A National Celebration in Rabat Commemorates the Amazigh New Year and Honors Creative Artistic Figures
The Mohammed V Theater in Rabat hosted a major national event on Tuesday evening to celebrate the Amazigh New Year 2976, organized by the ministries of Youth, Culture, and Communication, as well as Digital Transition and Administrative Reform. The event featured the signing of official agreements and honored prominent artistic figures who have enriched Amazigh culture.
This celebration, occurring nearly three years after the royal decree declaring the Amazigh New Year a paid national holiday, witnessed significant attendance from ministers, government officials, and notable personalities from the political and cultural scenes of the kingdom.
To highlight the official status of the Amazigh language as stipulated by Organic Law No. 26.16, a variety of logistical measures and vehicles from the General Directorate of National Security, the Royal Gendarmerie, the Ministry of Health, and Civil Protection were showcased, all featuring signage written in Tifinagh script.
The event also saw the signing of bilateral agreements between the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform and the Ministries of Transport and Logistics, Energy Transition and Sustainable Development (Energy Transition Sector), and Investment, Policy Coordination, and Public Policy Evaluation, in addition to the National Authority for Integrity and Prevention of Corruption.
These agreements aim to support the implementation of the official status of the Amazigh language within the relevant sectors, overseen by the Ministry of Digital Transition, which is managing a fund for this purpose amounting to one billion dirhams.
Amal Filah El-Sghroshni, the Minister Delegate for Digital Transition and Administrative Reform, revealed that approximately three thousand signage operations in Amazigh have been carried out nationally, with plans for an additional thousand. She emphasized that government measures also include providing simultaneous translation into Amazigh within Parliament and assigning 490 reception staff and 79 call handlers, all proficient in the Amazigh language.
In parallel with the institutional aspect, the celebration featured a range of cultural and artistic activities that reflected the richness and diversity of Amazigh expressions in Morocco, spanning from the Rif through the Middle Atlas to the Anti-Atlas. Attendees engaged with musical performances that celebrated the Amazigh New Year, symbolizing a promising agricultural season.
The event served as a platform to honor prominent artistic figures who have left a mark on the Amazigh cultural scene, including artist and poet Moulay Ali Chouhad, pioneer of the “Archash” group from the Anti-Atlas, along with artist Bouazza El Arabi from the Middle Atlas, and Rif artist Ali Ashen, in recognition of their artistic contributions and national and international impacts.
Moulay Ali Chouhad expressed pride in receiving this honor, considering it an acknowledgment of his artistic journey that began in his youth, asserting that honoring creators at the peak of their contributions or towards the end of their careers provides significant moral encouragement.
The celebration concluded with artistic performances by several creators, including folk artist Abdel Aziz Ahouzar, the Ballet of Morocco led by Najia El Attaui, the Izourane Ahidouss group from the Middle Atlas, and the Ahwash group from Souss-Massa, alongside a notable presence from painter Mokhtar Ghilan, who added a visual dimension to this cultural event.
