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History and belief

Frequently asked questions

Berber or Amazigh, script, flag, pronunciation

The questions almost everyone asks first: answered briefly.

Are Berbers and Amazigh the same thing?

The same people are meant, but the words are not equivalent. Amazigh (plural Imazighen) is the self-designation and means "free people". "Berber" comes from the Greek bárbaros, the stranger whose language you do not understand: an outside name with a derogatory root. Many reject it, some go on using it as a matter of course. If you are unsure, say Amazigh.

Are Amazigh Muslims?

The great majority are, since the 7th and 8th centuries. Alongside that there are small Christian and Jewish minorities; the Jewish communities of North Africa were large for centuries and have almost entirely emigrated since the 1950s. Older customs continue in many places alongside religious practice.

How do you pronounce "Tamazight"?

Roughly ta-ma-ZIGHT, with a rolled gh formed in the throat, like the French r. The stress falls on the last syllable. In the Rif people call their own language Tamazight (Tmaziɣt, in Nador pronounced tmazixt). Tarifit is the newer name used to tell it apart from the other forms.

What is the Tifinagh alphabet?

The Amazigh's own script, with roots in the Libyco-Berber script of antiquity. The present version is called Neo-Tifinagh and has been used in schools in Morocco since 2003. It is phonetic: what stands there is what is spoken.

What does the Amazigh flag mean?

Blue, green and yellow stand for sea, mountains and desert; the red ⵣ in the middle is the letter yaz and is read as a human being with outstretched arms. It came into being in the 20th century, not in antiquity.

How many people speak Tamazight?

In Morocco's 2024 census, 24.8 percent of the population said they speak an Amazigh language in daily life: Tachelhit 14.2 percent, Central Atlas Tamazight 7.4 percent, Tarifit 3.2 percent. The question was about daily use, not about who understands the language. Algeria, the Saharan countries and the diaspora in Europe come on top.

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