schizophrenia

[filjazair]

I'm enrolled in a French class for adults. It's two hours in the evenings, four evenings a week, and it's very small: in the beginning, it was me and a girl about my age who works as a computer specialist at Sonatrach, the big national energy company; recently we were joined by a young man, either in his last year of high school or his first year

Comments

[anonymous]

The linguistic issue in Algeria (and North Africa) is 'ubuesque'. This situation is the result of a few factors linked to religion, history(colonialism) and culture self-worth and low-esteem of indigenous patrimony. All genetic studies confirm the predominance of
Berber markers within the gene-pool of all cross-sections of the Algerian populations. Therefore, basically all Algerians (and that's valid for Morrocans and Tunisians) are essentially Berbers. Despite this fact the propensity to denigrate and debase this most important component of our heritage is almost a norm encouraged even in schools. Egyptian academic colleagues report similar behaviour and attitude towards their ancient fabulous pharaonic civilization. My own enquiries and research confirm the influence and active corrosive actions of islamic teaching that intentionally devalues autochtonous cultures, history, languages and traditions by calling for their 'wipe out' -imh'a-. Arabisation policies are intended for that end. Darja and Tamazight are naturally very dynamic and progressive;very fluid and adaptive means of communication that most people feel at ease with. But at the higher echelons of the State and among religious and affiliated elites they are regarded as base and vulgar. As such they are banned and excluded from the spheres of education, the media,....

In short, these contradictions can only be solved fairly where systems of governance are democratic. Dictatorship and despotism dictate laws and legislate on the lives and fate of people. We all know the shambles within our educational institutions and the doctoring of history and all the manipulations that take place. No wonder terrorism and hatred are viewed as legitimate courses of actions even against one's own people by young school children who are taught abject nonsense 'donned' with religious and arabic legitimacy.

Amdan

Amdan's comment about the "Berber"

[anonymous]

I have never visited North Africa, but your history fascinates me. What amazes me is how over two thousand years of history and constant efforts to suppress the original cultures, the Amazight languages still survive. Would not a pride in these indigenous languages also give a greater sense of uniqueness and identity that is so lacking in the confusions demonstrated in your original comments?

It seems to me that from the invasions of Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs and to modern history every effort has been made to rob the people of their history, culture and language. Do I detect a desire to go back to retrieve the best of the past? I wonder how many realize what a debt Christians owe great Christian leaders of Amazight origin in the early centuries before the Arab invasion - they gave stability and direction to the Church of their time?

My challenge is - go and retrieve your heritage!

Patrick