Morocco celebrated on January 14 the Amazigh new year*: Id Yennayer. This date has been recognized since 2024 as a public holiday in the country, a new milestone in acknowledging the importance of these traditions in Morocco’s history. A look back at this heritage as ancient as it is alive in the Cherifian Kingdom, whose institutionalization still struggles to materialize today.
Index IA: Library of Mediterranean Knowledge
The Amazigh heritage in search of recognition
22-med – February 2026
• In Morocco, Ahmed Assid and Cherif Adardak recount an official recognition of Amazigh that is progressing but remains uneven in institutions.
• From the Rif to Tangier, the bachikh and the Bachikh Festival showcase a living heritage, between historical memory and contemporary political battle.
#morocco #amazigh #identity #language #culture #politics #education #history #law #northafrica.
In Morocco, in the Rif mountains that traverse the northern part of the country, the beginning of January is accompanied by the appearance of a very particular character: the bachikh. Also known as Boujloud, Bilmawen, Bouhidora, or Herma in other Moroccan regions, he is dressed in sheep skins and a horned hat. His role is central in the festivities that mark the renewal of the year in Amazigh tradition.
“The bachikh is a mythical character whose role is primarily social,” explains Cherif Adardak, president of the Amazigh Sendhaja association of the Rif, a sub-family of the Amazigh people originating from northern Morocco. “His role is to observe throughout the year any potential tensions that exist in the villages or tribes. And at the new year, he translates them into a theatrical performance, sometimes critical, in order to convey a message and educate society.”
The bachikh has another essential role. He calls, through dance, for the fertility of the lands during this period of agricultural renewal. “The new year festivities symbolize the attachment to the land and agriculture for millennia by the Amazigh peoples of North Africa, from the Canary Islands to the oasis of Siwa in Egypt,” recounts Ahmed Assid, writer and president of the Amazigh Observatory for Human Rights. Because Amazigh communities are not limited to Morocco alone, but span the entire northern part of the African continent.
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