I was confused when people first started talking about the “Arab Spring.” I’m North African, I thought, but I’m not Arab. Everyone was talking about “ the Arab world,” “Arab countries,” and “Arab revolutions,” caught up in the excitement of the international headlines but reading from a safe distance. There have been countless lectures, headlines, and opinion articles about the “Arab Spring,” lauding Arab nationalism and rarely, if ever, recognizing any North African identity other than “Arab” and “Muslim.” Approximately a year later, the “Arab Spring” is still actively discussed and yet these discussions have still failed to recognize the identity of most North Africans.
Uprisings in North Africa have been popularly called the “Arab Spring” because the protests have supposedly concentrated in Arab countries. The majority of revolutions have actually taken place across a region known as Tamazgha, the land of the Imazighen. The Amazigh people are indigenous to this region, which spans most of northern Africa. The Amazigh people have played a large role in the North African uprisings, forcing us to ask a crucial question: if many of the protestors are not Arab, what does that say about the “Arab Spring”?
Libyan Imazighen, primarily from the Nafusa Mountains (Adrar N Infusen), have been an integral part of the resistance movement against Gaddafi from its inception. The Amazigh people were heavily discriminated against under Gaddafi’s regime, as they were not allowed to speak their language or express their culture. Amazigh names were illegal and Amazigh activists were often imprisoned for their work. Although Libyans may have united to fight against Gaddafi, anti-Amazigh discrimination has remained and the Imazighen must continue to fight for the recognition of their language and rights. The National Transitional Council failed to recognize Imazighen, continuing Gaddafi’s legacy of Arab nationalist and racist policies.
Protests in Morocco, including those from the February 20th Movement, often focus on the repression of Amazigh identity in the country, which is comprised of about 60% Imazighen despite that they are often relegated to a “minority” status. Protests in Morocco prominently feature Amazigh flags and banners in Tifinagh, the script of the Amazigh language.
Imazighen have been present at all stages of the North African uprisings yet they have received little recognition for their resistance, instead having their very identity erased under the banner of the “Arab Spring.” Soon after Gaddafi’s compound was destroyed, the Huffington Post published a news story with a picture of a bulldozer tearing down the building. Spray-painted in two locations on the bulldozer was a “Yaz,” the Amazigh symbol of freedom and the symbol on the Amazigh flag. It is clear that the people destroying Gaddafi’s compound were not Arab but Amazigh, yet the story was tagged as “Arab Spring” and there was no mention of the Amazigh people.
So what of the “Arab Spring”? If we are to recognize and respect the indigenous people of North Africa and the many Amazigh protestors and fighters who have been killed, injured, and displaced in the region, we must stop erroneously labeling the uprisings an “Arab Spring.” Many Amazigh people recognize the uprisings as a “Tafsut Imazighen,” an Amazigh Spring, which would be a far truer characterization of the North African protests, giving heed to the region’s long history and the people’s rich culture.
Beyond the issue of ethnicity in North Africa, religion must be addressed. It is assumed that North Africans are homogenously Muslim, a claim more emphatically pushed after Islamist parties won the largest number of seats in Tunisian and Moroccan elections. Coptic Christians, of course, have a significant presence in several North African countries, including Egypt. Although most Imazighen are Muslim, the Amazigh Movement is secular and Imazighen value their Christian and Jewish heritages, which are important in Amazigh history and culture.
“Arab” and “Muslim” are not the only valid identities in North Africa – Tamazgha – and the “Arab Spring” refuses to recognize those of us who are not Arab or Muslim. In the interest of moving forward, we must acknowledge the plural, African nature of the revolutions and the northern region of the continent.
Eye opening article. Thanks for this!
Great job, very accurate. Liberal Media Wake up.
Wow, and people don’t know that.now the NTC is again discriminating against the Amazigh people. Where is the justice in that and what is the international community going about that. They continue to illustrate that fact that assisting in that revolution was self motivated disguised as fighting for human rights.
Great article. This serves as a wake up call to the west to stop the blackout policy on the Amazigh people. Thank you.
a very thoughtful piece Eden! Eye opening indeed.
Thank you for your comments! I agree that there is a serious media blackout on the situation in Tamazgha (North Africa). The prevalence of Imazighen in these protests is utterly denied, even when they paint our symbol of freedom on the bulldozers and wave our flag. I hope that the international community, especially the Amazigh diaspora, will put pressure on the NTC and continue to demand that Imazighen be recognized in our own homeland! There is a similar media blackout on the situation of the Amazigh people in northern Mali, in the Azawad region. It has been reported that there are over 44,000 refugees as a result of the conflict and the crisis is getting worse every day. I urge everyone to learn about the current situation in Azawad and to support the Imazighen who are simply asking to be free in their own land.