Moroccan Groups Urge King to Make Amazigh New Year a National Holiday

In an open letter addressed to the King of Morocco, and written in Arabic, Amazigh and French, the signatory NGOs stressed the importance of Amazigh, recognized as an official language in the 2011 Constitution, before insisting on the need to declare the day of January 13, on which the Amazigh New Year is celebrated, a paid public holiday.

"In addition to its strong symbolism, the Amazigh New Year will consecrate and restore the renaissance of Amazigh in accordance with the spirit and philosophy of the constitution and in harmony with the speeches of His Majesty," can be read in the letter signed by the president of the World Amazigh Assembly, Rachid Raha.

This Friday, the year 2973 of the Amazigh calendar corresponding to the first day of the agricultural calendar used by the Berbers for centuries to start their agricultural activities will be celebrated. The Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch (of Berber origin), announced on Tuesday the use of Amazigh in the public administration.

Amazigh is a language spoken by millions of people from North Africa and the Sahel and is the mother tongue of a third of the Moroccan population, according to official estimates.