Berberism (Amazigh: Timmuzgha) is a political-cultural movement found mainly in Kabylia, Algeria and later in Morocco and other parts of the Berber world. The movement generally defends North Africa's Berber identity and culture against Arabization and the domination of Pan-Arabism and Francophonie.

[edit] Algeria

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.

[edit] 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, laïcité, and Berber cultural rights. The party reorganised itself to form the Moroccan Ecologist Party - Greens (Parti écologiste marocain - Izigzawen) in 2006.

• Amazigh Moroccan Democratic Party (Akabar Amagday Amazigh Amrrukan) was founded in 2005 in Rabat to promote Berber identity, federalism, and Berber cultural rights including recognition of Berber as the official language of Morocco. The party was banned in 2008.

Also in the Rif, a deadly insult was to say "your father died in his bed," denying the Berbers' warrior status.

[edit] See also

• Berber
• Ethnic nationalism