Morocco Advances Amazigh Language Integration with New Law on Official Use

It took eight years after its officialization and practically two years of discussion in parliament to achieve the result obtained last Monday. The law text approved by the Education, Culture and Communication Commission of the House of Representatives, recalls Hespress, "follows the examination of about twenty amendments proposed by the two opposition groups (PAM and Istiqlal) on the 35 Articles of the Organic Law.

To get to the heart of the matter, it should be noted that the Tifinagh alphabet will indeed be used to write the Amazigh language, as decided since the creation of the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) by Dahir in 2001. "Only the PJD group of the first Chamber continued to demand the writing of the Amazigh language in Arabic characters," notes the media.

The draft law in question touches on all public areas where the Amazigh language and culture must manifest themselves. It stipulates, for example, that "national identity cards, passports, banknotes and coins, water, electricity and telephone bills, all administrative certificates and court decisions" must be issued in Amazigh.

It also covers other service areas such as "public transport, aircraft, ships, trains, public service vehicles, national security, the royal gendarmerie, civil protection, auxiliary forces and ambulances" are also covered by the law text. In addition, the same organic law stipulates that the teaching of the Amazigh language must be compulsory and that it must be disseminated throughout the national territory and in all cycles of education. As for the media world, the project provides for "the transmission of communiqués and declarations to all Moroccan citizens in the Amazigh language".

To achieve this ideal, the Draft Law grants the administration a 15-year deadline to publish legislative and regulatory texts in the Official Bulletin in Amazigh. An identical deadline is granted to local authorities to disseminate their decisions and deliberations in Amazigh.