Morocco: The Berber Dance Is Over
IPS, 13 August 2009
RABAT, MOROCCO: Berbers are an indigenous people of North Africa. There are an estimated 30 to 40 million in the region, mostly in Algeria and Morocco. They have been resisting efforts to Arabize their communities ever since the arrival of Islam in the seventh century. But many Berbers now speak of a dramatic cultural change over the last few years, this time coming from within their own communities. According to researchers, satellite receivers have speeded up the process of wiping out Berbers’ cultural heritage, with traditions dying out under the influence of television imams. Read the article …
