Algeria issues first statement in Amazigh language

The Ministry of Interior yesterday issued the first official Algerian statement in Amazigh language on the occasion of the Amazigh New Year which starts tomorrow.

The Amazighi version of a statement in Arabic was about starting registration for the next Hajj pilgrimage.

The statement came after the Amazigh language became the second official language of Algeria after Arabic in accordance with a constitutional amendment made in early 2016.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika declared the Amazigh New Year’s Day as a national and official holiday throughout the country during a Cabinet meeting held on 27 December.

Read: Moroccan Amazigh activist calls for direct dialogue with government

Bouteflika called on his government to “spare no effort to generalise the teaching and use of the Amazigh language in accordance with the essence of the constitution” and established an Amazigh language academy to educate students.

Amazigh is the main language used in daily life of the people of the Kabylie region of Algeria, which includes several provinces east of the capital.