Berbers | Amazighs
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French-Moroccan band Bab L'BluzMorocco's electrifying abundance
Swaken is the title of the second album from French-Moroccan quartet Bab L'Bluz. The band based around singer Yousra Mansour delves even further into the facets of the music found between the Atlantic coast and the Sahara
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Morocco earthquake'Finished here' – a village vanishes
It was delicate work for the searchers to remove the woman's body from the rubble of a village that effectively ceased to exist in Morocco's deadliest earthquake in over six decades
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The Tuareg: literature, language and culture"The journey of the princess"
The term "Tuareg" refers to tribes and nomads who speak dialects of Tuareg and live in Targa, an area in south-west Libya recently renamed Wadi Al-Hayat but previously known as Wadi Ajal. By Mustafa Abdullah Abdulrahman Bashir
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Al Qasar’s "Who Are We"A hard message for a hard world
Welcome to the world of Al Qasar, where Arabic music collides head-on with punk and psychedelic to create something powerful and beautiful. "Who Are We" is a raucous, subversive trip into the urban landscapes inhabited by a new generation of Arabs around the world. By Richard Marcus
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Standard Arabic, Darija, French or English?Morocco – a linguistic cold war
A conflict rooted in identity is currently gaining traction in Morocco. It began with demands to relieve the "burden" of Fusha (classical Arabic) by implementing a linguistic 'shift', thus allowing the use of Darija (Moroccan dialect) in education and teaching. But this approach has backfired massively on its proponents. Commentary by Mohamed Taifouri
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Women's rights in North Africa"The headscarf is losing its religious edge"
Moroccan sociologist Fatima Sadiqi believes that women's movements in North Africa have changed over the past ten years. Today, women from all social classes are fighting together for more rights, regardless of whether they are "secular" or "Islamic" feminists. Claudia Mende spoke with her for Qantara.de
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Muslim racism and imperialismPower and exclusion
The outpouring of solidarity worldwide following the violent death of George Floyd should prompt us to step back and fundamentally question racist structures and privileges based on injustice – wherever they exist in the world. An essay by Tayfun Guttstadt
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Indigenous rights in the MaghrebAn uphill struggle for Tunisiaʹs Amazigh
The Amazigh claim that the regimes of Bourguiba and Ben Ali stole their finest asset, namely their culture. Is Tunisiaʹs Jasmine revolution on the way to restoring their rights? By Lina Shanak
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Social media fosters creative writing in the MaghrebPublished by Facebook
Social media has democratised literary publishing, paving the way for young Moroccan writers to publish works which previously would not have enjoyed publication through traditional outlets. By Ismail Azzam
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Moroccan school curriculaFrench, Arabic, Moroccan, Amazigh?
The debate about the status of Arabic in Moroccan schools continues unabated. With many of the existing colloquial dialects jockeying for recognition, Morocco faces a tough task when it comes to offering effective, balanced linguistic education for all. By Ali Anouzla
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The Maghrebʹs Moorish-Spanish legacyAndalusia begins in northern Morocco
Any journey to southern Spain, to Al-Andalus, is akin to the start of a dream that finds its beguiling continuation beyond the Pillars of Hercules, in the Andalusian cities of northern Morocco – Tangiers, Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Fes, Meknes, Larache and Asilah. The relationship between Morocco and Spain is closer than we think. By Mourad Kusserow
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Moroccoʹs sentencing of Nasser ZefzafiWhen civil liberties contract
The sentencing of a prominent opposition activist to jail long-term has shaken critics of Moroccoʹs government. Activists and analysts alike warn of ill omens for the countryʹs political trajectory. By Tom Stevenson