Singing once banned language in Tripoli

[riverwalker]

Run time: 04:07 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXqbI_-D2TU   Posted on YouTube: September 08, 2011 By YouTube Member: enghani1 Views on YouTube: 238   Posted on DU: September 09, 2011 By DU Member: riverwalker Views on DU: 1459

 
Found this on Twitter. "Unbelievable crowd reaction to Tamazight song in the Martyrs' Square in Tripoli"
I was not aware, but the Tamazight language was banned under Gaddafi. Spoken by the indigenous Amazigh people.
http://english.libya.tv/2011/07/11/amazigh-culture-reborn-in-libya-revolution/

[Arctic Dave]

1. A lot like native dance in Alaska, last year(?) was the first time they danced since it was banned.

Libya is not the only place this has happened.

[joshcryer]

8. Was the punishment death for failing to obey the supposed ban you speak of?

No? Yeah. Didn't think so.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. That is what freedom means

It has nothing to do with making money by enslaving other people.

[happyslug]

3. Most countries have banned minority languges at one time or another

France is the classic case, in 1800, about 1/2 the population of France spoke another tongue. Brittany spoke Breton (a variation of Celtic), Southern France spoke Provençal, a Romantic language closer to Italian and Spanish then to French. Along the Rhine, German was spoken at home even when French had to be used in School. France still has such laws requiring French to be spoken,, through in recent decades it has permitted the German Speakers in Alsace-Lorraine to put up street signs in German, the language of the Majority of residents in that area of France to this day.

Now, Brittany and Provence have suffered rapid decline in the last 200 years do to the efforts of the French Government to have everyone in France Speak French. This was less effective in Alsace-Lorraine for it was part of Germany from 1870-1918 and again from 1940-1945.

Breton, spoken by 1.2 million people in 1930, only 200,000 today:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breton_language

Franco-Provence, spoken in Switzerland and that area of France next to Switzerland:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Proven%C3%A7al_language

What in English is referred to a Provençal Language but more accurate name is Occitan language:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occitan

Once the primary language in Southern France in 1800, now spoken by less then 600,000 people and then most of them also speak French.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Langues_de_la_France.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_France

Alsatian Language, the local variation of German spoken in Alsace-Lorraine, but speakers are down to 458,000:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alsatian_language

Now, I picked France for we have a clearer record of French suppression of other languages then we do in other countries, but Britain had problems with non-English speakers. During the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I, when she ordered Mass to be said in English instead of Latin, Cromwell revolted. The reason was simple, they were use to Latin being used in Church and for official documents, but if the Language in Church had to be changed why did it have to be changed to a "Foreign" Language that was English to the people of Cromwell. Similar acts were later pass as to Wales, Scotland and Ireland for speaking anything but English. Please note all of this suppression dates to the 1500-1800 period, a period where France left its people speak whatever language they wanted to.

In recent years they have been a growing tendency to accept minority languages, but even today, when a treaty was proposed to protect such languages, the French Government ruled, that while it did sign the treaty, it could NOT ratify it for such ratification would elevate these minority languages to the same level of French, and under the French Constitution that is forbidden.

Thus the banning by Libya of the Barber Lang ague (The more generally accepted name for the Amazigh people) is not something new and shocking. Most countries have done the same over the last 200 or so years, especially western first world countries.

As to why, the reason seems to be control, if the Central Government can force everyone to speak their language, the central Government can control those people. Thus as the Nation-State developed and the Nationalize became the norm in Most countries, so did the desire to have only one language. Thus the French wanted everyone to Speak French, the English wanted everyone to Speak English, the Germans wanted everyone to Speak German, The Spanish wanted everyone to Speak Spanish. It seem Libya adopted the same rule, wanted everyone to speak Arabic so all education can be done by Arab speakers only. Given that permitted him to control who taught what, that gave Libya the ability to control who learned what. This is the same reason, England, France, Spain, Germany and most of the rest of the World adopted similar rules.

[Free Tibet 2011]

7. Interesting map.

I did not know that there were so many minority languages spoken in France.

Anyways As a Tibetan, this brings me a smile to see that a language is being revived after being banned for so long. My own native tongue is banned in Chinese-occupied Tibet, often punishable by jail time if you speak it in public or put up a sign in it. I can only hope that one day, Tibetan will be heard on the streets of Lhasa once more.

[joshcryer]

9. It's certainly not new, I doubt anyone would argue that, but the punishment was unique.

In that, ultimately, you could be executed for trying to preserve the language. There are plenty of countries (Latin America in particular) who mandate a state language. The United States has even tried that nonsense, but so far we don't have an official language at the federal level (I think some states have done it though, stupidly).

[Ken Burch]

4. Why would Gaddafi have banned that language? Did he have beef with the Amazigh?

Hard to believe they could ever have done anything to him.

[joshcryer]

10. Gaddafi was and is deeply racist.

[tabatha]

5. The minority Amazigh opens its first school to teach a language banned last 42 years

The minority Amazigh opens its first school to teach a language banned last 42 years

http://youtu.be/QPuNQGeZ5MU

[tabatha]

6. Here is the original song

http://youtu.be/HJEvMWb1H7M
with English translation of the lyrics, which are really beautiful.

This Libyan Amazigh song is dedicated to the mothers of the martyrs of the Libyan Revolution (Tanit** Goddess in Amazigh Mythology)

plus another by the same singer,
http://youtu.be/4_iOpA8eLMo