InsiderBLM Africa
A school in Zwara, northwest Libya, is teaching its students the language of a formerly oppressed community.
When Muammar Gaddafi was in power twelve years ago, the Amazigh community was forced to practice secret orality.
Things have changed since Gaddafi’s death in 2011.
Assirem Shuwashi, a Tamazight language teacher and presenter, said, “The Tamazight language is not just about the alphabet and vocabulary, but it’s a whole culture and identity that we are passing (on to pupils, Ed.)” “We try to instill in them (pupils, Ed.) the comprehensive Amazigh spirit,” he added.
In Zwara, the first Tamazight classes began in 2012.
The school’s director describes “difficult beginnings” brought on by a shortage of qualified teachers and a lack of clarity regarding the program to be implemented.
“It’s a challenging situation because our kids don’t speak the new language that is being incorporated into school curricula. They speak it at home, but learning and writing it is challenging for them because it is a recent addition to the government’s curriculum “, says Sondoss Saki, the head of the school.
Kasas FM, which has been broadcasting since 2012, is the first regional Tamazight radio station to do so in Zwara.
“Zuwara’s inhabitants are Amazigh and speak Tamazight. Speaking the language that they use at home, on the streets, and in institutions, the closest and most comfortable language for them is, therefore, the best and easiest way to reach citizens and convey information, messages, and advertisements “Ismail Abudib, an architect and the program director for Kasas FM radio, agrees.
Amazigh, a sizable indigenous population of North Africa who were present long before the Greek, Roman, and then Arab conquests in the 7th century, make up about 10% of the population of Libya.
