Like a phoenix, the Kabyle people rise from their ashes

Like a phoenix

The Kabyle people have proven with remarkable dignity and steadfastness over many centuries of their history, their determination to preserve their freedom, their language, and their culture despite all attempts to erase their identity. Few nations dominated by Islam, like them, have managed to organise themselves to preserve their thousands of years of cultural heritage.
De-personalising the Kabyle people was already one of the goals of the French colonial power. In fact, after the revolt in Kabylia in 1871, the colonial administration had set up a census of the Kabyle people to prevent further revolts and exercise control over the people who refused to accept the loss of their sovereignty.
This population register was created as an instrument to erase the identity of the Kabyle people. The mission, given to the ‘offices of the Arabs’ in charge of administrative operations, was to replace most of the Kabyle family names, villages and other place names with names foreign to Kabyles (ex. Ait meaning son was changed to Arabic Ben, Thella was changed to Ain, Adrar to Djebel etc).
This imposed and falsified civil identity was repeated by the racist Algerian state, reinforcing its anti-Kabyle policy. The Algerian authorities in Kabylia behave like a colonial administration. It continues to show the same contempt for our language and culture. It goes so far as to refuse an Amazigh or Kabyle first name chosen by parents who want to pass on their cultural heritage to their children.
This treatment from another era, by an illegitimate power in Kabylia, must end to pave the way for an operational framework that respects our identity and our values.
153 years after the loss of Kabylia’s sovereignty in 1857, 48 years after Algeria’s independence, it is now time for Kabylia to have its own administration to serve its people. It is up to us to work for a better future, which will make the Kabyle nation take part, once again, in the history of humanity.
Anavad, the Kabyle provisional government, is now committed to repairing this injustice by issuing the first Kabyle identity card. This is one of the first cornerstones in building Kabylia’s own institutions…