Rabat – President of the Amazigh World Assembly, Rachid RAHA, Thursday 31, sent a letter to Mohamed VI, King of Morocco, renewing calls for the recognition of Amazigh New Year known as “yennayer”, as a public holiday.
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“I have the honor to once again address this letter to Your Majesty as the head of the state and symbol of the nation’s unity (…). We ask you to recognize the Amazigh New Year as an official national paid holiday, which has become a popular demand, awaited by all Amazigh activists, human rights organizations and few political parties.” he wrote.
Despite we are on the verge of the tenth year of the Moroccan constitution’s recognition of Tamazight as an official language (…). “We turn to Your Majesty with all the hope of releasing an opportune Dahir (Royal decree) which recognizes the Amazigh New Year as a national holiday in accordance with the state’s constitution.”
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A copy of the full letter can be found here and below:
Thursday, Dec 31, 2020
Azul/Salutations,
His Majesty,
I have the honor to once again address this letter to Your Majesty and to inform Your Majesty – as Head of State and symbol of the unity of the nation, guarantor of its sustainability and stability, which ensures respect for the constitution of the Kingdom and international treaties and conventions – that for the past decade, we have been calling on the executive authorities of the last two governments and the legislative authorities represented in Parliament, in its two chambers, in order to enact a law recognizing Amazigh New Year as a national and official holiday, celebrated as the rest of the holidays, but we have not yet received any positive response to this request, which has become a popular demand, awaited by all Amazigh activists, human rights organizations and some political parties.
His Majesty,
You have more than once affirmed your keen desire to recognize all the components of Morocco’s collective history and national cultural identity, which has been formed from multiple cultural tributaries. As you said in your speech in Ajdir on October 17, 2001: “The promotion of Amazigh is a national responsibility, because no national culture can deny its historical roots, and it must open up and reject any partitioning, so that it can achieve the development essential to the sustainability and progress of any civilization”. And the fact that the Moroccan Constitution in its preamble and with an explicit text of chapter five thereof and the provisions of Organic Law No. 16-26 relating to the determination of the stages of the implementation of the official character of the Amazigh language have all made Tamazight a component language, culture, civilization and identity of the constants of our dear country and restores respect for the Moroccan personality. It is no longer allowed to ignore a historical event of this magnitude because of its great impact on the Moroccan personality and its link with its historical and geographical roots of our country.
On the basis of the foregoing, we turn to Your Majesty with all the hope of formulating an opportune Dahir to convert the Amazigh New Year into a national holiday and into an official holiday like the rest of the national holidays and official holidays, in accordance with the spirit and philosophy of the Constitution and in harmony with your noble speeches.
His Majesty,
In conclusion, I have the honor to extend to Your Majesty my warmest congratulations and best wishes for health and well-being on the occasion of “the Gregorian Year 2021” and the “Amazigh Year 2971”.
Rachid Raha,
President of the Amazigh World Assembly.
