Kabylia (Algeria)

Last modified: 2003-08-21 by ivan sache
Keywords: kabylia | berbers | crescent (red) | star (red) |
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• The Berbers in Kabylia
• Flags used during the commemoration "Kabyle spring"
• Kabyle flags outside Algeria

See also:

• Algeria
• RCD (Algeria, political party)
• Berbers

The Berbers in Kabylia

In Kabylia, Berbers are represented by two political parties and one cultural association:

• FFS (Front des Forces Socialistes - Socialist Forces' Front), founded in 1963, legalized in 1989, is directed by Hocine Ait-Ahmed, an historical leader of the Algerian independence war. FFS fights for democratization and secularization of the society, free elections and national reconciliation. FFS approves dialogue with Islamists.
• RCD (Rassemblement pour la Culture et la Démocratie - Union for Culture and Democracy), founded in 1989, is directed by Said Saidi. RCD is part of the 'eradication' movement, which calls for the suppression of Islamists by force. RCD left the government one week after the onset of the riots in Kabylia in Spring 2001.
• MCB (Mouvement pour la Culture Berbère - Movement for Berber Culture), founded in 1980, advocates the development of a Berber language written in Latin alphabet. Its members might be partisans of either FFS or RCD.

The Berbers expected acknowledgement of their specificity after their participation to the independence war (1954-1962). Anyway, president Ben Bella said in 1962 'We are all Arabians'.
Following the arrestation of the writer Mouloud Mammeri, who had attempted to give a lecture on the classical Berber poetry, the 'Kabylie spring' started in T