Berber communities in Algeria are pressing for the government to not only promote, but also fund their indigenous Tamazight language. Recently, Parliament has rejected an amendment to formalize the teaching of Tamazight in schools, which resulted in an outbreak of protests, especially in the country’s northern regions. People believe that the state is refusing to acknowledge the language and identity of the Berber people, whom speak Tamazight. Thus, this is thought to be a marginalization of the Berber minority by the government. It is estimated that around 15-50 million people across North Africa speak some dialect of Tamazight, making it a prominent language worthy of recognition. The discrimination of Tamazight can be dated back to when countries such as Algeria, Morocco, and Libya won their independence from France. At that time, Algeria made Arabic its sole official language. After years of protests and pressure from the Berber people, Algeria finally recognized Tamazight as a second official language just last year. The issue with this move is that the recognition is more symbolic than it is practical or significant. This is because Algeria is not doing anything to maintain the usage of Tamazight by its refusal to fund it. Simply enacting a recognition does not do anything for the language, because it takes actual work and funds to preserve Tamazight.
