It is a 2,000-year-old North African language spoken by about three million people and has now been given a global online platform by the world's most popular search engine.
Tamazight is spoken by Amazigh communities predominantly in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia – and awareness of the indigenous language has been growing thanks to artists, musicians and educators across the region.
The addition of Tamazight to Google Translate, facilitating the use of the language's Tifinagh alphabet for online communication and translation, is being described as another “significant” step forward.
“It’s one thing to speak the language,” says Khadija El Bennaoui, a Moroccan events producer and curator. “But it’s another to actually type it online. Previously, we had to use a third language like French for emails or phone messages. Now my language is available, I look forward to learning more about how to write it online, which will be a small challenge.”
The challenge is a welcome one for El Bennaoui, whose remembers when her indigenous tongue was overlooked, dismissed and ignored.
Recalling a childhood in Morocco long before the Amazigh identity was constitutionally recognised in 2011, she says: “We are going back about three decades now, but back then in Morocco I wasn’t allowed to speak my language at school. Instead, we heard Arabic, French, and English.
“Tamazight was viewed as an old and unfashionable language. It was falsely perceived as a language of the lower class and those speaking it were viewed as uneducated or uncultured.”
Morocco's official recognition of its Amazigh community came during the 2011 uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, a period marked by calls for social reforms.
The growing global awareness of the community was also fuelled by artists and educators. El Bennaoui was part of that movement as a production manager for the inaugural Timitar Festival in Morocco in 2004. The three-day festival, one of the first international events to promote Amazigh arts and culture, and marks its 20th anniversary this week in the coastal city of Agadir.
“While there were other Amazigh festivals before, Timitar gained international attention,” recalls El Bennaoui. “This is because the team looked at themselves as cultural activists and, of course, the political imbursement allowed it to happen in the first place.
“We always felt that arts and culture could play a vital role in promoting Amazigh identity because it reaches out to more people in everyday life than politics and education.”
Songs of identity
French-Algerian musicologist Redha Benabdallah believes Amazigh songs of culture and tradition, dating back to before the arrival of Islam in North Africa 1,400 years ago, have played an integral role in the continuing mission to preserve the Tamazight language. That took on renewed meaning when the Amazigh diaspora established a community in France at the turn of the 19th century.
“The urgency increased further over 30 ago during the Algerian Civil War, when musicians were targeted and killed,” Benabdallah explains. “Many fled to France, raising awareness of Amazigh rights and identity through their nostalgic songs, which reminded people of home.”
Algerian singer Idir, who died in Paris in 2020, is a prime example, Benabdallah notes. Known as the 'King of Amazigh music,' Idir fused modern production with traditional Amazigh instruments like the lotar – a lute with a mellow tone – and the tbal – a forceful bass drum. His popular songs, such as A Vava Inouva and Zwit Rwit, are inspired by traditional folk tales as well as the rugged and mountainous landscapes intrinsic to Amazigh identity.
These works inspired a form of cultural dance, which Benabdallah says is partly inspired by the surrounding wildlife.
“A dance like the Guedra is important,” he says. “It is performed by Amazigh people in the Sahara and the movements resemble the gallops of the camel. What makes it more expressive is that they are accompanied by songs in the Tamazight language about desert life and spirituality. The traditions have been passed down the generations and that’s how the language has always remained alive and vibrant.”
Keeping tradition alive
Despite the rich history, is the Tamazight language and wider Amazigh culture known by the Mena region? It is a question explored by Leila Alaouf in her episodes for Arabic culture podcast series Majhool for Dubai broadcaster Akhbar Al Aan.
The episodes explore different facets of Amazigh culture and their relationship to the Arab world. Alaouf, a French-Syrian-American writer who resides in Abu Dhabi, says respect for Amazigh identity and culture can only be fully realised through acknowledgement from all regional neighbours.
“What Google has done by adding the Tamazight language is a great gesture and it is significant,” she says. “But I think the most important indicator when it comes to a community’s freedom is how the people are able to express themselves in their surroundings.
“The reality is that we still have issues related to internal racism within our Arab countries and communities – and that’s often related to colonialism.
“So while Amazigh culture is recognised and celebrated in Algeria and Morocco, in Tunisia that is not the case for example. That shows there is still some work to do. Imagine this state of cultural schizophrenia, where as an Amazigh you are practising a language that is not recognised in the country you live in – it can be emotionally disastrous.”
Such adversity has only strengthened the need and desire to preserve the language. Morocco’s Tayeb Lmouden, who provides Tamazight language courses online and YouTube channel Learn with Tayeb, says students hail from the Amazigh diaspora in Europe and Mena.
“Many are second-generation families living abroad who want to reconnect with their culture through the language,” he says. “Language is one of the best ways to keep Amazigh culture alive because many of its aspects derive from it. We decorate our clothing with the Tamazight language and sometimes our bodies with henna.”
Lmouden is excited about the opportunity Google Translate offers him to type verbal greetings and begin his classes in original script.
“Azul is a word that actually combines two words. 'Az,' means come closer to us, and 'ul,' means heart. Together, it means 'come closer to my heart,'” he says. “This is the beauty of the Tamazight language. It is old yet still can say so much today.”
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
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The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
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Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
AWARDS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20Male%20black%20belt%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELucas%20Protasio%20(BRA)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20female%20black%20belt%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJulia%20Alves%20(BRA)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20Masters%20black%20belt%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Igor%20Silva%20(BRA)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20Asian%20Jiu-Jitsu%20Federation%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kazakhstan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20Academy%20in%20UAE%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECommando%20Group%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBest%20International%20Academy%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Commando%20Group%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAfrican%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKatiuscia%20Yasmira%20Dias%20(GNB)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOceanian%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAnton%20Minenko%20(AUS)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEuropean%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rose%20El%20Sharouni%20(NED)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENorth%20and%20Central%20American%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlexa%20Yanes%20(USA)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAsian%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZayed%20Al%20Katheeri%20(UAE)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERookie%20of%20the%20Year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rui%20Neto%20(BRA)Rui%20Neto%20(BRA)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
