Since the invasion of North Africa by the arabo-Islamic troops at the 7th century, the indigenous population called “Berber” by the occupants, was overall Islamized and partially arabized. The Arabisation of part of this population was done according to a complex process (integration with the conquerors of certain Berber tribes, prohibition to translate Coran in particular). However, a majority of Berber could preserve its ancestral language and its habits until the 19th century, before being subjected to the destroying action of French and Spanish colonialism.

Kabyles, installed in the north of Algeria, belong to the Berber living mainly in Algeria and especially in Morocco, knew to preserve their language and their identity, in spite of the constraints of the religion. The attempts of the Algerian central government, since almost a half century, to impose to the Algerians a language, a culture and only one identity (arabo-Moslem) like the Jacobin system, inherited from French colonialism recommends it, are strongly disputed.

Kabylia, spearhead of the cultural and democratic claims, is the most refractory area against the totalitarian visions of the central government. So Kabylia is incontestably the area of North Africa, who suffered most from the reprisals of the State. Since the independence of Algeria (1962), to which it had strongly contributed, Kabylia never ceased disputing the authoritative methods of the regime.

In 2001, 123 young Kabyles people were killed by the soldiers to have simply dared to assert their right to their identity and the difference in plural Algeria. Ferhat is one of the principal actors of the fights for plural and interdependent Algeria. Whereas it was student in political science in Algiers, with its words and its guitar, it denounced the pangs of the single party and its Stalinist practices. His songs plead for free and plural Algeria, Algeria reconciled with its history and removed from the sacro-saint identity principle of arabo-Moslem. The prison was the only response of the Algerian authorities. In this Algeria 6 times vaster than Germany, Ferhat, as a warned politician, know that its country abounds in differences. It does not make a problem, but considers of it on the contrary that it is a priceless richness.

Today, he is the spokesman of the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie, a movement which is the ultimate result of a fights for which he devoted all his energy. It is thus of the relevance and the goals of this movement that it will speak on May 2 in Munich. The 05 of the same month, he will be the guest of the association “Tiddukla N Tmazgha di lalman” (Masirischer Nordafrika Verein e.V) and of association MVTKS (Morokkanischer Verein für die Tamazight-Kultur und Soziale e.V) in Frankfurt/Main to animate a conference on the current situation in Kabylia.

As Ferhat Mehenni is above all known as a poet and engaged singer, he had the kindness to agree to make us listen to some songs of its repertory.

Lyazid Abid
Translated from French by Jugurten Uraver, kabylia observer