on Amazigh affairs, Mustafa Antara, considered that the king’s assertion to make the Amazigh New Year a holiday to be paid for, similar to the Muharram Conquest of the Hijri year and the Gregorian New Year, “is of great importance because this event will reinforce the new course that Amazighism has known in our country.”
Mustafa Antara explained, in a statement to the electronic newspaper Hespress, that “the Amazigh language knew an important path after the historical royal speech in Ajdir in 2001, and the subsequent fundamental developments represented in the establishment of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture, and the selection of the official alphabet for writing the Amazigh language (Tifinagh), and its integration into education.” the media and its constitution as an official language alongside the Arabic language; As well as the approval of two regulatory laws that concern the stages of defining the official character of the Amazigh language and the National Council for Moroccan Languages and Culture, and the development of the integrated government plan to activate the official character and the creation of a fund to support the Amazigh language.
The author of the book “The Amazigh Question in Morocco… From Institutionalization to Constitutionalization” stressed that this royal decision, which he described as “wise,” is “a logical result of this path that the Amazigh language defined as one of the most important major reform projects initiated by the king, and he was keen to follow it up as a component Essential to the multiple national identity, and a credit to all Moroccans without exception.
And the researcher on Amazigh affairs recorded that “what indicates that the Amazigh language is a royal bribe is that the king gave his high directives to the head of government in order to take the necessary measures to activate this decision, which bears strong indications that re-correct a normal situation, especially since part of the Moroccans have been celebrating this day, for what it symbolizes It has a culture of connection to the land and the bounties it produces; This is not limited to Moroccans only, but rather concerns a large part of the North African population.
And Mustafa Antara added that this decision “constitutes a distinguished historical moment, as it is the result of a convergence of a royal strategic vision in the advancement of the Amazigh language, and its replacement of its natural position within the institutions of the state and society, and the struggles of the Amazigh movement, which has been on every occasion presenting this demand, and calling on the government to recognize the Amazigh New Year.” as an official national holiday; It is a demand that the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture interacted with as an academic and advisory institution, and submitted a petition to His Majesty the King about it.
King Mohammed VI issued directives to the Head of Government in order to take the necessary measures to implement this royal decision.
The Royal Court confirmed, in a statement, that this decision is “the embodiment of the generous care that King Mohammed VI has been giving to the Amazigh language as a major component of the authentic Moroccan identity, rich in its many tributaries, and a common asset for all Moroccans without exception; It also falls within the framework of the constitutional consecration of the Amazigh language as an official language of the country, along with the Arabic language.