THE AMAZIGH (BERBERS),PART III: ASSOCIATIONS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L RABAT 000615 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2011 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR SCUL MO SUBJECT: THE AMAZIGH (BERBERS),PART III: ASSOCIATIONS IN THE ANTI-ATLAS REF: A. RABAT 00540 ¶B. RABAT 00567 Classified By: Political Counselor Timothy Lenderking, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: This cable is the third in a series of cables from a combined outreach and reporting trip by Poloff and PAO to the anti-Atlas (south side of the Atlas Mountains) from March 10-17. The area discussed is part of the Meknes-Tafilalt region (reftels) and, like the Erfoud area, it is experiencing a water shortage (reftel B). The economy is partially based on remittances from those who have emigrated to Spain and France, or those working in Casablanca and Rabat. Missionoffs met with five associations. One, the Boughafer Association, located in Al-Nif, advocates recognition of the importance of Amazigh identity in all of Morocco. End Summary. -------------- To Al-Nif -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The road west from Erfoud to Al-Nif goes through sparsely foliated, black foothills lacking water resources. While this area was once famous for date palm trees, it too has experienced extreme drought (reftel B). Multi-storeyed, concrete houses and shops are built adjacent to the two-lane road in Al-Nif -- the dryness of the area is evident everywhere with a film of dust covering the buildings and roads. Al-Nif is the center of an area with approximately 50,000 people. There are two doctors for the entire population; neither of the doctors is Amazigh. There is only one ambulance to serve the population and the closest hospital is in Erfoud, approximately two hours away. -------------- Associations in Al-Nif -------------- ¶3. (C) Greeting Missionoffs at the "Dar al-Shebab" (Men's Club) in Al-Nif (Arabic for "violence") were male representatives of five area associations: Tassourt, Errag, Toughza, Achbarou, and Bougafer. These five associations represented Al-Nif and the surrounding area, comprised of even more remote villages. Introducing Al-Nif and the surrounding area, the association representatives said that their primary interest was economic development and secondarily providing cultural and sports activities. (Note: The theme of human/economic development and the preservation of cultural identity is consistent in Morocco. Most associations/organizations, governmental or nongovernmental, articulate their mission using this theme. End Note.) The cultural activities identified were music and dancing. Some of the participants in this initial meeting were adamant that Missionoffs understand that the area is in the "anti-Atlas" and on the edge of the Sahara; they described themselves as a "wall against desertification." Members of the associations discussed the high incidence of glaucoma in the region, lack of adequate medical facilities and what some identified as the central health services not caring about the population. ¶4. (C) All of the association representatives pointed to the emigration of the young male population as the most significant problem. Young men do not see opportunities in the area and leave for Rabat, Casablanca, Spain and France. Eighty-five percent of the male population not in the Al-Nif area sends money back to their relatives, according to the association representatives. While these remittances assist the family members remaining in the area, there is no economic growth, according to the representatives. ¶5. (C) The village housing in the Al-Nif area is now multi-storeyed concrete buildings. In the past, multi-storeyed mud and stone constructed buildings followed the contours of the land, creating a "stepped" settlement image. Older members of the villages readily admitted their dislike of the modern constructions. The younger male association members said that constructing houses in the older fashion was no longer possible because skilled workmen were not available and that concrete housing is thus cheaper and quicker to construct. The Errag (Amazigh for "stony-Sahara") Association, like the others, lamented the lack of water and said they were mostly concerned about the children and women. The Achbarou (Amazigh for "saddle") Association members said the village population is approximately 1,400 and that 200 people live in France. The main source of income for the association is from those living in France; financing is currently being used to construct a cultural center. ¶6. (C) Perhaps the most interesting association is the Boughafer Association, located in Al-Nif. Boughafer is the name of a mountain, approximately 30 kilometers from Al-Nif. In the 1930s, the regional Amazigh tribal leaders waged a battle with the French forces; they kept the French at bay for six months. Articles on this battle, along with more distant Amazigh historical events, including multiple pictures of Queen Chaichaou, decorate the association's office and are uppermost in the association members' minds, spicing their conversations. In some ways, this association was the most "militant" of those visited throughout the anti-Atlas trip. Members were adamant about the importance of the Amazigh language and culture, and many did not feel that the central government in Rabat respected Amazigh contributions to Morocco. One young member of the association, who recently graduated from university, has a grant from the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture (RIAC) to preserve Amazigh oral history. Several of the members present thought that the Tamaynout organization was preferable to the RIAC. ¶7. (C) One of the members of the Boughafer Association, Abdelaziz Berdahem, returned from Norway in December after completing a masters degree at the University of Tromso entitled: "Indigenous Identity Awareness: The Case of Imazighen in the Moroccan Arab State -- Free in our name but invisible in our land?" Since the March trip, Poloff has met with Berdahem as he attempts to find employment in Rabat. Fluent in Amazigh, Arabic, French, and English, and with a masters degree, he is finding it difficult to secure a position. Like many others, he returned to his home after being abroad, thinking he could immediately have an impact on change in Al-Nif. While he did help to resolve a dispute over land between two separate tribes in Al-Nif, he has found himself frustrated by the lack of opportunities in his home village, and, in his own words, finds himself "between different worlds." ¶8. (C) In discussions with Berdahem, what is evident is his commitment to his Amazigh culture and his confusion as to why Amazighs are not recognized more in Morocco. He recounted some of the problems with the Boughafer Association as having to do with control and power issues. When he left for Norway, a number of other young men in the association also left Al-Nif either for work or more education. Several of these men were teachers in the public schools and had been the founders of the association. The GOM replaced the teachers with non-Amazigh Islamists (Berdahem's term). These men tried to take over the Boughafer Association and change it into an "Islamist organization," according to Berdahem. He and others in the association "have made sure," he said, that the organization did not change from being a cultural organization. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) While the people with whom Missionoffs met were eager to elucidate the development and cultural activities in which they were involved, they also pointed out that they are disadvantaged because of the lack of water and the emigration from the area. For the most part, the people projected a sense of disappointment and expressed the feeling that they are neglected by the central government. Having pride in their Amazigh heritage did not extend, as it did in the Erfoud area, to "selling" that heritage, rather the shape of their pride seems to have taken on a more active political sense. Living in a remote area, which once prospered with date palm farms, appears to make the association representatives eager to develop the area; yet, the representatives projected a sense of doom about the region as they emphasized neglect by GOM authorities and the number of young males leaving the area. ****************************************** Visit Embassy Rabat's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/rabat ****************************************** Riley